If landing a job in digital marketing is on your 2025 bingo card, pat yourself on the back: the digital marketing industry is growing rapidly and now’s a great time to make the switch into the field. The job hunt itself can be daunting, however, so we wanted to create a guide for getting started in digital marketing and job hunting tips to keep in mind.
Let’s dive right in.
Source: Hostinger
Getting Started in Digital Marketing
The first step in beginning your digital marketing journey is to figure out what exactly you want to do. The digital marketing field is vast and so are the jobs that make up the field. There are lots of options, but here are some of the main ones:
Content Marketing: Develop high-quality, engaging, and relevant content for diverse platforms, including social media, blogs, websites, and email newsletters, to attract and retain audiences.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Enhance content visibility on search engines to boost organic traffic through strategic keyword usage, on-page optimization, and link-building.
Social Media Marketing: Master the art of growing and managing brands across top platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter through effective engagement strategies.
Email Marketing: Leverage segmentation, personalization, and automation to craft high-converting email campaigns that build brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Data Analytics: Utilize powerful tools like Google Analytics to track, measure, and optimize marketing campaigns based on data-driven insights.
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): Optimize website and landing page experiences to enhance user engagement and maximize conversions.
These are the main fields, but there are also more generalist roles that are typically found in agency settings that are more account and strategy based. There is no right or wrong choice for your career, but make sure you pick a focus that aligns with your experience and skills.
Build a digital marketing portfolio
An essential part of your digital marketing job hunt will be sending your portfolio as part of your application. Portfolios are collections of your work that serve to provide a snapshot of what your work looks like. Depending on your area of focus, your portfolio may take a few different forms (a website or a downloadable document). Different from a resume or cover letter, your portfolio will include actual projects.
Try to include the following:
Projects that show a variety of work across various industries and skills, with information about past projects, clients, and companies you’ve worked with.
Recent work that is up-to-date with your current skills.
Feedback or testimonials from past clients.
Results that show the effectiveness of your work–figures or actionable achievements.
Source: LinkedIn
Gain practical experience
Completely new to the field? No problem. The beauty of the digital marketing world is that all skills are transferable and valuable, regardless of what you worked in previously. For example, customer service experience is great to bring to a client-facing agency role and event planning is a crucial skill for organic marketing teams.
That said, it’s important to gain more relevant experience that directly relates to your career goals. If you’re looking to get into a writing-intensive role, creating your own blog or getting some freelance writing experience can help pack your portfolio with good writing samples. Another way to gain some experience is to volunteer with non-profits or local businesses to get your feet wet.
Research the job market
The specific job market for your role will heavily depend on your goals, but it’s important to check out the current job market for a few reasons:
You’ll want to know exactly what skills companies are looking for: Knowing what skills companies need is the first step in preparing yourself for the job hunt. To do so, review job postings and figure out what the common denominator is: are hiring managers looking for data skills? Or video editing? Or specific marketing tools? These are the things you’ll want to focus your efforts on.
You’ll be able to include the in-demand skills on your resume: Due to ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) that many employers use to sort through applicants, including these in-demand skills on your resume is a crucial step to being noticed.
You’ll be ready for interviews and sample tests: With a solid understanding of market needs, you’ll be able to prepare for interviews and sample tests knowing that you’re preparing for exactly what the company needs.
Network with digital marketing professionals
Networking in a fast-moving industry like the digital marketing field is crucial, but maybe not because of the reasons you think. In addition to learning about new job opportunities, networking can also provide valuable insights into what working in digital marketing is really like, get your questions answered, and help you figure out exactly what skills are needed.
To network in digital marketing, join LinkedIn groups, attend events, or connect with professionals who already work in the field. Remember that networking is a long-term nurturing relationship and should be treated as such–engage with your connections and focus on quality over quantity.
Commit to continuous learning
Choosing a career in digital marketing means you’re committing to a life of constant upskilling and refreshing your skills to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. Make a promise to yourself to learn a new skill every so often and make sure you know what’s going on in your specific field.
Starting a career in digital marketing requires a mix of strategic job hunting, skill-building, and industry awareness. By defining your focus, building a compelling portfolio, gaining practical experience, and staying up-to-date with market trends, you can position yourself for success. Keep learning, networking, and refining your approach—the right opportunity is out there.
About the Author: Juliette Carreiro is a skilled content creator with over five years of experience in SEO, content ideation, and digital marketing strategy. She has spent more than two years at Ironhack, where she developed in-depth articles on topics ranging from career growth in tech to the future impact of AI. With expertise across tech, hospitality, and education industries, Juliette has helped brands like Ironhack engage their audiences with impactful storytelling and data-driven insights.
