A look at how construction marketing can help college students have a leg up on their competition after they graduate.
Getting involved in construction marketing before you graduate can help you go out and get a job post graduation.
You want to be ahead of the pack when you graduate from college, and a great way to do that is to get experience while you're still in school. Getting involved in construction marketing before you graduate can help you go out and get a job when you graduate. It might even get you a full-time offer from that company. Here are some great ways to start your marketing career in construction.
1. Get Certified
Becoming a Certified Construction Marketing Professional shows you're serious about this being your career path. Construction marketing is different from any other marketing. Getting this certification can help you stand out and show you want to be specifically in the construction field. Plus, when you're a student, you get a huge discount on the program.
2. Market Yourself
If you're in school for marketing, you can show you know your stuff by marketing yourself. Use LinkedIn to connect with potential employers and others in your field. Networking is crucial to jobs nowadays. Make sure your profile on the site is up to date and flawless. Consider writing posts on the site to showcase your expertise in areas.
Building your own website is another great way to show yourself off. If you have assignments for school or other work you've done that's relevant, you can display it on there. Building a good website is a skill in itself, so you can add that to your résumé.
3. Brush up on Skills
You might be strong in some ways but lacking in others. What can you do to beef up those lacking areas? Maybe you have a class on them coming up, or they're something you can work on extra outside of class. An internship or externship can also help you here. It can help you improve skills for your full-time job of the future.
4. Keep on Learning
Internships are great for gaining industry knowledge, but that doesn't mean you should just rely on what you learn in the office or on the construction site. There are also online seminars and courses available in niche areas of construction, like precast concrete, to continue your education. It'll also stand out on a résumé when the potential employer sees you continued your education while you were in an internship position.
5. Consider Adding a Major or Minor
Another way to show you're serious aside from a CCMP certification would be to get involved in a construction-specific program. Look into construction management or construction science programs. If you're already in school for marketing, adding a major or minor in these fields or taking classes in those areas can help you get more into the construction side.
If you get an internship off of your marketing degree and experience alone, express your desire to further your knowledge of the construction field. Some employers pay for employees to continue their education or pursue certifications, and if you get a job after graduation, they even might assist you in your endeavor to get another degree.
6. Have Business Cards
Going along with marketing yourself, this can help you stand out in a crowd. If you're at a job fair or networking event at your school, this is an easy way to get potential employers' attention. Make sure they're clean and professional-looking and include your website URL so potential employers can see your résumé and a display of your work there.
7. Utilize Career Services
They're at your school for a reason. They might have more information on available internships and externships for this career field. Career services can help you fine-tune your résumé and help you learn the best way to internship search and get results. Often the school has a special job board specifically to help students get internships.
8. Use a Specific Job Search
The Construction Marketing Association has its own job search you can use to find an internship. This might help you find something specifically in the field you're looking for, and it can weed out the multitudes of irrelevant results from larger job board sites.
Put your best self forward and start working toward your goal of a marketing career in construction. It's never too early to start building up your résumé and start the hunt for internships.—CEG Blogger
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