In 2024, it’s almost impossible to land an entry-level marketing or social role.

I’ve been up against hundreds, sometimes thousands of clever individuals for openings like content marketer, social media intern, etc.

That gives you roughly a 0.2% chance of landing the job (at best).

So how the h*ll do you stand out?

Indie Stowell knows. She’s the co-founder of The Marketing Lab, a community of 80, 000+ marketers. 

She has over 26, 000 LinkedIn followers.

She’s generated $114,365 in earned media value for a CEO wise enough to consult her, and she’s also the Head of Content at Rain Media.

Yet, she also struggled to land a job in marketing after uni.

So how did she turn everything around in 2 years?

Well, I asked her… and you can find out for yourself below

Q&A

How did your love for marketing start?

I studied marketing for one semester in my undergraduate degree, and it was clear from the outset that I had a passion for it – more so than any of the other subjects on my course. That’s why I later decided to pursue a Master’s degree in marketing, because I wanted to spend a prolonged period of time studying it, before making the decision as to whether or not this would become my career.  

It’s safe to say my marketing degree definitely let me down (sadly). We spoke endlessly about traditional marketing, but not once was social media marketing ever mentioned. In today’s world, where social media marketing is the go-to strategy for most brands, I was really shocked and disappointed. 

So I started building my personal brand on social media, and I’m grateful to say that it has been flourishing ever since.

What were early barriers to pursuing your biggest dreams, internal or external? What mindsets, habits and strategies helped you overcome them?

I guess the biggest barrier I had to overcome was the fear of putting myself out there and posting online – especially on a platform like LinkedIn, where the perception is that you have to be a 6-figure business owner with a team of 10 (thankfully that isn’t the case anymore).

I suppose it got to a point where I was so desperate for a job, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that the traditional routes weren’t working for me, that I had no choice but to put myself out there and post online. 

As a social media marketer, how do you reset your social media battery?

The gym. I try to workout for at least one hour everyday – whether that’s going for a run, lifting weights, or doing yoga. Working out everyday might seem excessive to some, but as someone who works in social media and is constantly staring at a screen, it can become quite overwhelming (we all know social media isn’t the most positive place at times). 

What would you like to tell readers about The Marketing Lab?

The Marketing Lab is a community that teaches you everything you need to know about growing an online presence – whether that’s as an individual wanting to grow their personal brand, or you’re a brand looking to build their company socials, we cover it all! 

It can be really difficult to keep up-to-date with everything that’s going on in the marketing world, so being part of a community like The Marketing Lab is a great way of ensuring you never miss out on new trends or features. 

If you could capture the attention of every single person for thirty seconds, what would you say?

I would say don’t settle for a job that you don’t enjoy. We spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week working, often up until we’re 70+ years old. Imagine spending all of that time in a job you hate? 

Just because we’re working, doesn’t mean we can’t have fun at the same time. 

Thanks for reading my Q&A with Indie.

Remember if you want to get into marketing, you’ve got to market yourself!

You can check out Indie’s profile, personal branding services and community below.

You can connect with Indie here: 

• Indie’s LinkedIn 

You can check out The Marketing Lab here:

• @themarketinglab on TikTok

• TML’s LinkedIn

• TML’s Instagram

And as always,

Keep dreamaking.