I have worked for many companies, small and large, and have never experienced such a tight-knit culture as I have with BrightEdge. The very fiber of the company is built on the relationships you will form and the bonds that will last a lifetime.

BrightEdge offers tons of team-building activities from Thank You Thursdays to happy hours to company lunches to Halloween and holiday parties! Thank You Thursdays allow you to show appreciation for your fellow colleague by just dropping a note card to let someone know you are thinking about them. The company gatherings give you the opportunity to interact with other teams that you would not typically see on a daily basis.    

At BrightEdge you truly feel like you are a part of something revolutionary. I constantly brag about our brilliant technology, our internship program, and fantastic leadership team. I have such pride coming to work each day knowing that I am making a difference and not just another cog in a wheel.  

Diversity in the workplace:

BrightEdge is committed to diversity and a work environment that promotes acceptance, respect, and teamwork. When different minds come together to achieve a common goal the result is monumental, and everyone feels appreciated for their contribution to the company’s success.

BrightEdge truly cares about their employees and takes an interest in what is going on in your life even outside of work; I recently signed up to run the New York City Marathon with Team For Kids, and BrightEdge employees went above and beyond by contributing to my TFK fundraising page.

"Funds raised by Team for Kids members support Rising New York Road Runners, NYRR’s youth program and events platform. Through school-based programs, youth events, and a collection of digital resources, Rising New York Road Runners brings free running and fitness programs to students across the country.

• Team for Kids funds help support programs for nearly 250,000 children nationwide, including 125,000 in New York City’s five boroughs. These programs help to build students’ motivation, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life.
• Since 2002, Team for Kids members have raised more than $74 million dollars.
• Funding helps pay for training for teachers and coaches, most of whom are volunteers; program and practice supplies; and student incentives.

For most of these kids, running with an NYRR program is their only opportunity to get exercise or play sports. NYRR youth programs have been recognized by Partnership for a Healthier America as a leader in the fight against childhood obesity and health issues."

I have never worked for a company that goes above and beyond for their employees like BrightEdge.

Being a part of the BrightEdge family is a truly wonderful adventure, professionally and personally. I really love coming to work each day and feeling like I am part of such a great journey.

Find a company that allows you to grow as an individual

By Rylie Miller

Falling in love with a job description and going through the internship application process produces a variety of mixed emotions. Rapid-fire emailing, preparing for interviews, hopeful responses inviting you to the next round of the application process, and devastating rejection letters can summarize the progression of the internship search.  

After months of applying to countless positions and only hearing back from a handful, one particular position and one specific company stayed at the top of my list: BrightEdge. 

Out of all the companies I applied to, BrightEdge was not only one of the friendliest, but kept me completely in the loop about my application status. I was ghosted by a few companies, leaving me in the dark about where I stood. With BrightEdge, I was constantly aware about where I was throughout the entire process.  

When I found out the position was mine, I was overjoyed. I finally saw the results of my hard work and patience show and was eager to begin working and learning more about and alongside BrightEdge. Though I did have my hesitations about entering the office and putting my skills to the test, I knew I was on my way into something great.  

In just one month as an intern at BrightEdge, I have not only learned about the SEO marketing industry, but I’ve learned more about myself as an individual. Throughout all the projects I have been assigned and completed, the people I have encountered, and the knowledge I have acquired every day has pushed my limits and helped me set new goals for myself. This experience has already taught me so many lessons that will always stick with me.  

Making the most of your internship

• Give yourself some credit. Something I have always struggled with was giving myself the recognition I deserve. I’ve learned to celebrate the small achievements that occur daily. It gives me a sense of belonging knowing that I am succeeding in the work I do, especially if it was challenging. The position was given to you for a reason.  

• Take on new challenges. Expand your knowledge and learn new skills. Internships are learning opportunities; take advantage of the people you will meet and what they will teach you. I’ve been handed a variety of different assignments in my short time at BrightEdge, some I had prior experience with and others were completely foreign to me. Accepting these challenges and navigating them on your own will not only help you grow as an employee but serve as lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your career.  

• Appreciate constructive criticism. It’s never a good feeling knowing you did something wrong or didn’t meet the right guidelines. But again, internships are learning experiences. Instead of taking criticism the wrong way, manifest it into something greater. Have an open mindset when it comes to getting your work analyzed or having to follow new guidelines you may not necessarily be accustomed to or familiar with. This will allow more room for growth and versatility in your work. Asking for help can never hurt you, only set you closer to achieving your goals.  

• Make friends. Waking up early and commuting to the office is already a process in itself. Coming into an office and keeping to yourself makes the time seem like it’s only going slower. Forming new relationships with those you encounter in the workplace will not only make the day go by faster but make coming into the office more enjoyable. They make great brainstorming partners, advice givers, lunch company, and moral supporters.  

“Coming in as an intern to BrightEdge was super intimidating and sitting in the back corner didn’t help with meeting people,” Digital Marketing and Events Intern, Hollie Mocsiran said, “Through my job as the Events Intern, I had the opportunity to work on the Corporate Challenge. At first, I was just seeing names of employees but had no idea who they were until I started talking to everyone to put face to the names. I got to participate in one of the events as well! Since then, the office has felt so much more welcoming” 

• Make the most of your time. Show up and stand out. Invited to sit in on a meeting? Go. Have the opportunity to network with employees or executives? Go. Time is precious, and it moves quickly. Take the time to get the absolute most out of your summer and time with whichever company you’re with. BrightEdge has created and implemented a work-hard, play-hard mindset that allows employees to perform to the best of their abilities but also to bask in the fun, positive office culture. 

Interested in working for BrightEdge? Check out our open positions or learn more about the BrightEdge Culture.

You’re receiving InMails daily from recruiters. You’re busy closing deals. You’re not in the market for a new position. There’s an intriguing InMail in your inbox…What do you do now? Discover these tips for a sales interview.

Schedule the Call. Always take the call. Listening is free and you don’t need a resume. You owe it to yourself to learn about new opportunities in the marketplace where you can develop your career and professionally soar. You’ll learn about the position, the product, the people, etc. Yes, there is validity to the saying that “timing is everything,” but how will you know if timing is right unless you’ve learned all the information before making an educated decision? Give yourself time to assess. Taking the call doesn’t mean you’re committed to the entire interview process; taking the call means a conversation. All of the questions below can’t be answered online; you’ll get your answers on the call.

During the Call. Ask questions that are important to you.

• Tech: How mature is the product? What key customers use the product? Is there proven ROI? What about the technology separates the company from the pack? You’ll want to know you’re selling or supporting the best product in the market and that it solves a real problem for customers.
• Company Trajectory: Everyone says they’re the “leader” in the market - is the company truly the leader in the space? What are they disrupting and how big is the market they are disrupting? What are the market share and market cap? Sometimes they will tell you verbally and in person when they are reluctant to disclose on the in email. How many paid clients do they have and what is the client retention rate? Don’t let them fluff their client numbers with beta and non-paid. Who are their competitors? You’ll want to know the company is moving in a positive direction.
• Management: Who would be your manager and what’s this person’s professional background? Who is on the executive management team? You’ll want to know you’re working with smart, successful and supportive leaders.
• Role: What is the quota and territory? How are leads generated? What are the average deal sizes and sales cycles? What is the career path? How many folks are on the sales team? Is there formal onboarding and professional sales training? What is the target prospect? You’ll want to know if you would close a lot of deals in the role.
• Culture: How do they describe their culture? Who is an example of a great cultural fit in their org? Who will you be working alongside? Is it work hard/play hard? You’ll want to know if your peers are smart and fun to be around.
• Compensation: What is the range? Let’s face it, you’re in sales for a reason. Will you make more money than you are right now? Yes, hearing the numbers is important but remember, making those big bucks is dependent on the answers above. You’re having a conversation with a tech startup, so let’s look at the definition of the word venture: “a business enterprise or speculation in which something is risked in the hope of profit” and the definition of capital: “any form of wealth employed or capable of being employed in the production of more wealth” (dictionary.com). Does your view on changing your career mirror the definition of venture capital?

Listen and Win. If the recruiter passes you to the next round, chances are – you’re solid. The recruiter is the eyes and ears of the hiring manager, which is your potential manager, so you’ll want to win with the recruiter, too. Perhaps there is a real potential here for you, but while you’re still getting more information and assessing - make sure you win on the call. Treat each conversation as if the people you’re speaking with are a prospect you’re trying to close. Win each conversation, even if you need more time to assess. Win as if you’re already sold.

It sounds interesting, but you’re still not sure if you want to take it further.  Now, is the time to reach out to your recruiter to clear hesitations if you have any. Here are more tips for a sales interview.

What do you do now?

Pre-Interview

• Research the company just as you would before a meeting with a prospect. Go on LinkedIn. Who are you speaking with during the meeting? Plan how will you create rapport. Know who you’ll speak with before you walk through the door.
• Visit the company’s website. What about the company lights your fire? Know what gets you excited and the company strengths and where those passions meet.
• Use a site like CrunchBase (or other tech info publishers). Which venture capitalists backed the company? Who are the competitors? Does the company have differentiators? Know why the company is special.
• Read the job description. What is the company looking for in an ideal candidate on paper? Anticipate the questions that may be asked ahead of time.
• Dress to impress. Dress as if you are going to see a prospect. Know that you will be in a formal setting. Yes, you’re speaking with a startup, but this won’t be your everyday attire.
• Maintain the athletic perspective. Walk through the door with your head held high and prepare to crush it! The reason a defeated athlete walks through the locker room with their head held low, buried in his/her shoulders – is because they’re defeated. If you’re not feeling confident and good posture isn’t enough, you may be suffering from poor preparation. Do more research and contact your recruiter to ask more questions. The recruiter is your champion. The recruiter has the strongest relationship to the hiring manager (your potential manager) and knows exactly why you are a great candidate.

What’s next?

The Interview

• Use the information the recruiter gave you. Identify what stood out to you. You’ll want to show you’re excited.
• Ask relevant questions. What questions do you need answered from your potential sales leader to be successful? What is important to you? Ask the questions that mean the most to you; don’t just ask to ask and to fill up space. The conversation will be richer if you don’t give typical interview responses, and it will mean more if you ask those ‘hard-to-ask’ questions you need answered before taking your next big career move. This is a two-way street.
• Know your Numbers. What is your quota vs. revenue attainment, average sales cycle, average deal size, etc.? Numbers really do speak louder than words.
• Sales Process. What is your structure to close a deal? You’ll want to show you’re process-driven and be able to take a hiring manager step-by-step through a deal.
• Deal Execution. What is your motivation to close? You’ll want to emphasize that you’re hungry and energetic and why.
• Sales Training. What is your sales training background? Own that you’re a professional salesperson.
• Sales Techniques. What sales techniques would you use on a prospect? Close each and every person.
• People do business with people they like. Have fun. Take the time to like the people you meet. The more you’re genuine the better you’re perceived and the better you’ll feel. This is your time to show what you’ve got. Crush it.

Now what?

Decompress but don’t retract. It isn’t over… yet.

Post-Interview

• Follow-ups. Each person you spoke with during the interview should have a followup the same day as the interview took place. Each followup should be tailored to each personality and should mention at least one specific reason as to why you’re a fit and something that stood out to you in the experience. Resist the urge to send the same email to each person; they will likely compare. You created rapport during the interview and answered important questions; add that content to the email. Think personal and professional. Stand out. Be original.
• Make a decision. There are a lot of variables to run through when choosing to make a move. Do those positive variables of the company you’ve interviewed with outweigh your current situation? Be decisive and make it happen. You’ll want to show you’re able to react fast just like you would in the sales cycle.

What do you do now?

Have a look at BrightEdge jobs here: http://www.brightedge.com/seo-careers

You're in the marketing department and you are working with a new boss. Now, ponder these statistics:

• From Deloitte University Press: “86% of companies say developing new leaders is an 'urgent' need.”
• According to Inc.: “Three-out-of-four employees report their boss is the worst and most stressful part of their job.”
• The Ken Blanchard Companies report: “The average organization is 50% as productive as it should be, thanks to less-than-optimal leadership practices.”
• According to The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine research shows that: “Employees who have managers they didn’t like were 60% more likely to suffer a heart attack.”

Your boss affects not only your job performance, but health performance as well.

Let’s discuss how to optimize your relationship and make working with a new boss successful in your new role and enjoy your new responsibilities. Your boss defines success benchmarks, interprets your results for key players within the organization, and allocates the budget and resources you need. Determining how to have a productive working relationship with him or her while you establish yourself and negotiate for resources is your priority from day one.

Determining Metrics

It’s very important to understand how your boss will measure success. What are the metrics that must be met, and what is the schedule to meet them?

• Have a meeting early on with your boss, preferably within the first week or two of starting. Develop a specific agenda. Ask your boss to define your initial work mandate. Request he/she define goals and success metrics. You may need resources, and if you do, then secure commitments for them up front. You want to set yourself up for success, so negotiate for resources — people, funding, and knowledge — to meet goals needs to happen at the same time as you commit to meeting your objectives.
• Set mutual expectations early. For example, “I need a budget of X for a social media campaign. You’re giving me a budget of 50% of X; so, you can expect incremental results of Y based on the greatly reduced budget.” Managing your boss’ expectations early and getting his/her buy-in allows them to either fix the problem or manage expectations up the organization. Equally important is the need to shape perceptions of what can and should be achieved. If a certain assignment seems misguided or trivial, discuss the priority of all projects you're managing.
• Marketing campaigns can have unexpected results sometimes good and sometimes bad. When a marketing campaign goes south it’s important to share the bad news early with your boss. This gives them more options and garners support for managing bad news.
• When developing a schedule; look for projects/campaigns that you know can produce quick wins. It’s also helpful to confirm these “low hanging fruit” projects are also a priority for your boss. If not, discuss why you want to pursue them, what the benefits are and get buy-in. Early wins are important especially when a boss has shared ownership of your success. It allows him/her to passionately share positive results with his/her boss.
• Get to know your team and build supportive internal relations. Surprising, “70% of employees would like to spend more time with their manager.” Your boss may think highly of some team members who are now subordinates. These team members have pre-existing work relationships and need to be connected with, as they’re going to continue to communicate with your boss. It’s important to get praise from those whose opinions your boss respects. The bottom line is having a friendly and collegial work environment is important.

What’s Your Boss’s Communication Style?

Don’t allow misunderstandings to complicate your relationship; spend time up front discussing how you can work together effectively.

Understanding the best method to successfully work together is pretty simple. Ask questions about communication preferences at the start of your relationship. For example:

• How much information would you like me to share about my project status?
• How often should I update you?
• What's your preferred communication method?
• How often would you like face-to-face meetings?

Conversations that Matter – Understanding Business Dynamics

It is critically important you understand the business dynamics of the organization you just joined. To do this it’s worth planning for conversations that will help you connect the dots.

Key early conversations to have:

Week 1: Business situational awareness. How does your new boss see the business situation? Is the company sustaining success, a startup, a turnaround, or in a realignment situation? How did the organization get to this point? What are the organizational goals for your team? How can you help them achieve their goals? What are the factors that make these goals reasonable or a challenge? What resources within the organization can you draw upon?

Week 2: Style counts and understanding your boss’s style will make working together more impactful. The key question is what is the best way the two of you can interact on an ongoing basis? What your boss' communication preferences? Text? Email? Face-to-face? A phone call? By voice mail? How often does he/she like updates? What constitutes an emergency? What kinds of decisions does he want to be involved in? What decisions do you have authority to make the call independently?

Week 3: Defining your success story. What are the few key things that your new boss needs you to accomplish in the short term and medium term so he/she can meet goals with management? What does the organization consider a success and what does your boss consider a success? When do these things need to be accomplished? How are key performance indicators measured? Make goals realistic and matched to resources available.

If your boss' expectations are unrealistic, express your concerns early on, provide alternative solutions, and adjust the metrics.

Later conversations to have:

Week 4: What additional resources are critical for your success? Once you have them identified it’s time to have that conversation. Begin with a written list and rationale of what need and how your boss can help. Based on your boss’ communication style discuss this with him/her. The resources needed are not always funding or personnel, but also access to systems or internal or external data, introductions to key employees or guidance/advice. For example, if your new company has structural issues with the marketing organization you’re trying to change, your boss can play a critical role in helping you connect with the right people to help address correct the issues and advocate for solutions.

Week 12 to 16: Eventually, you’re going to want to understand and discuss how your time in this job will contribute to your personal development. You have goals and you’d like your boss to support and help you achieve them. Discuss what projects or special assignments can be assigned to you without sacrificing focus? Also consider, educational options to develop and strengthen your skills. Get his/her feedback on courses or programs that would strengthen your capabilities.

Relationships are built over time. Building a great relationship with your new boss should start the first day on the job. There’s a sequential logic to developing a great relationship. It doesn’t have to be hard or awkward, just applied consistently. Focusing on business situational awareness, communications style, and expectations will build trust.

As you learn more about your role and duties, start communicating about resources needed for your success. When necessary revisit and seek clarification on style, expectations, and business dynamics. Consider discussions on personal development moving forward once your relationship is reasonably well established.

Here at Brightedge, we’re proud to announce the opening of our expanded Cleveland, Ohio office.

Considered one of the hottest cities in America by Forbes and home to a hub of leadership activity in the content marketing industry, Cleveland and BrightEdge are forging a long-term partnership between our world-class enterprise SEO and content performance platform. Cleveland is also the home to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), and the largest Content Marketing Convention, Content Marketing World, just makes sense.

It isn’t often that a startup moves a hub function from Silicon Valley to another city, but Cleveland isn’t just any place. In fact, out of the 12 cities we looked at in plotting our strategic growth, Cleveland stood out above and beyond the competition thanks to the strength of its universities, its embrace of the incoming tech industry, and the quality of talent in the area.

A Visit from the Mayor and TV Coverage

Last week was an amazing week for BrightEdge Cleveland with a visit from Mayor Frank G. Jackson and an interview on local TV with our CTO and BrightEdge co-founder Lemuel Park.

View the video from the opening ceremony and interviews with BrightEdge and with Joe Pulizzi from the Content Marketing Institute on the Cleveland opportunity. For those reasons and more, we think of our continued expansion into Cleveland as more than a change of scenery. In fact, our new office represents a confident investment in the city’s future and its people’s contributions to the tech and marketing.

Our new Cleveland Office

Clevelanders will likely be familiar with the site of our new home as we land at a popular downtown fixture in Tower City. Our team members will have convenient access to public transportation thanks to the in-building terminal’s service as a main hub for the city’s rapid-transit lines as well as immediate access to shopping, dining, cinema and more.

Housed on the fifth floor of Terminal Tower, the new BrightEdge office covers 10,000 square feet and houses 21 employees. To put that into context, that’s more than double the 10 employees we started with in Cleveland, back when we were in the Regis Building and 20 times as large as the 500 square feet that comprised our initial space.

If the increase in square footage seems big, that’s because we have plans for the future to match. Our new space will allow us to house even more new team members comfortably as they fill out and work in positions we’ll be bringing to the area. If it seems that, by situating ourselves in Cleveland’s popular business and community center, we are saying that we’re here to stay—it’s because we are.

BrightEdge has incredible momentum and ambitious growth plans, so finding talented people is a top priority for our business right now.” Kevin Bobowski, SVP of Marketing at BrightEdge, said. “Cleveland’s talent pool is a perfect fit for our business – we’ve already had a very successful start – and we are excited to expand our Cleveland presence and support the growth of Cleveland’s tech industry.

You can read the full press release.

Economic Impact and Recruitment

As marketing talent from around the world converges in Cleveland and as graduating college classes swell with new faces seeking to start their careers, Brightedge hopes to attract the area’s top talent to help us as we pursue ambitious, intelligent growth.  Along with our new office, Brightedge will open an array of positions for application to our sales team.

We’ll need to fill 45 new positions to help us meet our growth goals, and will offer entry-level, management and executive positions to those who seek to join Brightedge’s largest sales team yet.

You can find out more about current job opportunities for Cleveland on our Careers Page.

Brightedge will create footholds in the community for those looking to build long-lasting, cutting-edge careers in Cleveland’s rapidly ascending marketing industry. The direct and indirect economic stimulation spurred by this move, we believe, will be only one of many contributions our business makes to the region.

Looking Forward

Contributing to the economy through job creation is just one of the ways BrightEdge hopes to invest in and partner with the people of Cleveland. We understand that, unless we demonstrate kindness, caring and empathy, some voices can be drowned out by the march of progress. Oftentimes those voices belong to the most economically vulnerable people in the communities we occupy. 

Our Cleveland team recognizes the importance of serving the local community and has committed to donating to local food banks regularly. Over the holiday season, our team adopted a family in need to provide with items for a comfortable and happy winter.

As we move forward and continue to integrate ourselves into Cleveland, we renew our commitment to serving the community and will actively seek partnerships that serve Clevelanders of all kinds.

A Part of Something Greater

Our downtown Cleveland office joins an international network of BrightEdge Facilities, all of which work together to provide our customers with the cutting-edge standard in content marketing solutions.

With offices in London, New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Japan, Australia and, of course, our headquarters in Foster City, California, Brightedge’s influence in the marketing industry is far-reaching—and with the opening of our Cleveland office, we will bring Cleveland’s talent into that international conversation.

In just a few short years, nearly everything about marketing has evolved: the platforms, the strategies, the content, the channels, the relationships with customers, and the development of Marketing's role and SEO jobs in the buyer’s journey. As the industry and SEO marketing strategies have changed, so have the jobs of the marketers themselves. Those who pay close attention to the ever-changing world of online marketing have noticed that certain positions have risen and fallen as the industry has matured. These are the trends we have seen in the marketing work as we head into mid-2016.

Across industry SEO jobs

In broad marketing jobs, such as those described with terms related to ‘content strategy jobs’, ‘social media marketing jobs’ and ‘digital marketing jobs’, the growth has largely been positive. Content strategy and social media marketing were both putting up very strong numbers throughout 2015. Digital marketing also put up some of the strongest number last year than it has since 2012.

All the data in this piece has been taken from Indeed.com on February 15, 2016.

Research has uncovered the intentions of businesses in the industry; seventy percent of businesses say that they will be producing more content than they did a year ago. Within specific sectors, 90 percent of B2C marketers and 93 percent of B2B marketers say that they use content marketing. The premise of online marketing has firmly caught hold of the modern business. The reason for this popularity has been its success rates-- 72 percent of marketers believe that branded content is more effective than advertising in a magazine. This general growth of the industry has likely been an important factor in the popularity of these jobs.

Technical marketing SEO jobs

The data gleamed from Indeed.com saw tremendous growth in many of the SEO jobs related to the data collection and analysis side of online marketing. Specifically, marketing jobs related to ‘Google Analytics’, ‘website analytics’ and ‘seo specialist’ have seen strong growth, particularly since late 2014 and through 2015.

At BrightEdge, we have written repeatedly about the exploding importance of data-driven content and SEO jobs. The industry is producing incredible amounts of content, and for brands to remain ahead, they must find ways to remain relevant. Data is the key to understanding exactly what customers want to read and how they are responding to the material you produce. Properly using data will allow you to pinpoint your valuable content and create a more efficient and productive marketing strategy. The SEO jobs graph below shows one of the strongest positive trend lines.

Decline in certain specialist SEO jobs

Finally, there were certain positions that we saw some decreases. We would venture to say that these fields are very specific-- they deal with very particular silos within the marketing industry.

What intrigued us the most about the decline of these particular job titles, however, is that PPC and content are still integral parts of any successful online marketing strategy. Content, it could even be argued, is the cornerstone of the industry. PPC ads are still an important part of online marketing as they exist across nearly every platform and can still do a good job of enticing clicks and spreading the brand.

So why then, would the SEO jobs be declining?

The answer to this lies in a recent industry growth that we believe is just beginning-- the hybrid marketer. In the years to come, this idea of marketing professionals who are not relegated to a single area of online marketing will only become more essential and will likely impact all areas of the industry.

The birth of the hybrid marketing jobs versus SEO jobs

The hybrid marketer has been born out of efficiency and necessity. When online marketing first began, it was heavily segmented, just like traditional forms of marketing. Now, however, brands are realizing that all of these different silos need to be able to work together.

Content production must work hand-in-hand with those designing PPC ads to ensure that the content aligns with the targeted audience. Similarly, content producers need to be able to work with social media experts to make sure that the material meets the needs of the audience on these platforms. Your email marketers must work with your social media strategists to share videos or other interactive content.

Closing the gaps within your organization and filling your positions can be an effective way to meet this modern need, but this can be a challenge. A recent survey found that 30 percent of respondents said that finding candidates with the right qualifications to be a nightmare. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to help your current employees build their cross-silo skills.

1. Offer training sessions both at your organization or provide employees with reimbursement for attending outside classes on the subject.
2. Encourage collaboration and develop projects that call upon the abilities of those from different departments.
3. Bring leaders from the different departments together and encourage them to work together to develop common agreements about language and strategies to help everyone see eye-to-eye.

Marketing professionals themselves, however, should be focusing on developing their professional skills to fill these open positions. Online courses, reading about specific areas of marketing and self-training opportunities will all help you boost your resume to better fit the needs of brands in need of hybrid marketers. Read our post on the best B2B marketing books to learn more about the B2B functions and systems.

The online marketing industry continues to change at lightning speed, and these changes are reflected in the marketing jobs and SEO jobs offered. Looking at the titles and the responsibilities can help us better understand the trends occurring and how they will impact the field in the coming months and years.

Whatever field you are in now, continue to invest in your professional development by securing industry certifications, like the BrightEdge SEO Certification. It will help hone your SEO strategy and execution skills and differentiate you from other candidates. Consider taking BrightEdge Digital Marketing Quiz and SEO Quiz to test your knowledge of online marketing concepts.

Increase your chances of landing a job

Read "A New Era of Content" - the latest e-book on digital marketing success that can help you land marketing or SEO jobs. Impress everyone in the interview mentioning 4 unique tactics from the e-book on how to create content that performs and drives better results online. 

The white paper is based on the industry research by BrightEdge and iProspect and features the latest content and online marketing best practices. 

Preparing your resume can be a daunting task if you’re a student looking to land your first job post-graduation. It can be difficult to know what information to include, especially when you don’t want to go over that one-page size. As a recruiter who looks at hundreds of resumes every day, here are a few hints on what we’re looking for and how to get started:

1. Deliver the outline. When I look at resumes, I am usually quickly scanning them for relevant information, and the easiest way to do that is by having clearly defined sections. In general, every resume should contain the following information:

• Name
• Contact information
• Education
• Experience
• Optional: objective/summary, volunteer experience, honors/awards, extracurricular activities, projects

2. Fill in the content. When building your resume, I’d recommend initially being over-inclusive. This will allow you the ability to edit your resume for each application.

• Name and contact information: This is the most self-explanatory section but also the most important. I’ve seen a few resumes where an email address or phone number wasn’t included, which makes it more difficult for the recruiter to get in touch. If you’re applying for jobs that are not local, I’d suggest including a note that you’re open to relocation and when you would be available to start.
• Objective/summary: This section is not required but is a good place to showcase skills or explain why you are interested in a specific position, especially if you are applying for a position that isn’t clear fit from your resume. However, if this is the case for you, I’d also recommend including more information in a cover letter. If present, this section shouldn’t take more than a few lines or about one sentence.
• Education: If you are a new grad, put your education at the top of the resume. Once you gain work experience, you can begin to move it behind the work experience, but right now you paid big bucks for your education – be proud and let it shine for you! In addition to your school, degree, major and graduation date, be sure to include anything that will make to stand out as recruiters are always looking for top performers. If you have a high GPA, are graduating with honors or have received other academic awards, be sure to include those there.
• Experience: The key to this section is “less is more.” We want to have a good understanding of your experience from employment and internships in a few concise bullets. Write down your responsibilities and what you accomplished, but avoid vague phrases and stick to concrete examples. For instance, replace “team player with great communication” with “worked closely with two team members writing weekly reports and meeting daily with management to complete the project.”
• Projects and extracurricular activities: If you don’t have much work experience, think about your projects and/or extracurricular activities. Anything where you can demonstrate teamwork, leadership or understanding of a technology or skill is appropriate resume material, especially if you can demonstrate a successful outcome.

3. Customize and research. After you’ve gathered all of the above content, your resume is probably much longer than one page. Now is the time to think about the types of jobs you are applying for and edit accordingly. For each application, read the job description carefully and make a list of the experience and skills required for the role. Then, edit your resume to highlight what’s on that list. That doesn’t mean you should delete everything, but definitely edit down the bullets for the less relevant positions. If you are including an objective in your resume, always update that for the position you are applying for. You don’t want to submit a resume for a sales position that has an objective of securing a position in IT! After you’ve edited the content, think if there is anything else you could update or improve to make you stand out as a top candidate.

4. Keep it simple. Before you start applying for jobs, make sure you edit for content and formatting and always remember to keep it simple. For the content, take a less-is-more approach and continue to edit until your resume is only one page. When formatting, make sure each section is clear and concise, and don’t over-include content to the degree that you would need to shrink fonts or sacrifice white space. Also, while substance is more important than fluff and font, be sure to choose a font and size that is easy to read, and avoid using bold colors or graphics that will distract from the content.

5. Edit, edit and edit some more. Finally, make sure you edit multiple times, and don’t just rely on spell-check. When you think your resume is perfect, show it to a friend or take it to your college’s Career Center to review. The more eyes you get on it, the more likely you are to send it out without any mistakes. A typo or spelling error is usually fatal for your prospects for that job.

6. No resume is perfect. Last but not least, remember that you can always go back and revise your resume. Be sure to keep it up-to-date with your academic information, relevant projects and employment. Good luck in your job search. Have a look at the awesome jobs BrightEdge has listed, and if you see one that looks like a fit, tune up your resume as per the above recommendations and submit it. Maybe the next call you get will be from me or one of the other BrightEdge recruiters!

BrightEdge is a company full of success and potential. From the very first minute when I was introduced to BrightEdge, I saw an opportunity to challenge myself while being able to make a true, measurable impact on the business.

Why I Moved - Seizing The Opportunity

At this time two months ago I was finishing up my best month yet at a large, successful SaaS technology company. Conversations were clicking, negotiations were fruitful, contracts were being inked; I was truly at the top of my sales game there, and it felt GOOD and I wanted more. After the high of a very successful month, I took a look back at the accomplishment and something was missing. Yes, I was successful in closing business, and the company was successful and continuing its growth, but I felt that my own personal career growth was lacking.

I wasn’t pushing myself nearly as much as I normally do to grow my skill set, and I’m a motivated and driven person. I felt I had two options: I could comfortably continue on and be successful at the large organization, but I worried about plateauing, or I could start to look around for a smaller and more dynamic company that would put me on a steeper ramp to greater challenge and success. I took the plunge, and here are three reasons why I did so.

1. Company Growth BrightEdge is seeing explosive growth year over year, which is the main thing that drew me to the company in the first place and pushed me to learn more about opportunities here. Because of the size of the company (growing and very agile) and the fact that BrightEdge had doubled to 300 employees and grew to 6 offices globally over the past year, I could only see they had the approach and the drive to keep that success continuing. BrightEdge is VC-funded and continues to secure funding in new rounds due to continued growth – they secured $42.8M in Series D financing just last year. And we’re pre-IPO, which allows me as an employee to invest my time to help the company go public and see the fruits of that new endeavor. This is something not many sales executives get to say.

Opportunity in Chicago

Because BrightEdge is beginning to really grow its Chicago office, this also gave me a unique opportunity to work for one of Silicon Valley’s fastest movers while remaining in the city that I love. I know everyone in the Bay Area is rolling their eyes, but Chicago is pretty wonderful if you can survive the winter!

2. Professional/Personal Growth Honestly, I don’t know if I want to be an individual contributor forever. I really enjoy owning my own business and my own success at this point in my life, but I am also growing to love having the opportunity to mentor others, transfer skills, and help those people succeed. Eventually, I’d like to have the opportunity to direct a team and an office, both from a professional perspective in terms of growing my career and skill set, and from a personal growth perspective. BrightEdge, due to its exponential growth mentioned above, opens the paths for this type of career trajectory much more quickly than an established organization can, just due to that startup agility and mindset. Check out the video below to see just how far you can progress your sales career at BrightEdge

3. Culture You really have to love your work and love those with whom you work. Everyone has had “bad jobs” in the past, and looking back at those in my past, the issue many times wasn’t the work itself but the people. After meeting the BrightEdge team, I knew this was a place that would be an optimal fit for me. I never want to be the smartest person in the room, so I can continue to learn and grow.  Because there are so many ridiculously brilliant people here, you never stop learning and growing. Not only are the people here intelligent and innovative, but they’re a heck of a lot of fun, too.

Even in a sales role, we push through obstacles as a team, win as a team, and celebrate as a team, and that competitive-yet-collaborative mentality helps the company on the whole to be successful. That’s a place I want to be. Leaving my last company was definitely not an easy decision to make. When you’re experiencing success with a company that cares for its people, but may not be able to offer enough opportunity, it’s really hard to make the decision to grow your career and move on. However, after taking that leap of faith, I realize that I’ve made the right choice and ended up at my new home for years to come. BrightEdge is still growing and hiring at a tremendous pace. Seize the opportunity and join me and BrightEdge on their journey.

Newton joined BrightEdge in July of 2014 and is the senior director of marketing demand generation. He manages a team of five and co-manages the inside sales reps with his colleague in Sales. He was the 3rd BrightEdge customer at Netflix 6 years ago. Newton earned his MBA at the International University of Japan and his BA in English from UCLA.  We all want to make effective career decisions that balance our need for growth, opportunity, relationships, the commute, and of course, compensation.

When we first come out of school or when we are in between jobs, it’s easy to fall for the first company that produces an offer letter. However, we should find companies that are a good fit for our personalities and work styles. I’ve worked for a number of notable companies in Silicon Valley, and a few in other countries, so I have a pretty decent sample when I say that BrightEdge is the best company I have ever worked for. I thought I’d share 15 reasons I chose this company.

1. Growth: Growth makes work exciting, stimulating, and fun. BrightEdge adds about 5 people every 2 weeks, so you see evidence of growth all around you. Growth makes small opportunities large and small problems small. Growth is the most powerful accelerant to gaining responsibility faster than your cohort.

2. Opportunity to grow: Company growth means you can grow personally, too. It makes it easier to be a bigger leader when the company has a healthy appetite for new leadership. BrightEdge management hires people who want to be promoted and creates paths for that to happen.

3. Pre-IPO company: The Silicon Valley is the world capital of venture-backed businesses, and being part of a venture company is valuable for future venture opportunities. Every day feels like you are writing a page in the story of the company’s success. The pre-IPO company gives employee-owners access to more chunky income events than regular companies. Our last round of funding was large at $42 million, so we have the resources to expand our aspirations. We are already a global company with offices in London, Tokyo, and Sydney.

4. Industry-leading product: Head-to-head, we win over 85% of the time against our competition because we’re true innovators and provide the most value.

5. The BrightEdge values: Customer success, people success, striving for excellence, urgency, winning; working at BrightEdge is rather consistent with these values. Every day at least one or two of these values drive decision making. It’s real. It’s authentic. It matters.

6. Focus: We focus on the right things: happy customers, the best product, urgent execution, and winning all the way. If you have ever been forced to focus on the wrong things, you will recognize why this is so important.

7. Work ethic: People at BrightEdge work hard and get the job done on time. From the execs to the office manager, people care about their productivity and keeping their commitments.

8. Size. A mid-size company of 300 people means that you get a good-sized portfolio of work and that you can influence the outcome and the market cap. We all matter at this size.

9. B2B company: Most of the top companies in Silicon Valley make money selling to other companies. The planning and development cycles are more realistic and the margins are better than business-to-consumer.

10. BrightEdge beating the odds. Only one in 10 venture companies succeed, and only one in 110 make it to more than $100,000,000 valuation. BrightEdge’s success in terms of valuation has blown those odds away.

11. Numbers-driven rational approach. We manage by the numbers at BrightEdge, so people make good decisions and make them quickly and with confidence. Many of our executives came from Salesforce, the most successful SaaS company in the world.

12. Full of wicked-smart people. There are a lot of bright people here, but everyone does a good job of hiding it. Egos are not outsized, and we all work towards the same goals with mutual respect.

13. Outstanding onboarding program. BrightEdge has the best-organized onboarding program I have come across. Every single employee at every level goes through the same training with the same instructor and comes out the end of the week certified on the BrightEdge product. That consistent experience increases the connections between groups and people.

14. Youthful energy. We hire a lot of people right out of college and lots of mid-career people like me, so we have a fun and energetic environment that leverages both groups.

15. Founder-led company: Founder-led companies have more heart and soul, more passion and a clearer sense of purpose. So, if you like to work hard in a healthy environment full of smart people led by committed founders or if the other reasons resonate with you, apply to join our team at BrightEdge!  

  

Today marks a very exciting day at BrightEdge, the conclusion of our 5^th annual Hackathon! As the Chief Architect at BrightEdge, the Hackathon is my favorite time of the year, and makes up a core part of our engineering culture. BrightEdge Hackathons provide our R&D, Product, and Engineering teams an opportunity to participate in a competition where they can: think creatively, work collaboratively, build incredible SEO technology, and win prizes!

How We Build Products

At BrightEdge we operate with a relentless commitment to innovation. We’re proud to be a leading Silicon Valley innovator that builds 100% of our product right here in Silicon Valley. Our Research and Development team is comprised of some of the brightest minds in engineering, graduates from the Top 10 Computer Science programs in the world.

Our Engineering team brings industry experience from Google, Facebook, Salesforce, and Apple. And, in addition to developing BrightEdge innovations, BrightEdge engineers have pioneered big data innovation contributions to Hadoop data warehousing, advancing the field of cloud computing.

Why a Hackathon?

We have three main reasons for hosting Hackathons:

1. As Engineers, we’re always dedicated to learning new skills, and building cutting-edge technologies
2. As Hackers, we want to show our creativity by tinkering with code, and coming up with innovative grassroots ideas
3. As a Startup, we want to demonstrate that enormous results can be achieved in a short amount of time BrightEdge Hackathons involve our entire company, as we first open up a portal for any employee to submit Hackathon ideas. Then teams of up to three Engineers have up to 24 hours to build striking new SEO and Content Marketing prototypes.

I’m truly humbled by the incredible code, creativity, and amazing projects that have come from our team during this year’s Hackathon!

Check out the picture of 1st place team below.

BrightEdge Innovations Help our Customers Succeed in SEO

Some of our customer’s favorite features have been developed during past Hackathons. This year’s winning hacks will go through extended development, and will make up some of the great new features announced at Share14 (early bird registration is still open). Engineers work around the clock on projects, and then present their creations to our team of executive judges. The judging is competitive, and the rewards are great. Winning teams get bragging rights, their names engraved on our Hackathon Cup alongside the names of previous winners, and great prizes.

Interested in Engineering at BrightEdge?

As our company grows, so does our team. We’re continuing to hire the brightest minds in engineering. Be a part of next year’s winning Hackathon team, by applying today!