Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Mid-Career Marketers Use Job Boards Strategically
Transcript
- Lucas: So let me ask you something — when was the last time you actually used a job board to find a job? Luna: Honestly? It's been a while. I think most mid-career marketers would say the same. You rely on referrals, recruiters reaching out, that sort of thing. Lucas: Right, and that's exactly the conventional wisdom — job boards are for entry-level or early career. But I think that's a missed opportunity. There's a way to use them strategically that has nothing to do with applying cold. Luna: Okay, I'm intrigued. What's the shift? Lucas: Think of job boards as a research tool — a radar, not a fishing net. You're not trying to cast a wide net and hope something bites. You're scanning the landscape to understand what skills are in demand, what titles are evolving, and where the money is. Luna: So you're saying use them to figure out what to learn next, not to apply? Lucas: Exactly. I came across a case recently — a product marketer named Jenna. She was at a Series B SaaS company, felt stuck, wanted to move into a growth marketing role. Instead of updating her resume and firing off applications, she spent two weeks just reading job descriptions. Luna: That sounds painfully boring. But I'm guessing there's a method. Lucas: There is. Jenna used three boards — LinkedIn, Built In, and Otta — and she looked specifically at roles that were one level above her current one. She pulled every job description for growth marketing manager, demand gen, and lifecycle marketing. Then she did a keyword frequency analysis. Luna: She actually counted keywords? That's pretty intense. Lucas: She did, and it paid off. She noticed that about 70 percent of the job descriptions mentioned 'experimentation framework' and 'A/B testing statistical significance.' Another 60 percent asked for 'SQL or similar querying language.' And almost all of them listed 'cross-functional stakeholder management' as a preferred skill. Luna: So she identified a gap between what she had and what the market wanted. Lucas: Right. She had some A/B testing experience, but she'd never formally set up an experimentation framework — like a structured process for hypothesis, test, learn, iterate. And she had zero SQL. So she made a six-month upskilling plan: a Coursera course on experimentation, a basic SQL certificate, and she volunteered to lead a cross-functional project at work. Luna: And then did she apply? Lucas: Not until six months later. That's the key. She used the job boards to build a target list of maybe 20 companies that were hiring for those roles. She set up Google Alerts for their product launches. She followed their marketing leaders on LinkedIn. By the time she did apply, she already knew the company's language and could tailor her resume to mirror the keywords she'd found. Luna: So it's almost like reverse-engineering the ideal candidate profile. Lucas: Exactly. And there's another layer — salary benchmarking. Most job boards now show salary ranges, especially on Built In and Otta. Jenna compiled a spreadsheet of salary bands for the roles she was targeting, factoring in location and company size. That gave her leverage when she eventually got offers. Luna: I love that. It's so much more proactive than just waiting for a recruiter to call. Lucas: And it works for career pivots too. Let's say you're in brand marketing and you want to move into product marketing. You can search 'product marketing manager' and see what certifications keep coming up — Pragmatic Institute, Product Marketing Alliance, that sort of thing. Then you go get those credentials before you even apply. Luna: But don't you risk over-preparing? I mean, at some point you have to actually apply. Lucas: Sure, but the timeline matters. Jenna took six months. That's not excessive for a career move. And she did it without quitting her job or burning out. She just dedicated one hour a week to learning and one hour a week to networking with people at target companies. Luna: So the job board becomes a strategic tool for career planning, not just job hunting. Lucas: Exactly. And I think this is especially valuable for mid-career marketers. We tend to rely on our network, which is great, but networks can be echo chambers. Job boards give you unfiltered data on what employers actually want right now. Luna: What about the actual application process? Is there a way to use job boards for that beyond just clicking 'Easy Apply'? Lucas: Great question. One tactic I've heard about is applying to roles you're underqualified for — on purpose. Luna: That sounds counterintuitive. Why waste time on a rejection? Lucas: Because the rejection itself is data. If you apply to a senior role that requires five years of experience you don't have, you might get a phone screen. The recruiter might say, 'You're not quite at the senior level, but we have a mid-level opening.' Or they give you feedback on what skills you're missing. That's pure market intelligence. Luna: So it's like a free career assessment. Lucas: Exactly. And you're not spamming your resume. You're being intentional. Maybe pick three stretch roles a month. See what happens. Luna: I like that. It changes the whole mindset from 'I hope they pick me' to 'I'm gathering information about this market.' Lucas: And that mindset shift is huge. It takes the emotional roller coaster out of the job search. You're not desperate for a yes — you're collecting data points. Luna: Alright, so let's talk tools. Three boards you mentioned: LinkedIn, Built In, Otta. What about others? Lucas: LinkedIn is the default for network effects. Built In is great for tech hubs and startup scenes — they curate content around company culture. Otta started as a uk focused board but has expanded; it's good for roles that emphasize mission and values. For more niche marketing roles, there's also MarketingHire and WorkInMarketing. Luna: And for salary data, you mentioned using the ranges on the boards. Any other sources? Lucas: Levels.fyi is good for tech companies, especially if you're looking at product marketing or growth roles. And Glassdoor's salary tool has improved. But the key is to triangulate — don't rely on one source. Luna: One thing I want to circle back to: the idea of volunteering for cross-functional projects. That's not always easy if your manager is resistant. Lucas: It's a real challenge. But you can also find those opportunities outside work — pro bono projects for nonprofits, freelance gigs, side hustles. The point is to get a concrete example you can put on your resume. Luna: And then when you do apply, you can speak to those specific skills with real examples. Lucas: Exactly. So to recap the framework: first, use job boards to map the landscape and identify skills gaps. Second, create a targeted upskilling plan. Third, apply strategically — including stretch applications for data. Fourth, use salary data to negotiate from a position of knowledge. Luna: I think a lot of listeners are going to find this approach refreshing. It's very proactive and less anxiety-inducing. Lucas: And honestly, it's the kind of thing that's hard to do if you're constantly scrolling through job posts feeling overwhelmed. Having a system makes it manageable. Luna: Yeah, and if this conversation has sparked something for you — maybe a new way to think about your own job hunt — that's exactly why we do this show. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these episodes ad-free and coming. If you've gotten value out of it, buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Absolutely. It's listener-supported, and every bit helps. And speaking of value, let's take that keyword research idea one step further. Once you've identified those in-demand skills, you can actually build a learning path around them, not just a list. Luna: Right — like a mini curriculum for yourself. That's what Jenna did with her experimentation framework. She didn't just read a blog post; she took a full course and then applied it at work. Lucas: And that application piece is crucial. Employers don't care that you took a course. They care that you ran a test that improved conversion by 15 percent. So document the project, capture the metrics, and put it in your portfolio. Luna: So the job board data feeds into your learning, which feeds into your experience, which feeds into your next role. It's a virtuous cycle. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's the core takeaway today: job boards are not just for job hunting. They're a free, always-updated source of market intelligence for your career. Use them that way, and you'll always have a sense of where your industry is heading. Luna: Alright, good stuff. I'm going to open up LinkedIn with new eyes tonight. Lucas: Do it — and don't apply to anything. Just observe. I think you'll be surprised what you learn.