Talent Acquisition Manager Carol Whitford tells JOE how one course boosted her business skill set

The days where a flashy CV meant using bold font are thankfully behind us and individuals are doing everything they can to bolster their skill sets. Take Talent Acquisition Manager Carol Whitford for instance.

Nowadays the jobs market is so fierce and competitive that both employers and employees are complementing their skill as best they can by acquiring new skill sets outside of office hours.

One such individual is Carol Whitford, a talent acquisition manager within the pharmaceuticals industry and past pupil of the Digital Marketing Institute. As she told JOE, she knew that the recession had caused a sea change in business practices and that she could step things up to better serve her employers and herself.

"Social media has been gaining steady momentum over the past few years; a media revolution, if you like, has unfolded, where traditional marketing is becoming dated and too expensive in most sectors including the Pharmaceutical Industry," Carol told us.

“The recession has hit hard and there is a fundamental need for change in how we think and do things.”

With that in mind, Carol began to take steps to address how she could both stay ahead of the game and also boost her skill set; a journey that took her to the Digital Marketing Institute [DMI].

"I was changing roles and took the opportunity to conduct some research into what was happening or ’trending’ in my Industry and identified a knowledge gap in this area,” she said.

“I consulted with various colleagues in my industry and this course through the DMI was recommended to me above all others. A key selling point was the quality of the lectures and the reputation they have garnered through their course delivery and content.

Upon beginning the course, Carol says that DMI had a wide breadth of areas for which to build upon her bases of knowledge and supplement them with modern approaches for her day-to-day work.

“We covered all the various channels of digital marketing at an intermediate level, including SEO optimisation, Google Analytics and display advertising,” recalled Carol.

“We also took a more forensic insight into how popular social media tools such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and blogging can enhance your business and increase traffic if used correctly.

“This course has enabled me to up skill and specialise in this continually evolving media environment – as a marketer it is very important to continually learn, develop and adapt.”

The evolution of Carol’s social media development continued long after the course, as she told us of how she put DMI’s teaching to practical use in helping a friend’s business, Sing Into Life.

“Sing into Life is a series of musical social stories developed by music therapists and an occupational therapist that aims to help children on their journey through daily life, in particular young children who have varying degrees of ability.

"I am involved from a digital marketing perspective and have revolutionised the marketing plan to include modern media channels for promotion and reach including Twitter, Facebook, blogging and YouTube.

Asked whether the DMI course had benefited her approach inside her organisation and ultimately boost business, Carol was effusive in her praise towards the experience.

"This course has enhanced my career profile through diversifying my skill set and making me more marketable and media savvy in a challenging environment," she says.

"It has also equipped me with an in-depth understanding of social media, how to use it or apply it correctly and reap the benefits of establishing your business through social media channels. Essentially my Diploma in Digital Marketing is my USP on my CV."

If you’d like to learn more about using social media platforms for your business, get in touch with the Digital Marketing Institute.