Creative Commons License photo credit: DCvision2006

Help WantedWhile I’m not actively looking for a new job right now, I subscribe to several “help wanted” feeds in the search marketing industry because I want to stay informed on the current job market. The more I read, the more I realize that many employers have no idea what to expect out of an SEO.

Granted, SEOs and internet marketers are a diverse bunch. Some of us start with a technical background in programming or web design. Some of us have a business degree or a marketing degree. Some, like myself, were once journalists or copywriters. And some of us aren’t even old enough to drink, much less have a degree or an employment history.

But while each of us brings a unique perspective to the art and science of search engine marketing, how many of us can claim to have ALL of the following skills? I’ll break this down personally so you can see how I measure up.

Skills I (Arguably) Possess

  • A good understanding of SEO/SEM
  • A good understanding of pay-per-click management
  • Implementation and use of website traffic/log analysis tools
  • 2+ years of experience with HTML and HTML authoring tools
  • Experience with CSS and template management
  • 2+ years of experience with image creation and editing tools

Skills I Probably Don’t Have

  • Excellent organizational skills (I’m OK.)
  • Excellent verbal (why not?), written (yes) and interpersonal (*cough cough*) skills
  • Minimum of 3 years experience in IT (got root?)

Skills I Definitely Don’t Have

  • 1-2 years experience with JavaScript (no, unless “copy, paste, cheer when it works” is “experience”)
  • Basic knowledge of relational database programming in an SQL server environment (makes my head hurt)
  • Knowledge of full software product life cycle development (do what now?)

Creative Commons License photo credit: bjmccray

help wanted adBelieve it or not, all of these required skills came from a single “help wanted” ad.

Now, I’m sure there are a handful of Übermensch out there who meet every one of these requirements. But what are the odds that these superhuman SEOs want to work in BFE, Texas, for $45,000 a year?

Another “help wanted” ad demanded “7+ years of experience.” Dude. Rand Fishkin didn’t start until 2002. Seriously, how many people have been optimizing websites for a full 7 years?

And if you have been optimizing sites for 7 years, do you really need to be “proficient with Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer?” I can’t remember the last time I even opened Microsoft Word.

Am I wrong?

New here? You may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!