Digital marketing is becoming a desired career for many, and an industry that has seen rapid growth the past few years. While there were 381,000 marketing job postings in 2021 on LinkedIn, our recent Canada-wide survey, conducted with Innovate BC, demonstrates that there are skill gaps when applying for those roles. The survey gathered insights from hiring professionals across Canada in industries including marketing, service based businesses, healthcare, hospitality, education and more.
The results indicated that Digital Ads Management is the most difficult role to hire for while simultaneously being the most important role to hire for. This gap can be pointed to a lack of training in the industry around digital ads management. 23.2% of hiring employers noted that this was a key skill missing from applicants’ resumés. These results are very indicative of a skills gap that can be addressed by making digital skills training more readily available, and increasing awareness around existing programs that offer this.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media were slightly behind digital ads management as the most important skills hiring professionals are looking for, with 15.16% noting social media as the most important, and 12.4% noting SEO. Consequently, 18.2% of respondents found SEO was missing from new hires’ resumes, and 9.98% found social media was missing.
Based on how most post-secondary courses cover material in a more broad, foundational sense, graduates are left without the specific skills to add on to their resume. This is why rapid reskilling is a great option to amplify and hone in on the desired skills of the industry.
Rapid reskilling training is a viable way to bridge the skills gap in digital marketing by quickly training professionals with the in-depth knowledge to either land a new job or amplify their existing role. You can learn more about rapid reskilling with our blog here. Rapid reskilling is a great option for existing in-house marketing teams to increase skills of those who are already hired and simplify the process of hiring additional marketers. Rapid reskilling offers great micro credentials that certify participants so they are able to develop the necessary skills, and learn how to operate industry-standard tools, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook Blueprint, and more.
The great news is that there are a number of training programs across Canada that educate students in digital marketing that incorporate these industry recognized platforms and tools. Their students are then able to have the knowledge and understanding that will allow them to acquire these industry recognized micro credentials. Courses that offer this training include our Jelly Academy 6 Week Course, BrainStation, Lighthouse Labs, and more.
As the industry continues to grow, we want to ensure we are bringing valuable training to the table that helps close the skills gap so that employers are hiring qualified digital marketers.
To read the full study, check out: “The Digital Marketing, Skills Gap in Canada”
Led by: Jelly Academy
"I love that marketing doesn't force me to pick a lane. I get to be the analytical one who figures out the strategy, but I also get to be the creative one who brings it to life. It's that constant back-and-forth between the two that makes the work actually feel like me." – Sakina, CMA Intern
One piece of advice that stuck with me was to stop waiting until I felt 'fully ready' before taking opportunities. A lot of growth comes from putting yourself in environments that challenge you, even if you're still learning. I've learned that experience builds confidence.
While scouring social media sites, job postings and your favourite companies searching for opportunities to get your foot in the door, you kept seeing one constant – required experience. That's something you just don't have. You're trying but you can't seem to get your foot in the door. Either you get no response or the response is that they've decided not to move forward with your application. That sucks.
