Don’t dread the brief, embrace the brief!

 You have been for your first interview and impressed, whether it's a PPC or SEO position, the chances are that if it's a digital role then you will be asked to complete a brief. Do you;

A: Go into melt down?

B: Run a mile?

Or

C: Read this blog and trust the Digital Recruitment Experts here at The Candidate to give you the best chance to succeed?

Its C isn't it? Good.

It is safe to say that most interviews within digital marketing include the completion of a brief.  Due to the nature of digital and the constant change employers are keen to see a visual brief from candidates to determine knowledge and understanding and particular digital skills.  During my time in Digital Recruitment I have seen a number of briefs centred on SEO marketing, PPC marketing and Affiliate marketing to name but a few. 

It can be quite daunting to be given a brief and present it in front of a bunch of strangers, not to mention the fact that this could also be your dream job.  I have put together a few tips to help appease the pressure and hopefully make you more prepared.  There two things you need to remember -  PREPARATION and DELIVERY, if you get these right the chances are you will impress.  Okay, to start with let's look at the preparation first.

Preparation:

Read the brief: it sounds so simple but it is so important to actually read the brief you have been given to ensure you understand exactly what you are being asked to present.  It's common to think that you shouldn't ask questions and just get on with it.  This is the perfect time to ask questions, it is also why using a digital marketing specialist like ourselves comes in handy as we can clarify these with the client.

Know your audience: Make sure you know exactly who it is you are presenting to, do some research on the company and also on the people who are attending the interview.  This will help give you a better understanding of the brief and make it relevant to the company it is for.

Keep it relevant and to the point: If you have been asked to present for 10 minutes then stick to 10 minutes.  The temptation is always to cram as much information is as possible.  It's vital that you stick to what you have been asked to do and make these points the best they can be with as much details as possible.

Make it look good:Keep it uniformed. Check that all the font size and colour are the same running through the presentation.  This is your chance to impress so it should look clean and have a good flow to it.

Practice it:Again, it sounds terribly simple but practice makes perfect.  The more you run through it the better it will be.

What can we do to help at this stage?

We see ourselves as specialists in digital marketing recruiting in the region and represent leading digital agencies and clients.  We've seen PPC, SEO and eCommerce briefs at varying levels.  The team at The Candidate will be here for the full process.  If you've followed these steps in at preparation stage then it's advisable that you send it to the team at The Candidate at least 24 hours before your interview.  Its gives us times to give it the once over and then pass directly on to the client ahead of your interview.   If it makes you more comfortable, the team at The Candidate are always on here for you to present to prior to your interview.

Now that you are fully prepared, all you need to do is deliver this to your audience, here are a few tips to assist with this.

Delivery:

Be Confident:You've put a lot of work into this so be confident in your presentation.  Whether it's an SEO Marketing position or a PPC marketing position, you are the expert here.

Stick to the brief:It is easy to get side tracked or thrown by a question from an interviewer, its' important to stick to the brief you've been set.

Invite questions:When you have delivered the brief invite some questions from your audience, this is your chance to clear up anything they may have misunderstood; it is also your chance to explain something you may feel you hadn't explained properly.  Don't be afraid to ask these questions.

After reading this, you will hopefully feel more comfortable when you are next asked to present to a potential employee. Remember that each and every member of the team at The Candidate are always on hand to offer advice!