{"id":12522,"date":"2026-07-27T02:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T18:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=12522"},"modified":"2026-07-27T02:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T18:30:07","slug":"the-worst-thing-you-can-be-in-an-seo-job-interview-is-forgettable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=12522","title":{"rendered":"The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p> <div> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I debated publishing this more than almost any other article I\u2019ve written. And if you\u2019ve been around for a while, you know that\u2019s saying something.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been incredibly fortunate that the SEO community has supported SEOJobs.com. As a result, I receive quite a few direct messages from people looking for advice on landing their next job, breaking into freelancing, or figuring out what comes next in their careers.<\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-image\"> <figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1448\" height=\"577\" alt=\"DMs from SEOs asking for career advice\" class=\"wp-image-483132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice.jpeg 1448w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice-768x306.jpeg 768w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1448px) 100vw, 1448px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice.jpeg\" title=\"The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable\u63d2\u56fe\" \/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1448\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice.jpeg\" alt=\"DMs from SEOs asking for career advice\" class=\"wp-image-483132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice.jpeg 1448w, https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/07\/DMs-from-SEOs-asking-for-career-advice-768x306.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1448px) 100vw, 1448px\" title=\"The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable\u63d2\u56fe1\" \/><\/figure> <\/div> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After we get past the pleasantries, I almost always ask the same question.<\/p> <ul class=\"wp-block-list\"> <li>\u201cSo\u2026 what makes you special? Why should someone hire you instead of the other 300 applicants?\u201d<\/li> <\/ul> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, more often than not, the answer is \u201cI\u2019ve been doing SEO for X years.\u201d<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we were accountants, lawyers, or doctors, years of experience would carry much more weight. But I\u2019ve met SEOs with two years of experience that I\u2019d hire tomorrow over people with 15.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ten years ago, simply knowing SEO made you valuable.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today, it\u2019s the minimum requirement.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Companies aren\u2019t struggling to find SEO talent anymore. They\u2019re choosing between them. And when there are hundreds of qualified applicants, being competent isn\u2019t what gets you hired. Being memorable is.<\/p> <p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/about:blank\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 1px solid #EEE; background: white\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-rocket-lazyload=\"fitvidscompatible\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/embed\"><\/iframe><noscript><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.seoforlunch.com\/embed\" width=\"480\" height=\"320\" style=\"border: 1px solid #EEE; background: white\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/noscript><\/p> <h2 id=\"h-you-don-t-need-to-become-famous\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">You don\u2019t need to become famous<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whenever I talk about standing out in your career, someone inevitably responds with some version of, \u201cI don\u2019t want to become a conference speaker.\u201d <\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I understand where that comes from because personal branding often gets tied to an all-or-nothing proposition. Either you quietly do your job, or you spend your life chasing followers, speaking engagements, and internet fame.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reality is much less intimidating than that. I even wrote about my personal non-stage speaking journey to build my brand.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Standing out in today\u2019s hiring market doesn\u2019t require thousands of LinkedIn followers, keynote presentations, or becoming the next Rand Fishkin. It simply requires giving people a reason to remember you after they\u2019ve interviewed twenty other candidates who all sound the same.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-competency-is-expected-evidence-is-remembered\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Competency is expected. Evidence is remembered.<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019ve ever been involved in hiring, you know how quickly resumes start to blur together. Everyone is \u201cpassionate about SEO.\u201d Everyone is \u201cdata-driven.\u201d Everyone has experience with technical SEO, content optimization, stakeholder management, enterprise websites, and the same handful of industry tools.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of those things is bad. In fact, they\u2019re exactly what I would expect from someone applying for an SEO role. The problem is that they don\u2019t separate you anymore because <strong>they\u2019re the baseline for getting an interview, not the reason you get the offer.<\/strong><\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same thing often happens during interviews. Candidates have prepared for the common questions, polished their success stories, and can explain canonical tags, internal linking, or crawl budgets (and now a bit of AI) without missing a beat. By the fifth or sixth interview, everyone begins sounding equally capable.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At that point, hiring managers aren\u2019t asking whether you know SEO. They\u2019re asking themselves a much different question:<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What makes this person different from everyone else we\u2019ve interviewed?<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-show-me-what-you-chose-to-build\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show me what you chose to build<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where so many candidates swing and miss.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resumes are full of claims. People love to attach themselves to big client names and provide high-level tactics without demonstrating ROI\/growth or other business success metrics.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What stands out is what you chose to build and test when nobody asked you to.<\/strong><\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe that\u2019s a small SEO tool that solved a problem you encountered. Maybe it\u2019s a testing website where you document experiments. It could be a newsletter, a GitHub project, a detailed case study, a Looker Studio dashboard, or volunteer work helping a nonprofit improve its organic visibility. <\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of these projects need to become businesses or attract thousands of users. Their value isn\u2019t measured by popularity or even success (dollars and or traffic), it\u2019s measured by what they reveal about you.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Projects like these communicate <strong>curiosity<\/strong>, <strong>initiative<\/strong>, and <strong>follow-through<\/strong> far more effectively than another bullet point on a resume ever could.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s the same reason companies like to hire college grads. What you learned and grades matter a little, but the 4+ year journey takes commitment.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-my-projects-aren-t-the-point\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">My projects aren\u2019t the point<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For me, those projects include #SEOForLunch, SEOJobs.com, PPCJobs.com, writing for industry publications, and sharing observations (OK, and criticisms) on socials. None of them were created because I thought they\u2019d help me get hired someday. Most started because I was curious about an idea, wanted to solve a problem, or simply enjoyed contributing to the industry.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, they\u2019ve become some of the biggest differentiators in my career. Heck, I recently took on an SEO advisor role for a large job board. Guess what they liked about me versus others they talked to.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while i\u2019m in a fortunate situation to work for myself, if i talk to a prospect or need to interview in the future, they remember more about me besides my resume. <\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe they\u2019ve read one of my newsletter issues. Maybe they\u2019ve used one of the job boards. Maybe they strongly disagree with one of my opinions. Honestly, I don\u2019t care which one it is. <\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What matters is that there\u2019s something tangible attached to my name besides a list of responsibilities from previous jobs.<\/strong><\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s what I want more people to take away from this article.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-find-your-own-version\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Find your own version<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please don\u2019t read this and conclude that everyone needs to start a newsletter or launch a business. If anything, that\u2019s the wrong lesson.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your differentiator should reflect your interests, not mine. Maybe you enjoy writing detailed case studies. Maybe you\u2019re fascinated by automation and build small internal tools. Maybe you help a nonprofit with its SEO, contribute to communities you\u2019re passionate about (sports\/working out\/recipes\/cars, etc.), or simply test ideas and document what you learned from them.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The project itself (or the results) isn\u2019t what matters.<\/strong><\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What matters is that you\u2019ve created something that demonstrates genuine curiosity about your craft. Those experiences become stories you can tell during interviews, and those stories are often far more memorable than another discussion about keyword research or site audits.<\/p> <h2 id=\"h-give-them-something-to-remember\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Give them something to remember<\/h2> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most hiring decisions aren\u2019t made while you\u2019re sitting across the table answering questions. They\u2019re made after you\u2019ve left the room, when interviewers start comparing notes and discussing who they\u2019d actually like to work with.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>That\u2019s the moment you\u2019re trying to influence.<\/strong><\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You don\u2019t want someone to describe you as the candidate who \u201cseemed solid.\u201d You want them to remember the experiment you ran, the tool you built, the community you helped, or the project you were passionate enough to create on your own. Those are the details that stick with people long after technical interview questions have been forgotten.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s hiring market is way different from what it was even five years ago. Companies have more qualified applicants than ever before, which means they can afford to be selective. SEO\/AI competency gets you into the interview process, but it\u2019s rarely what separates the final two candidates.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The worst thing you can be isn\u2019t inexperienced. It\u2019s forgettable.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn\u2019t an argument for hustle culture. It\u2019s an acknowledgment that employers have more choice than they\u2019ve had in years. Standing out isn\u2019t optional anymore.<\/p> <p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"h-this-post-first-appeared-on-the-author-s-website-and-is-republished-here-with-permission\"><em>This post first appeared on the author\u2019s website and is republished here with permission.<\/em><\/p> <div class=\"wp-block-image\"> <figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"887\" alt=\"Leroy2\" class=\"wp-image-476987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp 1774w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-768x384.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-1536x768.jpg 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp\" title=\"The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable\u63d2\u56fe2\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1774\" height=\"887\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Leroy2\" class=\"wp-image-476987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2.jpg.webp 1774w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-768x384.jpg.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2026\/05\/leroy2-1536x768.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1774px) 100vw, 1774px\" title=\"The worst thing you can be in an SEO job interview is forgettable\u63d2\u56fe3\" \/><\/figure> <\/div> <\/div> <p> <em>Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. Contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of Semrush. The opinions they express are their own.<\/em> <\/p> <p>Opinion#worst #SEO #job #interview #forgettable1785090607<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I debated publishing this more than almost any other article I\u2019ve written. And if you\u2019ve been around for a while, you know that\u2019s saying something. I\u2019ve been incredibly fortunate that the SEO community has supported SEOJobs.com. As a result, I receive quite a few direct messages from people looking for advice on landing their next [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[48854,4274,4349,155,97,23520],"class_list":["post-12522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","tag-forgettable","tag-interview","tag-job","tag-opinion","tag-seo","tag-worst"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}