5 Ways to Grow Your Marketing Career in Quarantine

Seemingly overnight, COVID-19 led to stay at home orders and business closures. The economy ground to a halt and the job market massively changed. In four weeks 22 million Americans filed for unemployment. 

Before the pandemic, finding talented, qualified, and available marketers to fill open roles was difficult. Sought after talent was courted by multiple companies. They were able to negotiate salary increases and casually shop for better opportunities. 

For the foreseeable future, those days are over. 

Today a closed economy is impacting many sectors of American business. Marketing professionals are likely in one of four buckets:

• Part of a skeleton crew, tasked with doing the work of a team at least twice their size 
• Furloughed, with no certain date of when they will be asked to return
• Waiting for the shoe to drop, wondering what might befall them and how long until it will 
• Laid off completely 

So what now? 

If, like many Americans, you find yourself with more time on your hands and an uncertain future ahead of you, take this opportunity to look at your personal brand with fresh eyes. Reflect on your career. Are you headed in the direction you really want to go? Have you felt relieved by cancelled projects and lost assignments? What does that tell you about what you want your work to look like after the pandemic is over and life moves forward?

Now is a great time to examine your career and retool your own marketing–the marketing of you. 

5 Ways to Grow Your Career and Invest In Marketing Yourself During the Pandemic 

1. Refresh your personal website. Update and reorganize your portfolio. Examine your online presence. What content exists online that tells people about you? Will it help open doors to the opportunities you really want? If the answer is not a resounding “yes,” make some changes. 
2. Update your resume. If you have not yet kept a record of your accomplishments and milestones at work, start now. Include projects you’ve initiated. Use action words. Be descriptive. 
3. Take advantage of free online education. One of the best perks of quarantine is extra time for professional development. It’s quite possible you will never again in your lifetime have as much time to invest in learning about our field as you do now. So take advantage of it. Start with these 16 free digital marketing courses and resources. 
4. Get comfortable engaging on LinkedIn. If you’ve been a lurker or haven’t spent much time at all on LinkedIn, now is the time to rethink your approach to the platform. How can you add value? What can you share that is insightful or helpful? 
5. Get connected to a recruiter. Now is a great time to reach out to a recruiter to have a conversation about your experience and your career goals. Review McKinley’s open roles here and apply for any that you believe you would be a good fit for. 

Where do you want your career to go when the economy opens back up and business moves forward? By using the time you’ve been given wisely, you’ll be prepared for the opportunities that lay ahead. Do what you can now to make sure you are as marketable a talent as anyone, and your talent and skills are being showcased effectively online.