I am often asked about what Stukent students can be doing to get more from LinkedIn. I recommend that students share their Mimic Pro work and their grades on their quizzes.
While this example relates to a student sharing their Google certification, the end results can be the same.
Every business student should know about this, and look for ways to catch the eye of CEOs on LinkedIn like Joao caught my eye with this post:
Note that Joao tagged his university and his instructors in this post. He only has 31 followers. Note that 8000+ post views led to 74 likes and 8 comments. Joao has only been on LinkedIn for a few months!
Because Joao mentioned people in his post that are 1st connections with me on LinkedIn, I saw this in my feed. I wasn’t previously connected to Joao. I reached out to Joao and asked him if he would be willing to share his experience with our audience.
What made you decide to try for the Google certification?
“Having a Google certification nowadays means that we, as individuals, can be more compelling for companies that may be interested in hiring us. It means we had learned from colleagues who are well prepared and are the best at what they do.
In my case, being a student of Computer Engineering, and knowing we don’t have the time, nor the opportunity to talk about marketing at all, I thought that having, at least, a Marketing Certification from Google would allow me to monetize any app or software that I could possibly develop over time. It also meant that I could find another area that I might be interested in.”
Who told you about the opportunity?
“I found about this opportunity from my college newsletter and from Facebook. I also knew Google had started making Online/Presential Courses like this from TV. The word has been spreading rapidly, mainly because this is a partnership between Google and Polytechnic Institutes of Portugal called “Atelier Digital” (You can find more about it here, unfortunately, it’s only in Portuguese. – https://pplware.sapo.pt/informacao/google-lanca-atelier-digital/“
You posted about the certification on your LinkedIn Profile. Have you ever experienced that many interactions to any one of your individual posts on LinkedIn before?
“If I’m not mistaken, I started my LinkedIn Profile in the beginning of this year, so I never had that many interactions. I’ve never even had made an individual post before on LinkedIn. My certification was the first and I was really surprised by seeing so many people viewing, commenting and linking my post. In just a few weeks it reached 8000 views, it was simply amazing!”
What opportunities have arisen because of the certification?
“Being sincere here, I haven’t had much time to take the advantage of this certification as much as I wanted, because my main focus is my Computer Engineering degree. But I can say that I’ve received, mainly, job opportunities from people I know, as a freelancer, to do the job of a Social Media Manager on platforms like Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and so on. I’m currently trying to manage a blog, as a side project for an ex-Portuguese teacher of mine, Tereza Lamy, who is a Portuguese teacher…We’re just starting off and in the process of changing the layout of the blog (you can find out more here: http://destinoomulher.blogspot.pt/).”
Was the certification through Google’s website?
“No, the certification could be done through Google’s website, but mine was in one of my college auditoriums, with speakers such as Marco Gouveia, André Novais de Paula and Virgínia Coutinho. This session was also made possible by Ana Rita Viegas.”
Have you done Google Adwords and Google Analytics work in the past?
“I knew about those platforms, but I had never worked with them before. From time to time I like to use Google Trends just to see what the majority of people are looking for on Youtube and Google Search.”
Do you feel as if the certification prepared you to immediately be effective as an AdWords or digital marketing manager?
“In my opinion, since this was a 3-days certification, it was just the first brick of the house. It made me more informed about the Digital World and Digital Marketing; It gave me tools to start and search more about the subject but I’m not a professional Marketer of any kind. I can do small jobs and make my way through.”
What advice would you give a college student preparing to apply for the certification?
“I’d say that if it’s possible, they should apply for an on-site certification, go with a friend, perhaps. Be interested and listen carefully to what the speakers are saying. These courses are very practical, so they may have an activity of sorts for two or more people. It’s also very important to take notes since in my case there were small examinations at the end of the day about the subjects discussed throughout.”
Who would you feel should consider becoming certified?
“Anyone who has an interest in digital life, from students to professional workers. In my case, there were people there who were nineteen years old, and people going up into their forties.”
A big thanks to Joao for taking time to share his experience!
Stukent students that have completed the book Digital Marketing Essentials and have played through the Mimic Pro simulation should be well on their way to passing the online Google Certifications.
