Start by proving you can rank something. Build 3-5 niche sites or volunteer for local businesses and document the traffic and conversion gains. Screenshots of Search Console growth, keyword rankings moving from page 3 to page 1, and revenue attribution are what hiring managers actually review. Without this, you're competing with hundreds of applicants who also just took a course. Get visible where agencies look. Ottawa SEO and similar firms find consultants through referrals, LinkedIn with published case studies, local marketing meetups, or contributors to industry communities like Twitter SEO circles. Cold applications rarely work unless your portfolio is exceptional. If you're in Ottawa, Toronto, or Montreal, attend local digital marketing events—agencies hire people they've met. Match your experience to the role tier. Junior consultant roles at agencies expect 1-2 years of hands-on SEO, comfort with GSC and Analytics, and basic technical audits. Mid-level roles want 3-5 years, client management experience, and a track record of growing organic revenue by measurable percentages. Senior consultants need to pitch strategy, run multi-site portfolios, and often bring clients with them. Specialize in something specific if you're breaking in. Pure generalist SEO is harder to sell than "local SEO for trades" or "SaaS content strategy" or "technical audits for ecommerce." Agencies bill specialists at higher rates and clients trust narrow expertise more than broad claims. At Ottawa SEO, we've hired consultants who showed up with a 10-site portfolio they built themselves, clear tracking of what worked and what failed, and the ability to explain why a strategy would or wouldn't apply to our client mix. Degrees and certifications matter far less than demonstrated results and the ability to communicate tradeoffs to clients who don't live in spreadsheets.