Marketing Jobs: Dispelling the myths
Published 5 Oct 2011 12:33
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To flourish in an industry like marketing, negative thinking should be dispelled at the earliest possible convenience. One of the easiest ways to miss out on a job is not applying for it, and it’s often easy to excuse ourselves out of an opportunity. Many marketing jobs list the harsh realities of the position in their ads because it’s a great way to separate the wheat from the chaff. Instead of giving up immediately because you don’t exactly match the description, be motivated enough to define how your transferrable skills are relevant. If your application still isn’t strong enough, take this as a call to action...
You need to have previous experience: Let’s face it, no one tumbles out of the womb and straight into a marketing assistant’s desk- we all have to break into the industry somehow. In order to build gradually towards paid positions, free work at a local radio station or student publication or voluntary work with a local charity will strengthen any candidate’s credibility. As well as more general skills, nurturing individual passions will increase the chances of finding yourself a perfect fit in the job market– those who love fine dining may fit well with food branding, the fashion-conscious may have insight which will secure them a position writing blurbs for a range of high-end lingerie. The devil’s in the detail.
You need to have a marketing degree: Marketing jobs employ a diverse range of graduates, with candidates employed from academic disciplines as varied as Biology, History and Economics. More popular degree types include English Literature, Business or Management studies, Communications studies or Media Studies. A role in marketing might require a strong entrepreneurial focus more suited to someone with a law or business qualification, or the sort of creative abilities associated with a Film student or Creative writing graduate.
You will start at the bottom: Although many firms offer fairly menial duties and limited perks at first due to the competitive nature of the industry, some graduate training programmes offer highly rewarding packages to the right candidates. Larger brands offer scope for working globally, in a range of positions in order to find your niche, with groups of like-minded individuals. Not only is a lot of this about development and training, with team-building exercises and competitive activities, it can often incorporate professional qualifications – such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing diploma.
You won’t be able to use your initiative: In many professions, new starts are kept on a fairly short leash until they gain some basic experience. In marketing, because it relies so heavily on fresh ideas and creativity, initiative can blossom from day one. Whether it’s trying to find a concise blurb to sum up the purpose of a new product, or analysing statistics to keep up with the competition, there’s little chance of things becoming humdrum. As well as more general skills such as data analysis and organisation, there’s individual scope for your talents depending on whether you can speak French, or are a keen photographer. The industry is diverse, and so are its employees.
This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 05 Oct 11
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