Imposter syndrome can do major damage to your professional life. Practice these tips and you’ll have more confidence to apply for lucrative high-profile gigs now.

[Image source]

Do you ever feel like you don’t deserve all the professional success you’ve earned?

If you ever face self-doubt, insecurity, or worry about higher-ups discovering you’re not as awesome as they think you are, you may be suffering from imposter syndrome.

And this severe lack of confidence can really damage your career goals.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter syndrome (IS) was first identified in 1978 by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes[*].

They defined IS as believing you’ve only been successful in your career due to good luck and circumstance rather than your talent, experience, and qualifications.

One report estimates up to 70% of professionals will experience imposter syndrome in their professional life at least once[*].

IS can affect men and women equally and can manifest either early on in your career or well down the line[*].

Here’s what to look for:

Signs You May Have Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome can be generally defined as not being able to own your success and accomplishments.

It frequently shows up as:

• Feeling unworthy of your accomplishments, salary, accolades, or high-profile job title
• Fear of being discovered as a fraud or fake
• Thinking your success only comes from luck
• Believing you could do better
• Not being able to take a compliment
• Downplaying your achievements
• Fearing you’re charging too much for your work/services

[Image source]

What’s frustrating here is even though you may be wrestling with these demons, there’s no evidence any of these fears are true or legit.

And that disconnect may be keeping you from leveling up your design and marketing career.

How Imposter Syndrome Damages Your Professional Life

People with imposter syndrome:

Strive for unrealistic perfectionism. Even though you may set high expectations and accomplish 99% of your job perfectly, if you mess up even in the smallest way you start doubting your skills and abilities completely with IS.

Feel as if they must be experts. If you have IS, you may constantly seek out training and certifications to level up your design and marketing skills and prove you’re capable and knowledgeable in your field.

But this may also prevent you from applying to certain jobs just because you’re missing one small qualification or believe you’re not “good enough” to succeed in that role.

May give up when work gets tough. Those with natural talents and abilities don’t have to work hard at tasks that come easily to them.

However, if you encounter a situation where you must put in more effort, you may feel inadequate or like an imposter because the work doesn’t come as easily or naturally as you’re used to.

[Image source]

Tend to use solo mentality. Sometimes when you have IS, you get caught up in thinking you must do everything on your own to prove your worth rather than relying on team members for their assistance.

Add extra work pressure to their plates. You may overcompensate for feeling inadequate by working harder than everyone else on your team or in your department.

You may think this protects you from being discovered as the weak link you fear you are, but striving to prove this causes stress and unhealthy work relationships.

It can also force you into becoming a workaholic and damage your relationships with your family and friends too.

So what’s the cure for imposter syndrome?

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome will hold you back from accomplishing your professional goals.

So whether you want to become a killer digital strategist, negotiate a higher salary, or stand out in a crowded design market, you can overcome IS when you:

Realize When You’re Falling Into IS Patterns

Instead of letting your thoughts take over and feed the imposter syndrome cycle, identify them when they creep up so you can counteract the way they make you feel and behave.

By not ignoring these, or giving in to them, you’ll be able to put your feelings in perspective and ask yourself whether they’re helping or hurting your day/project/career.

And that may require you to…

Think Realistically

Honestly, is there ever a flawless work project? Or an employee who’s never made a mistake?

These don’t exist in the real world.

So if you’re setting unrealistic expectations for yourself or your projects, you’re always going to feel unworthy for not meeting them (even though they were impossible goals anyway).

[Image source]

The sooner you focus your effort on continual improvement and not perfection on the first try, the faster you’ll be able to think on your feet when issues do come up.

Rather than feeling as if you’ve let yourself down, you can accomplish more by solving these problems and increasing your productivity.

And if you do make a small error, go easy on yourself like you’d give your best friend a break for doing the same.

Talk to Yourself As If You Were Talking to Your Best Friend

Whenever you’re feeling imposter syndrome rear its ugly head, think about what you would tell your best friend to help them out of the weeds if they were in the same boat.

While you may internally beat yourself up over a mistake, chances are you’d give your best friend a pep talk and remind them how amazing they truly are and that no one’s perfect.

So be your own best advocate and remind yourself of these facts too.

And if you can’t tell yourself these truths, let your best friend do it.

Or Actually Talk to Your Best Friend

Don’t isolate yourself when you’re feeling less than shiny about your work life.

Connect with your support network and they’ll be able to address your feelings of insecurity and let you know how irrational they are in reality.

[Image source]

Having someone you respect and admire boost your confidence by reminding you of all your strengths and abilities will give you the push you need to dominate your career goals.

And since your friends love you for who you are, they’ll also show you that your self-worth is not tied to your projects’ success or fail rate.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

People suffering from imposter syndrome only feel less than adequate because they’re constantly measuring themselves up against other successful high achievers.

High achievers are used to competing with others and being rewarded for coming out on top.

But when you’re constantly comparing yourself to others, you’ll always fear others are doing better than you are or are accomplishing greater goals. You never see their struggles or missteps even though they certainly exist.

Set your own professional (and realistic) goals and only hold yourself accountable to those.

And when you do reach these milestones, don’t forget to make a note.

Keep Reminders of All You’ve Already Accomplished

Most feelings of imposter syndrome stem from a lack of pats on the back — not just from upper management and your boss, but from your inner critic.

Keep track of your professional accomplishments by adding each achievement to your portfolio or updating your LinkedIn profile to reflect these big wins.

If you want to keep a career journal detailing these milestones, make sure to also note any network connections who may have helped you, good luck on your side, and any other factor you may attribute your success to.

[Image source]

A mental refresh through these times or physically scrolling through your social media portfolio for work will help you recognize your own talent. And you can take time to reflect on the long road you walked to get where you are today.

You’ll also find luck and other coworkers probably only played a small role in your achievement when all is said and done.

Practice Owning Your Greatness

You may not totally rid yourself of imposter syndrome, but the more you practice these skills, the faster you’ll be able to pull yourself out of an IS rut and get back to being awesome.

Once you feel amazing about yourself again, you may have the confidence to go after a promotion or apply for that high-profile marketing or design job you never thought you’d be good at (but will totally crush).

Don’t leave your steady paycheck before you’re ready and set up to crush your career in contract work. Here’s what you’ll need to do before making the plunge to gig life.

[Image source]

Want to leave your full-time job and start working contract gigs?

Many marketers, designers, project managers, and coding gurus are choosing contract jobs over full-time positions despite the added hurdles of this type of work.

From finding paying clients to figuring out estimated income taxes, it’s much easier to land a company job than venture out into the world of contract, part-time, remote, or freelance work.

Unless you have a cheatsheet to guide you.

So before you leave your 9-to-5 and burn through your savings, start working through the steps in this guide to make the transition to contract work as successful as possible.

(Or skip all this work, find an awesome job in Canada, and maybe even have time for a new hobby.) 

How to Transition to From Full-time to Contract Work Like You Have It All Together

Thanks to job boards with both full-time positions and contract gigs, it’s never been a better time to find and apply for work opportunities available in your niche.

But the roles in contract job postings vary based on what each company is looking for.

Some may require you to complete a single project with a due date while others need you to work a specific number of hours between an agreed-upon start and end date.

Companies generally hire contract workers for duties it would be too expensive to hire a full-time employee to do.

For example, a company may want to contract a digital strategist to help them whenever they launch new product campaigns.

If these new products only launch once or twice a year, the company saves money by not having a full-time digital strategist on staff for the rest of those workweeks.

But that means said contract digital strategist will need to line up several clients to work with in order to make the same salary they’ll leave behind with steady, full-time work.

And that’s why this first tip ranks number one in importance:

Start Saving Money

Full-time employees never have to worry about when their next paycheck is. They get paid every week or month even if their company lost money or customers.

Contract workers don’t always have this luxury.

Your monthly income will be entirely determined by how many jobs you find and complete during that time. If you don’t work with a set of regular clients, your income will vary month-to-month depending on how busy you are.

[Image source]

And don’t forget tasks that need to get done, such as reaching out to potential clients and building your website, will take time away from your work and not earn you any income.

That’s why you shouldn’t quit a steady paycheck without a healthy savings account. Or a digital portfolio and website to attract clients while you’re stuck at your desk job.

Have Your Digital Portfolio, Website, and Social Media Accounts Ready to Attract Clients

To boost your chances of landing more contract gigs, you need a dedicated online space to share your achievements and expertise, such as a/an:

• Active social media presence
• Updated digital portfolio
• Personal website with your previous work goals and accomplishments highlighted

While you can’t update these during company time, you can use your free time after hours to do these tasks and help yourself stand out from the competition.

[Image source]

Take a few classes, work on your side hustle, and keep trying to level up your design and marketing skills so you not only attract more clients, but also increase your prices after each successful project.

Check out these 5 secrets to using your social media accounts to land marketing and design jobs later.

With your online presence established, you can start applying for gigs and sending potential clients over to check out your work.

Apply to Contract Jobs While You’re Still Employed

No, this doesn’t mean apply for jobs while you’re on the clock, unless you’re trying to get fired.

But it does mean you should practice reaching out to companies offering part-time work and squeezing it in around your full-time work hours.

Sure, this sounds like you won’t have any free time, but you need the practice and referrals before abandoning your paycheck.

See if you can pick up work for a local client or part-time remote work online.

[Image source]

Since most contract work is about building relationships with clients like this, you’ll get a feel for your new role and what it will be like working on a project on your own schedule.

It’s better you know whether the flexibility and unstructured nature of contract work meshes well with your work style preferences.

And most of that comes down to where you’re most productive.

Have a Dedicated Workspace Planned (Even If It’s Not at Home)

As a full-time employee, you probably commute to your workspace every day and your company provides a desk, office equipment, and all the other tools you need to do your job.

Contractors aren’t afforded this luxury, but they can also work from pretty much anywhere as a trade off.

So figure out where you’re most productive — whether that’s a home office with a desktop and reliable internet connection, or a noisy coffee shop with your laptop — and set yourself up with everything you need to get your work done in lightning speed.

[Image source]

Even though you may need to lay out the cash for your equipment and work setup, you should also be able to write these off during tax season as business expenses.

And if you need a little help staying in the work zone outside of the corporate office space, practice a few of the best productivity hacks before you get stuck in the weeds.

But if you’re constantly tempted by non-work activities when you should be in the zone, contract gigs may not be right for you.

Be Realistic About Your Work Style

Now that you know what you’ll need to start working contract gigs, you may be overwhelmed by all the additional legwork.

Unlike simply finding a full-time position online, you’ll need to constantly chase after your next paycheck when each contract gigs ends. And if you’re not set up for success, your bank account may take a huge hit in the process.

So be honest with yourself.

If you’re excited about working independently and flexing your skills with lots of different clients, you have everything you need to transition to contract life with the least risk possible.

But if you’d rather have the stability and loyalty a full-time position offers, polish up your resume and start looking for your ideal job now.

As luck would have it, you can find both contract jobs and full-time positions in marketing, design, and more on FreshGigs, Canada’s fastest place for top tech and creative professionals to land their dream job, so you can’t lose.

Building a social media portfolio is a little trickier than those in other creative fields. We’ll show you the must-have elements to include so yours is a knockout.

Putting together a social media portfolio that stands out is more than just proving how many followers you have.

Hiring managers will be looking for key metrics that show you have experience building successful social media campaigns too.

So what should you highlight in your portfolio?

Unlike graphic design or marketing, your social media portfolio will need to be a bit more comprehensive and include more than just images of your work.

As you’ll see in this guide, there are a few specific tweaks you can make so hiring managers connect with your social media portfolio out of a stack of qualified candidates.

And if you follow these tips and add these must-have elements, you’ll have no trouble landing your next social media position.

Each Portfolio Entry Should Include These 5 Items

It’s important to look at your portfolio a little differently than your resume.

While your resume just shows off the end result (i.e., what you achieved), your portfolio should give a well-rounded and complete picture of the entire process.

To do that, any social media campaigns you’ve worked on in the past should have their own separate section in your portfolio with the following information:

1. The goal(s) of the campaign
2. The strategy behind it
3. Execution
4. Results
5. Key takeaways

Remember, if you want a position that’s above an entry level social media job, it’s essential to show you can go beyond the basics.

By using this template of items, you’ll tell hiring managers you have experience with ideation all the way through execution and completion.

And by sharing your key takeaways, or major lessons, you’ll show companies what you learned from the experience and what you’ll do differently next time.

This step alone proves you won’t make the same mistakes when working on their campaign, which saves them money, time, and stress.

In the same way as a resume, include these five items in their most succinct version.

Writing huge paragraphs here won’t help you get noticed. Instead, you may end up turning off hiring managers or boring them (yikes!).

Highlight only the most important pieces of information.

Then, you can add visuals to prove you have the skills they’re looking for.

Show, Don’t Tell, Your Results

Subscriber growth is, without a doubt, one of the key metrics hiring managers are looking at when choosing someone for a social media position.

So it’s always a good idea on any social media campaign you work on to include where your subscriber base started and where it is after your magic.

If your page went from 10 “likes” to 1,000, for example, this increase is worth noting.

But companies also want to see stellar engagement and click-through-rates too

Your click through rates always hold more weight than ”likes” alone and ultimately show how successful your campaign truly was.

While your last post may have earned 100 “likes”, if less than 10 people clicked through, it may not have been as successful as it could have been.

This is why you need to use your metrics to tell your campaign’s story to hiring managers who don’t know the details.

If your click through rates stand out, list these first.

And if your engagement has doubled or tripled in size, lead with that accomplishment.

Another must-have element here is your ad copy and image selection.

These two pieces contribute to both good and bad engagement and click through rates.

So it’s a smart idea to include screenshots of these, along with the stats and analytics you’re mentioning, to back up your claims.

Once you have all of these key pieces of information, you’re ready to build your portfolio.

Create a Visually Appealing Portfolio That Stands Out

You don’t need a degree in design to make an eye-catching portfolio.

And you don’t have to create your own personal brand website, either, although it’s a great idea.

What you can do is use free templates on sites like About.me and WordPress to create a digital portfolio you can send hiring managers a link to.

And for in-house positions, you can use free Canva templates to create a portfolio you can print out and bring to your next interview.

Double down and create both a digital and printed version of your portfolio and regularly update them so you can show off your skills any time you spot an opportunity.

There’s one more item many people consistently leave off their social media profiles.

It’s Okay to Highlight When Things Didn’t Go Well

Not many people include their past failures on their resume, but for a social media portfolio, it’s actually not a bad idea to include them.

Let me explain why:

Showing past performances, both good and bad, proves to hiring managers that you have the experience to handle projects when things don’t go according to plan.

You’re also displaying skills like resourcefulness, objectivity, and honesty right off the bat.

And as long as you never repeat the same mistake, and clearly explain what you’d do differently next time, companies will see you know what you’re talking about.

So even if you think a campaign was a “failure”, show hiring managers you learned a valuable lesson as a result so that experience doesn’t go to waste.

Obviously if you have a killer portfolio with plenty of awesome pieces and stats to show off, feel free to omit these bumps in the road entirely.

Now Build a Portfolio That Lands Your Next Social Media Job

With the secret ingredients to creating a stand out social media portfolio now in your possession, it’s time to get to work on yours and attract your next job.

Start by filling out our simple 5-part template of items to include in each social media campaign you’ve worked on. Then grab a few screenshots to back up your claims.

Compile all this information in both a digital and print version and you’ll have a visually appealing portfolio to schmooze hiring managers 24/7.

When your portfolio is all set, take the next step and find a social media position that’s right for you.

Think employees only benefit from working remotely? Companies with remote workers make more money, have higher retention rates, and crush every other industry benchmark. Learn why now:

Do you have an open position at your company a remote worker could fill?

After researchers from Global Workplace Analytics read over 4,000 case studies, they discovered over two-thirds of employees want to work remotely — and 36% of them would choose the ability to do so over a pay raise[*].

This steady remote work trend not only benefits employees, it’s also a huge win for employers too.

Which may be why 34% of businesses say they expect half their full-time workforce to be virtual by 2020[*].

Why Your Next Hire Should Be a Remote Worker

When businesses hire more remote employees, they get to:

Save Money and Lower Overhead

You may not be able to fill every position in your company with a telecommuter, but you can offset your operating expenses with the savings you make from hiring a few remote workers.

The Global Workplace Analytics (GWA) review revealed the average real estate savings just one remote employe generates is $10,000/year[*].

And companies with offices in expensive metros like New York, London, or San Francisco may see even bigger savings.

When adding more remote workers[*]:

• IBM saved $50 million in real estate expenses
• McKesson saves $2 million every year
• Sun Microsystems saves $68 million a year in real estate costs

But real estate isn’t your only overhead expense. You’ll also slash non-real estate costs for:

• Utilities
• Internet/phone systems
• Office equipment and furniture
• Restroom supplies
• Snacks, coffee, etc. in the breakroom
• Janitorial services
• Security

In addition to saving money, companies will also be able to generate more revenue and provide better customer service with more virtual employees.

Earn Revenue Around the Clock

With a remote workforce, employees aren’t limited to generating revenue between the hours of 9 and 5.

You can have a team of employees working across time zones and in various countries to make sure you’re running a 24/7 money-making machine. Or guarantee your customers always reach a representative no matter what time it is.

Almost every remote worker also finds their work days more productive than those in traditional offices — and that makes your company more profitable.

Score Greater Employee Productivity and Engagement

Did you know companies lose $600 billion every year due to workplace distractions?

That’s why Cisco was pleased to learn they “generated an estimated annual savings of $277 million in productivity by allowing employees to telecommute and telework[*].”

Remote workers don’t have to deal with noisy coworkers, get pulled into unnecessary meetings, or spend forever commuting so they actually get to accomplish more during their uninterrupted work time.

Virtual employees at Sun Microsystems, for example, spend 60% of the commuting time they save performing work for their company.

So it’s no surprise 91% of employees say they’re more productive when working remotely[*].

And in a review of more than 19,000 employees, those with greater workplace flexibility had less stress and burnout[*].

Remote employees have the freedom to work when its most productive for them instead of wasting time in a cubicle for an arbitrary number of hours.

And 53% of remote employees admit they’re likely to work overtime whereas just 28% of in-office employees say the same.

As result, when comparing remote workers to their in-office counterparts[*]:

• AT&T telecommuters work five more hours at home
• JD Edwards virtual employees are 20-25% more productive
• American Express remote workers produce 43% more

This flexibility and autonomy also creates highly engaged employees, which is great news for you.

According to one study, highly engaged employees produce 250% better performance-related business outcomes[*].

Alpine Access saw this first hand. Compared to traditional agents, their remote agents[*]:

• Closed 30% more sales
• Decreased customer complaints by 90%
• Lowered turnover by 88%

Let’s talk about that turnover stat more.

Boast Higher Retention and Recruitment Rates

Hiring managers know losing a valued employee can cost an employer $10,000 to $30,000.

And on average, an employee earning $50,000 per year will cost a business 20% of that salary to replace[*].

That’s because recruiting top talent and training employees is expensive.

But since over half of remote workers say they have lower work-related stress and a better work-life balance, they’re more likely to stay with their company long term[*].

Maybe that’s why 46% of companies with remote employees say their attrition rate has gone down.

And when you have happy employees stick around, the news is likely to spread and help with your recruitment efforts too.

Select Top Candidates from a Wider Talent Pool

Open a position to a remote worker and you’ll find standout candidates in markets all across the globe.

You’ll never have to settle for a new hire simply because they live in your zip code and happen to be semi-qualified for the position.

Businesses will be able to recruit the best talent and they won’t have to pay to relocate these candidates either.

Nortel estimates they save $100,000 per employee they don’t have to relocate by hiring a remote worker instead.

Work Around Fewer Unscheduled Absences

Unscheduled absences cost employers $1,800/employee/year; which adds up to $300 billion/year for U.S. companies[*].

And 78% of employees who call out sick really aren’t but only do so because they have family issues, personal needs, or too much stress to go into work.

On the other hand, remote employees work flexible hours so they can schedule their appointments and deal with family emergencies while still putting in a full day’s work.

When American Management Association implemented a telework program there was a 63% reduction in unscheduled absences, for example.

And ConnectSolutions noticed 53% of their remote workforce was less likely to take time off, even when they were sick[*].

Telecommuters not only have the ability to work from their beds when they do come down with something, they also won’t show up and infect other coworkers.

While this creates a healthier work environment, remote workers also help your business go green.

Help the Environment

Traffic jams during rush hours idle away almost three billion gallons of gas and account for 26 million extra tons of greenhouse gases.

All this pollution isn’t lost on employees; 70% of them said they would see their companies in a more favorable light if they helped reduce their commuting carbon emissions.

And a whopping 24% of employees even said they’d take a pay cut of up to 10% to help the environment.

Since every 1% reduction in cars on the road yields a three-fold decrease in congestion, hiring more remote employees can make your company a greener, more environmentally friendly place to work.

Plus, several states are now offering financial incentives for businesses to take more cars off the road and offer telecommuting options so it’s a double win for your company.

You’re So Ready to Hire Your Next Remote Worker

With these seven major reasons to choose a remote worker to fill your open position, your next step is to post your job where virtual candidates are most likely to see it.

Skip the standard job boards and check out Fresh Gigs, the best way to find top talent in Canada’s largest telecommuting communities.

Post a job here where more than 30,000 unique creative job seekers visit per month and you’ll find your perfect candidate (and start seeing these awesome benefits) in no time.

Before you send off that resume, find out what the job entails and which skills are required to see if this position’s a good fit for you.

Are you a digital marketer looking to take your skills to the next level?

Wondering if you have what it takes to become a successful digital strategist?

Since this field is fairly new and growing rapidly, many people are tempted to branch out into this role, but some are unsure of what it really entails.

Luckily, with the help of this guide, you’ll score a sneak peek into the position to see if it’s a career path worth pursuing.

We’ll also dive into the exact skills employers are looking for and the average salary of a strategist to give you a well-rounded picture of the role.

You should know exactly what you’re getting yourself into so let’s start with the basics.

What Does a Digital Strategist Actually Do?

While the title Digital Strategist seems straightforward, the job isn’t as simple as it sounds.

After all, coming up with digital strategies is just one small facet of the position.

A solid digital strategist will take an unbiased look at a company to identify all opportunities for growth, and potential roadblocks preventing the business from reaching its revenue goals.

This includes a company’s workforce, operations, and product/service offerings.

They’ll also monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to see if the data they collect can provide more insight into what’s really going on.

From there, digital strategists create a plan-of-action including a list of targets to reach. They’ll then execute, monitor, and track the campaign’s performance to see which adjustments, if any, need to be made.

And these tweaks can be spread across several different departments, including social media, marketing, customer service, website design, etc.

Another side of this role is helping brands make a better connection with their customers.

With this, you may see process updates and changes in key touch point areas, such as adding more or less, to make the customer’s experience smoother and to facilitate a faster checkout process, both online and in-person.

Digital strategist may also recommend shifts in the content strategy to help guide customers in this same way.

All this would depend on each business and the specific challenges it is and will be facing.

To give you a better idea of your potential day-to-day tasks, here are some of the primary roles of a digital strategist:

1. Establish marketing, sales, and growth targets and create plans to reach them.
2. Understand each team member’s role in the organization to identify strengths and gaps in skill set.
3. Review and analyze the buyer’s journey from start to finish to gauge the customer’s experience.
4. Sift through website data for key insight, such as which traffic sources are driving the most engagement and which ones need work; or why customers keep abandoning their shopping cart before completing a purchase.
5. Create a cohesive brand voice and ensure it’s consistent across sales brochures, website content, and social media posts.
6. Understand the sales process and pitch to create a smoother, more intuitive system.
7. Test ads on different marketing mediums to see which resonate best with your audience.
8. Ensure best practices are followed on all digital marketing platforms.
9. Set up systems and processes that can be replicated at a moment’s notice.

If those challenges sound exciting to you, keep reading to see if this role lines up with your experience and skills.

13 Requirements You’ll Need to Become a Digital Strategist

If a day in the life of a digital strategist sounds like it would be you happy place, you’ll want to show employers you’re the right candidate for the position.

Here are the top skills and requirements employers are looking for when they hire digital strategists:

1. Bachelor’s degree in marketing, advertising, or another relevant field is preferred
2. As is a minimum of 3+ years as a digital marketing manager
3. Experience with CRM’s, SEO, and SEM
4. Proficiency in Google Analytics and other tracking metrics, such as social media analytics, to drive web traffic and increase conversions
5. Ability to identify and focus on actionable metrics instead of vanity ones
6. Experience with web design, specifically UI and UX
7. Exceptional project management skills, including proficiency with PM tools
8. Ability to uncover holes and areas of improvement in the sales process to generate more revenue
9. Experience split testing content
10. Understanding pay per click strategies to execute high-converting campaigns
11. Lead generation and management
12. Social media management experience
13. Ability to set up marketing automation

And since a digital strategist must be able to work with and adapt to a variety of different departments and teams, you’ll need to feel comfortable managing people and holding them accountable too.

With all those duties and responsibilities, you’re probably wondering…

Is a Digital Strategist Job Stressful?

This answer is not as straightforward either and depends on how you react to certain situations.

If you have an analytical thinking style, enjoy working on many different tasks each day, and you’re someone who loves to solve problems and dive deep into KPIs, this role may be ideal.

But that’s only if you can manage juggling multiple hats since a digital strategist looks at several areas of the business and makes tweaks to each one simultaneously.

By doing this, the best strategist is able to deliver results fast.

But for some people, just the mere thought of all this work and strategizing sounds overwhelming.

Instead of waking up feeling energized by a list of problems to fix each day, they may wake up dreading their huge to-do list.

So if that’s the case for you, a digital strategist role may not be the right fit.

The good news is if you’re in the latter group, the average annual salary for a digital strategist is around C$55,421.

So if you’re ready to land your digital strategist job, you’ll want to start by knowing where to look for open positions.

Find a Digital Strategist Job Today

While the role of digital strategist may be fairly new, it’s only growing in demand.

So if the day-to-day tasks and challenges interest you, now’s the time to strike and get in on the ground floor.

You’ll rack up experience before others start to notice what an awesome job it is for the right type of person — and then increase your competition for said position.

Don’t waste your time on typical job board sites and bookmark those which specifically list marketing and digital strategist jobs, like Fresh Gigs.

Since a digital strategist position can be done remotely, you can search all of Canada for the position of your dreams without packing up your life and relocating for the career you want.

For a list of current job openings as a digital strategist, check out this page next!

Like it or not, companies are checking out your social media pages before making a hiring decision. Learn how to impress more gatekeepers and become a standout candidate in this guide.

Would your social media pages convince a hiring manager you’re the perfect candidate?

Or would they just show how much fun you have on vacation?

Or worse, don’t show anything about you at all?

When you’re trying to land your next gig, your social media pages can do all the hard selling for you so you can focus on nailing your interview.

While they can and should display your best professional traits in marketing and design, each social media page should also convey a different aspect of yourself.

The more you show off your skills and personality across several platforms, the more attractive you become to hiring managers and gatekeepers of awesome positions.

So now that you see why it’s so important to curate the right image, let’s talk about how to do it.

How to Use Your Social Media Pages to Market Yourself

To give a complete picture of both your professional skills and killer personality — two huge details all gig-holders look for — follow these five tips:

#1. Always Keep It Professional — Even When You’re Most Candid

Keeping it 100% professional may be your biggest challenge if you’re used to sharing every part of your life on social media.

But there’s a way for you to both document your daily inspiration while subtly showing off what you do best.

Take the Insta of Bri Emery as an example. Creative director and product designer, her snaps all read like they’re part of the same magazine layout or enchanting travel book:

While documenting moments of candid life, there’s also inspiration, color and design skills she’s casually showing off too.

In this sense, you can use your social media pages as a way to position yourself as a brand.

#2. Think Of Yourself As A Brand

Not many people feel comfortable selling themselves. But you may have better luck when you figure out who you are as a company or brand.

See, every company strives to create their own unique cornerstones which define and point out their:

• Brand story
• Mission and statement
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Competitors

So pour yourself a cuppa energy and brainstorm your answers to these needs.

Once you spend the time figuring these out, it will be a breeze writing up a bio for each social media page to reflect them.

You’ll also give visitors to your pages a clear vision of who you are through your posts, pics, links, and everything else you share. As long as they align with your goal or purpose, they’ll only add to your personality and character.

But you can’t just copy-and-paste this intel — it has to be tailored for each specific platform.

#3. Use the Right Platforms to Market Different Sides of Yourself

Know how you tailor your resume and cover letter to reflect each job you apply for?

In the same way, you should also consider each social media platform as a different job market. And each market will require you to show off different skills to compete with everyone else.

In a nutshell, the most popular social media pages you should start working on to boost your professional image include:

• LinkedIn, where you’ll highlight your professional skills, work history, and education while building meaningful connections within your industry.

• Twitter to share news about emerging trends in your niche, start a conversation with others in your field, display your interests, and give people a sense of your short-form writing.

• Instagram to show off your creative POV while also giving people a peek at your candid life and personality.

Sure, you may have an account on each of these platforms, but has it been optimized to attract leads and gigs for you?

Probably not.

Check out our guide on how to stand out in a crowded design market after you finish this one for more tips!

So while you spruce up your pages to reflect your brand ideals and goals, you may be wondering what you’re going to fill them with.

#4. Show Off Your Projects, Achievements, and Failures

Your social media pages are useless unless you create content to educate or entertain visitors who stop by or start following you.

Even if you’re not remotely interested in sharing your life with the world, the least you can do is use your platforms as an extension of your design portfolio.

Take CalArts grad and rapper Yung Jake for example. He uses his Insta to display the masterpieces he creates using emojis:

Have an article published? Video go viral? Product release everyone can’t stop talking about?

Your social media pages should be the billboard to share your achievements with the world.

But don’t try to be too perfect. You should also share your stumbles and avoid all forms of the humble brag as well.

That’s because no one likes shameless self-promotion but everyone likes hearingabout people attempting new risks and learning even more by not getting it right on the first try.

And the same goes for hiring managers.

Sharing the achievements of others is also key if you’re vying for a remote position or a coveted spot at a startup.

#5. Prop Up Other People and Trending Influencers In Your Niche

What’s the best way to show you not only have awesome taste, but are also a team player?

By sharing and celebrating the accomplishments of others in your area of expertise.

With the rise of remote positions and the constantly collaborative nature of marketing and design roles at startups, companies want to know you’re capable of doing team work just as well as your solo work.

You may even make a connection with an influencer who could open the door to your dream career by simply reaching out or promoting their ideas.

Now’s not the time to be intimidated by successful people in your industry. So think about leveling up your design and marketing skills to gain more confidence in yourself if you’re nervous about this step.

Just know we believe your new social media pages will inspire constant retweets, shares, and friend requests if you follow these tips.

But Even With a Strong Social Media Game, You Need To Make the First Move

These social media secrets will complement your LinkedIn resume and make you stand out as the best potential candidate for the job you want.

But you have to take the first step and actually alert said hiring managers and gatekeepers to your pages.

So check out the available marketing and design positions over at Fresh Gigs next.

And then when companies review your application and check out your social media pages, they’ll know exactly who you are on a professional and personal level and immediately want to snatch you up.

Landing design jobs takes competing with highly-skilled applicants from all over the world. Learn how to make yourself memorable and more attractive to employers in this quick guide.

Is your inbox constantly flooded with work opportunities?

Are you landing interviews for positions and jobs you’ve been applying for?

If you haven’t found luck with either of those, you may be unknowingly disappearing into the already-saturated design crowd.

After all, if it seems like every designer you know has a stunning online portfolio and envy-inducing social media pages, you’re not wrong. #RealTalk, your competition is stiff.

Hiring managers and recruiters have way more choices than ever to fill jobs with the perfect candidate for their project or company.

So to make sure you’re always the first choice, it’s time to stand out from the crowd and give off the right impression every time.

How to Stand Out In a Crowded Design Market

It’s not enough to simply have a website or a top-notch LinkedIn page to catch the eye of hiring managers and gatekeepers to contract jobs.

To edge out your competition, follow these six tips like a pro:

#1. Show Off What You’ve Accomplished

To give hiring managers a peek at what you do for a living (without contacting your current employer), a website or a place to store your digital portfolio others can access are both ideal.

When you display your large and small projects, it shows companies you’re willing to take on a risk or challenge and you stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.

Rather than spelling out every single one of your skills, you’ll be able to prove you have what hiring managers want, such as the ability to: plan, design, coordinate with others, stick to a deadline, satisfy a client’s needs, etc.

Your website or portfolio will show off your skills, but this next step will fill in the rest of your story.

#2. Narrow Down Your Unique Style and Stick With It Across Platforms

What sets you apart from every other candidate to a hiring manager?

Your skills and education, maybe.

But hiring managers want to see a complete, well-rounded person behind a killer resume and design portfolio. So how does everything work together to represent you?

Imagine yourself as a brand and create a message you want to deliver to anyone who comes across your online presence.

Whether that’s the language you use to describe yourself on LinkedIn, the colors or filters you use to define your images on Instagram, or even the style of your website logo — make sure it’s memorable, cohesive, and everywhere a potential employer may stumble upon.

All this will better tell your story to a hiring manager and make them feel as if they already know you amidst the stack of faceless yet awesome candidates to choose from.

Brand personality goes a long way to distinguish yourself from the crowd, but specializing in a specific area shows off your knowledge, skill, and passion.

#3. Focus On Specialization

Fact: Specialists tend to earn more than generalists. So if you have a specialization, it’s time to highlight this attractive quality stat.

And if you don’t have an area you’re currently dominating, find one.

It pays to specialize in something you’re actually passionate about as that will not only make you more excited to level up your design skills, it’s also easy to spot this contagious excitement a mile away.

Be authentically excited about your work and every hiring manager will want to snatch you up.

To find out what you’re really good at, list three of your strongest talents and three niches you enjoy working in. Then brainstorm ways to combine these to your advantages and design strengths.

You may also want to think back on projects you felt proud and happy working on to guide you forward.

Then similar to how your social media and website tell the visual story of your aesthetic and personality, you also need to sell yourself with your writing.

#4. Know How To Sell Yourself

Don’t waste the opportunity to tell people what you’re all about — whether on your LinkedIn bio, the About Me page on your website, or your Twitter tagline.

Since hiring managers don’t have tons of time, tell them exactly why you’re rad rather than hoping they come to the same conclusion.

What’s your experience? What do you specialize in? What do you want to work on next? How can someone contact you?

Answers to these questions shouldn’t be difficult for someone to find. Ideally, you should be able to sum up everything in a blurb no longer than a tweet.

You’d be amazed by how few people spend time getting this right. And how few continue learning. Don’t make these mistakes and you’re already a step ahead of the herd.

#5. Keep Your Skills Up-To-Date

Remote jobs allow companies to hire the best talent from all across the world. Since you’re no longer only competing with the townies in your area, your skills must be boast-worthy enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your toughest competition.

Stay in-the-loop with publications, websites, and social media accounts of influencers in your niche. Continue your certifications or enroll in online classes to level up your design skills and make you hard to pass up.

#6. Leave Dead-End Jobs

What’s a dead-end job?

It’s the kind you can’t make any progress in; you can’t advance your skills nor can you move up the proverbial ladder to anything greater.

Basically, you’re stuck.

Jobs like these tend to zap the life and inspiration right out of you and may even cause you to lose sight of your creativity, motivation to improve, and desire to learn more about your niche.

Get out of a dead-end job yesterday. You will never look back with regret and always wish you left sooner.

You Were Not Made to Fit In, So Find a Job Where You Stand Out

When you finally do decide to get out of a job that’s going nowhere, don’t fall back into the same trap with another company.

Most designers can work from anywhere, so broaden your job search and check out remote positions across Canada at FreshGigs today.

Follow today’s tips and you’ll have what it takes to get noticed for all the right reasons.