Marketing Technology Manager In San Francisco Offers Valuable Advice For job Seekers
High-tech careers in the Bay Area are as competitive as ever. With talented individuals competing against one another, expert advice from an industry professional may be just the key to a rewarding and lucrative career. Dexter Hart, marketing technology manager for San Francisco-based AdRoll, shares his best advice for new job seekers.
As the world's leading retargeting platform, what does AdRoll do?
"AdRoll is a retargeting platform that serves over 10,000 customers across 100 countries. Ninety-eight percent of users who visit your website do not convert on the first visit. Retargeting is a powerful strategy that allows companies to perform lead generation, management and segmentation that is automatically highly personalized and tailored (and therefore more effective) to potential customers and prospects."
What other positions have you held in the tech industry?
"Prior to AdRoll, I was a senior marketing analyst at Zuora. At Zuora, I worked with a world-class team of marketing and sales software veterans from Salesforce, WebEx, PayPal, etc. as part of the demand generation and marketing automation teams. By the end, I was responsible for many of the most essential tasks including managing Zuora's marketing automation efforts and running its webinar series for IT executives around the world. I have a B.A. in Communication Studies from San Jose State University."
What advice can you offer people interested in high-tech?
"Build your personal brand. A great starting point is crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile. High-tech recruiters depend fundamentally on LinkedIn to fill positions at all experience levels. Do not just post your resume and call it a day. Instead, take it a step further by listing specific skills, having previous managers write you recommendations, writing compelling summaries that include your proudest accomplishments, career aspirations, etc.
For recruiters in high-tech, these kinds of thoughtful and detailed online presences illustrate your savviness and understanding of the power of social media. Beyond LinkedIn, there are an unlimited number of ways to enhance your personal brand, from web-based strategies like authoring and maintaining blogs with content related to areas of high-tech that you care about to attending skill enhancement or networking events via Meetup or other online channels. Finding ways to expose yourself to industry professionals is an incredibly powerful way to accelerate career growth. This personal brand will grow naturally and becomes an indispensable part of your career that will pay dividends over and over again."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.