Manchester and nearby Salford have a thriving online and digital marketing sector, with hundreds of agencies, as well as many thousands of companies and organisations all requiring staff.
This makes Manchester one of the best cities in the UK to work in if you want to get a job in SEO or digital marketing.
We thought we would put together 10 tips to help you get hired in an awesome job.
1) Speak to a specialist digital marketing recruitment agency. There are a few agencies in Manchester that are dedicated to working with companies looking for digital marketing talent, including Orchard, The Candidate, and Forward Role.
2) Get a qualification. There is no mandatory requirement for qualifications to work in digital marketing, if you have the skills you can get hired - but it certainly doesn't do any harm, and qualifications such as the Search and Social Media Marketing Course from Salford University are a great addition to your CV.
3) Have your own website. Having your own website shows that you know how to get your hands dirty with HTML. In particular you should consider setting up a WordPress blog, the CMS of choice for a big chunk of the digital marketing and SEO industry in Manchester.
4) Widen your search to include entry level jobs such as blogger outreach and link building. Depending on your level of experience, you may be able to jump straight into an executive (1-2 years experience) or manager role (3-4 + years), but if not there are plenty of entry level positions.
5) Call or email agencies, ask them for advice, if they have any work available, and what type. Agencies for the most part like people to contact them, it shows hustle, and saves them recruitment fees!
6) Join Manchester Digital. Manchester Digital is the biggest industry organisation in town, and membership looks great on your CV. Or if you don't have the money just yet, you can still check out the Manchester Digital jobs section.
7) Social media. If you are going to work in digital marketing, it kind of looks a bit strange if you have zero social media presence. Sign up to and get active on Twitter and LinkedIn if you haven't already. Social media is an avenue that a lot of people successfully use to find jobs in digital marketing. Tweet what kind of work you are looking for, and you may be surprised at what you might get back from the Twitterverse.
8) Sign up with Reed, Monster and the other big job websites. Many Manchester based companies and recruitment agencies still use these sites, and a lot of mid level and above jobs end up on here.
9) Offer to work as an intern or for work experience. Getting yourself on the ladder will quickly open up other avenues, and companies are always on the lookout for hard working and enterprising future employees.
10) Live in Manchester (or not too far away). In my experience some employers don't want people to be too stressed out by long commutes. If you move to Manchester you will almost certainly pick up a job quickly, and will be able to enjoy the many benefits of this awesome city. Alex Fenton, a lecturer at Salford University, pointed out that living in Manchester is not essential - there are loads of places to live just outside Manchester that are just a 15-20 mins drive away, and plenty of agencies and companies offer remote working opportunities and work for freelancers.
Do you have a recruitment question or your own tip? Leave a comment below.
Search Candy are a Manchester based SEO company. We specialise in SEO and blogger outreach. Get in touch to find out more.
Main image adapted from a photo of Media City in Salford by Russell Lee Photography @ Flickr.