Graduated? What now...?

As part of the Future talent team, I call recent graduates every day and ask them what they are looking for in their next job or what they want to do. Most of the times the answer is:

"I don't really know" or "what roles do you have?"

As specialists in the Digital Sector, we're primed to give you advice on what is availble to you. Digital is still a relatively new industry and most people still don't know exactly what roles are out there or what their day to day will look like.

Since I want graduates and entry-level talent to make informed decisions about their career path because it is a crucial moment in their lives, I have decided to write this article explaining the roles we offer and what exactly each of them entails...

We can say that within Digital there are 3 main categories we place people into:

Commercial roles

These are roles for people who describe themselves as a people's person; they love talking to others and love being around a team of people. In terms of degrees, it is VERY open. As long as your communication skills are on point, you are ready to shine.
Within this category we mainly find 2 types of roles: 

1. Account Executives (AEs)

Aim: to ensure the client and/or agencies are happy with campaigns 

Responsibilities: support with smooth running of campaign launches, analysis and management in line with client’s goals.

Things to consider:

• It is a VERY client facing role 
• Often AM's specialise in an area of Digital Marketing: e.g. PPC, Social Media, SEO, Programmatic…
• Sometimes Excel Skills are required (pivot tables + Vlookups) so it's best to have them just in case

2. Sales or Business Development Representatives

SDRs or BDRs bring new business to their company and are generally in charge of selling advertising space, software or products to clients (what you sell depends on the role). 

Aim: to make it rain AKA make as much money as you possibly can

Responsibilities: to prospect new clients through outreach, book client meetings and secure new revenue (resulting in you hitting target, making commission, etc).

Things to consider:

• There may be cold calling and lead generation involved
• It is a target driven environment where you will focus on hitting targets and KPIs (key performance indicators) 
• Being money motivated and looking for constant progression is an indicator that you can thrive in these types of roles
  

Analytical roles

These roles are for people who love working with data and think that they can make sense of the world through it. The degrees that prepare you best for these roles are Mathematics, Economics, Business Technology, or any Science degree with a heavy numerical side.
Within this category we mainly find 2 types of roles:

Ad Ops

Ad Ops professionals set up and manage advertising campaigns from start to end.

Aim: to make sure the campaigns are up and running correctly

Responsibilities: set up, upload, track, monitor, analyse and optimise digital advertising campaigns. They also have to report on campaign performance to the clients and internally to their team

Things to consider:

• It is NOT a creative role
• Advanced Excel Skills (Pivot tables + Vlookups) are a MUST
• Attention to detail is very important
• Sometimes a bit of coding skills is desirable (e.g. HTML, Javascript, CSS) are needed to be able to spot errors and inform the tech team so they can solve them

Analyst

Analysts are responsible for reporting, analysing and finding insights of campaigns

Aim: to report on online campaigns that are currently running across different channels so they can perform at their best and in line with the client’s goals

Responsibilities: to report and analyse online campaigns and report back to agencies, clients or the Account Management team so they can be improved or changed

Things to consider:

• You are dealing with BIG amounts of data
• Advanced Excel Skills (Pivot tables + Vlookups) are a MUST
• There’s lots of data analysis and report writing

Technical roles

These roles are for people who are passionate about IT, software and who see programming as their second language. The degrees that best prepare you for these roles are computer science, ICT or Business Technology Systems. Within this category we mainly find 2 types of roles:
                                 
Designers: they work on the visuals of a website and make it aesthetic for the audience that will see it. Typical names for these roles are UI, User Interface designers or Digital Designers. 

Developers: they work on the options the website itself offers. They improve how easy it is to navigate and ensure there’s no errors at coding level. Typical names for these roles could be UX or User Experience designers or developers. 

Things to consider for both of these:
Strong coding skills are a MUST (HTML 5 / SPSS / CSS / JavaScript, etc.)
Experience with coding or website building is a big plus
Designers will have an advanced knowledge of the Adobe Creative Suite. 

You can find a list of all the available vacancies myself and the team are working on by following this link.

I hope this article was useful and that now you know a bit better which role best fits your interests and skills. 

Please reach out to me if you have any questions about your job search.