Almost every aspect of life now uses electricity since its invention and mass production in the eighteenth century. From cars to every appliance in the kitchen, everything that previously was non-electric is now fully, or partially electric. The digital revolution, specifically social media is slowly doing the same thing to all aspects of marketing, personal marketing, branding, advertising, etc. In this blog, I will explore new facets of life that have new digital focuses.
In marketing, there were the ‘old rules’ used for decades by companies and marketing firms, which heavily relied on spending millions on, either TV ads, billboards, or some large campaign promotion that aired in front of millions of people, like a Super Bowl commercial. The new rules stem from the new tools, social media, software, websites, and apps to do those same marketing advertisements and campaigns. Things like sports shows, advertisement campaigns, and job searching have switched from those old rules to the new digitally saturated rules.
As we witness the pervasive influence of the digital revolution in reshaping every facet of our lives, from the way we communicate to the tools we use, this blog explores the transformative impact of this technological evolution on the realm of personal marketing. Drawing on personal experiences as a student navigating the internship landscape, we delve into the shift from traditional to digitally-driven methods, showcasing how embracing the 'new rules' of the digital era not only redefines marketing strategies but also opens unprecedented opportunities for self-branding and career advancement.
As a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology, I need to complete one internship, CO-OP before graduating, and as a sophomore, I have been extensively searching for the perfect position. The first two months I was using the old rules to find that job, going to in-person networking events, only attending school-sponsored events, and applying to jobs on the school career page, I attended the school's career fair. It was getting me nowhere. Within the first round of rejections, I was quickly getting frustrated, there was a need for change.
My old way of applying was starting to provide no results, events were happening at a lower rate, and jobs started diminishing. I needed something new. I started by applying on LinkedIn after email blasts went out every night on both of my emails telling me the jobs that best fit my profile, most of which weren't true. After one day of applying to 15 jobs, I got multiple responses, from the hiring managers directly. Most messages I received were automated, however some were personal and written by a human. Jobs are tedious to apply to but LinkedIn ‘Easy Apply’ made it simple and easy to apply to as many as I could per day without getting completely burned out.
Now, sometimes while applying for jobs through LinkedIn I was directed to another job site, WayUp, which was even easier to apply to. Similar to LinkedIn, you can make a professional profile, with a photo of yourself, your resume, external links, like this website, and other tools. After I refined my profile, I was getting more and more recognition. I also was getting more than just personal messages from hiring managers, within a week I received 5 invitations to various online networking events, career opportunities information sessions, and other calls.
Changing my view from a traditional method to a modern method opened various new paths for me that were seemingly unreachable before. I always thought of myself as a person who is digitally knowledgeable and up to date on all the new trends and topics, however, I was approaching my job search in the way my parents did in the 80s. Sure some things were different, (online applications and interviews) but some things were old, dressing up in business formal attire all day for a one or two-hour event after work hours to connect with various accounting and finance firms and professionals who did not need my marketing skills. Expanding my horizons, and utilizing new resources, moving to the ‘new rules greater increased my ability to market myself to a new, modern audience.
