You hear it all the time but getting a job these days, especially in this industry, is just as much about who you know as what you know. So how do you get to know people? Three ways:
- Local groups
- Local companies
- Local events
I have lived in Ann Arbor for a while now. Between bar tending my way through school, doing freelance work, and building my personal and professional network, I had a huge advantage when looking for a job. But what would I do if I were to move to a new town? Well, besides missing Michigan football game days and my basketball season tickets, I'd look around for professional groups and local events to connect with the local companies.
SEMPO Michigan
Full disclosure, I am one of the founding co-chairs of SEMPO Michigan. Along with Linda Girard, Pure Visibility's CEO and my amazing boss, we founded the group to bring together the search and social professionals throughout Michigan. Our goal is to make it easy for three groups of people:- For students interested in Internet marketing to find resources and educational opportunities to build their resume, make connections, and get jobs.
- For digital managers to become better clients through educational events.
- For companies to have a strong group to recruit from.
So while I am partial to the benefits of joining SEMPO and attending SEMPO Michigan events, I am even more passionate about the overall goal of our groups like ours.
Ann Arbor Groups and Companies
There are many domestic and international SEMPO groups. But there many other groups, especially in the Ann Arbor area. To find digital and internet marketing jobs in the area, look for groups and ways to connect with the companies hiring. Just to name a few:
And just a few of the great Ann Arbor and southeast Michigan companies to get more information on*:
- Pure Visibility (of course)
- Enlighten Media
- Ingenex
- Whole Brain Group
- Kaleidico
- Pakmode
*Links? You don't need links. Google the companies for more information.
Upcoming Events
Many of the above mentioned groups meet weekly or monthly. I also encourage you to look into two larger events happening in November:
- November 16th - EMU's Search Marketing Workshop
- November 30th - University of Michigan Ross School of Business and SEMPO Michigan present: "From Google to Facebook, What's New in Internet Marketing"
For more information visit www.thesearchmarketingworkshop.com and follow SEMPO Michigan on Twitter.
Go Forth...
My final bit of advice is to keep it real. By this I mean focus on building real relationships with people. Go for a beer, buy someone a coffee. Don't just dish out a bunch of business cards. Creating a real network of friends in your industry will be more profitable to you than increasing your LinkedIn connections. When someone needs to fill a position they will think of their friends and colleagues first.
If you have any more questions or need additional advice hit me back on Twitter or try and catch me at one of the above mentioned events. Happy hunting!
Posts
