As a job seeker in the marketing field, you know the importance of crafting your brand and winning over hiring managers at the first interaction. And, as a marketer, you already know how to persuade people to take a certain action.

So you haven’t yet been able to land the marketing job of your dreams. The truth is that you’re not alone. It’s a tough job market out there with many skilled candidates competing for the same positions.

As top marketing technologist Scott Brinker estimates, there are over 3,500 marking technology solutions out there today. Companies are moving more into the digital marketing sphere and adopting marketing technology to automate their efforts.

Do you have friends with a job that doesn’t match up with their college major? You probably do given that around 31% of graduates don’t end up in the field they major in, according to a study by CareerBuilder. With digital marketers, not all of them studied marketing in college since most digital skills are learned outside of school. I’m here to tell you my digital marketing career story as someone who didn’t major in marketing and picked up digital skills through work experience.

Get ready, get set, volunteer! When you're in college, it's easy to find opportunities to learn, and many of these opportunities take place outside the classroom. One of the best ways to build new marketing skills while meeting new friends and having fun is by joining clubs or organizations on campus. Outside of the classroom setting you can make connections with other students and develop strong digital marketing skills together as you work with campus organizations.

Ready, set, go: it's time to graduate and break into the digital marketing field. Are you clear on the path you're going to take? When you're moving into a new career, it's important to understand your direction and the fit between your skills, experience, and enthusiasm with relation to the careers out there in the marketing world. Digital marketing training and apprenticeships can help you deepen your experience and skills and put you on the right career path.