Finding Your First Job in Marketing
You’ve decided to pursue a career in marketing. You might have recently graduated and are eager to put your education in marketing to use. Maybe your looking to change career but always felt marketing jobs were where your interests lay, you might be currently employed elsewhere but long for the variety and challenge that a career in marketing can provide. Finding your first job in marketing can be challenging if you don’t know where to start. Let’s have a look at some tips to help you find your first marketing job below.
Choose a Specific Area of Marketing
Marketing is the process by which a business promotes and sells its goods and services to consumers in the market. A marketing team encompasses a wide range of activities, from market research and advertising to the analysis and dissemination of information via digital channels, branding, and so on.
When starting out, you need to think about the kind of marketing career you want right now and where you see yourself in a few years and read up on the various marketing responsibilities. You must identify which areas of marketing you want to get into whether it’s product marketing, branding, email marketing, social media marketing, etc.
Research the Required Skills for Marketing Jobs
To be successful in marketing, it takes a wide range of skills to do the job. You need to research the skills that marketing jobs require. If you want to start your career in marketing, these are some skills you want to research and eventually possess:
- Data analytics
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
- Content Writing
- Problem-solving
- Organisational skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
You can also start researching finding your first job in the marketing industry, map the skills required by looking at companies hiring for their marketing positions and studying the job adverts identifying the skills that companies are looking for.
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Qualifications Required for a Marketing Job
If this would be your first marketing job, you might wonder: “how can I be qualified for the job?”. You would need to learn and study for a marketing qualification or certification to meet the requirements of today’s marketing jobs. There is a plethora of marketing certifications available look for one accredited by a recognised professional body such as The Chartered Institute of Marketing or American Marketing Association
If a company you’re interested in working for has a website, chances are good that they’re using Google Analytics, a part of G suite. Marketers all across the world can benefit greatly from Google Analytics, a service that monitors, analyses, and reports the traffic of the website. Because of this, it is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the basics of the suite. Since so many businesses utilise Google Analytics proof of your proficiency on this platform would make you stand out. Look for Professional Certificates from Google directly such as Google Data Analytics
Boot Camps for Digital Marketing
There are many boot camp providers offering digital marketing courses. Here are some popular ones:
- General Assembly: General Assembly offers digital marketing courses that cover topics such as SEO, social media marketing, and email marketing. They have online and in-person options.
Website link: https://generalassemb.ly/
- Udacity: Udacity offers a digital marketing nanodegree program that covers topics such as social media marketing, content marketing, and analytics. The program is self-paced and includes projects to help you apply what you’ve learned.
Website link: https://www.udacity.com/course/digital-marketing-nanodegree–nd018
- Simplilearn: Simplilearn offers a digital marketing specialist program that covers topics such as SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and content marketing. They offer both online and in-person options.
Website link: https://www.simplilearn.com/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-certified-associate-training
- Coursera: Coursera offers digital marketing courses from top universities and organizations. Courses cover topics such as digital analytics, social media marketing, and SEO.
Website link: https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=digital%20marketing
- Hubspot Academy: Hubspot Academy offers free digital marketing courses and certifications. Courses cover topics such as inbound marketing, email marketing, and content marketing.
Website link: https://academy.hubspot.com/courses
6. OpenClassrooms; OpenClassrooms offers various bootcamp programs related to digital marketing, providing intensive and immersive training in various digital marketing areas, such as social media marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), digital advertising, and more.
Website link: https://openclassrooms.com/en/paths/287-digital-marketer
It’s important to do your own research and compare the features and pricing of different boot camp providers before choosing one that’s right for you.
Volunteer to Support Marketing Activities at A Charity
Since marketing is an industry where practical experience is prioritised above theoretical knowledge, you’ll need to show that you have a firm grasp of the subject’s fundamentals. You should also be aware of the methods for demonstrating marketing’s contribution to the achievement of financial targets.
The marketing volunteering at a charity is an excellent way to gain experience in the field before finishing college or getting a master’s degree in marketing and moving on to full-time, paying employment. Charity could have been the best place to start your marketing career because it’s challenging and highly valued by companies.
Here are some websites where you can find volunteering opportunities in the UK, USA, and Europe:
- UK:
- Do-it: https://do-it.org/
- Volunteering Matters: https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/
- NCVO: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/
- Reach Volunteering
- USA:
- VolunteerMatch: https://www.volunteermatch.org/
- Idealist: https://www.idealist.org/
- All for Good: https://www.allforgood.org/
- Europe:
- European Solidarity Corps: https://europa.eu/youth/solidarity_en
- Volunteering.eu: https://www.volunteering.eu/
- Serve the City: https://www.servethecity.net/
Network with Mentors
Your mentor can offer advice on how to make your application materials stand out from the crowd. If you have a mentor, they can also help you anticipate the kinds of questions you might be asked during an interview.
Some role models will even recommend you to people they know who are hiring for marketing opportunities by tapping through their professional or even personal networks. Your chances of securing your first marketing position, despite your lack of expertise, will improve if you can get a recommendation from someone in the industry
There are lots of platforms where you can find a mentor here are a few suggestions MicroMentor.org or GrowthMentor.com
Build Your Portfolio
Create an online portfolio to showcase your greatest work if you have any experience at all from freelancing, school, or personal endeavours. Launching your own website to showcase your best work is a great way to demonstrate initiative and set yourself apart from other job searchers.
You can highlight your best work here, such as marketing campaigns and initiatives for which you are very proud, and even provide brief case studies to illustrate your points. Don’t worry if your efforts don’t produce viral content. Of greater importance to potential employers is evidence of your proficiency with relevant skill sets and experience of your drive to further develop those skills.
Use Social Media
Creating your own material to share and promote is a great way to test the waters of the real world of marketing. Develop your digital marketing chops and demonstrate your potential to future employers by starting a website blog, affiliate selling site, Facebook page, specialized Instagram account, YouTube channel, or podcast. Remember to consider your audience’s perspective, provide valuable content, and gain insight from your successes and failures.
As you send out applications or prepare for your next job hunt, this might be a productive way to kill time. Even if you have a limited amount of marketing expertise under your belt, having a creative, self-developed project is a great approach to displaying your passion, hard work, and talents in marketing jobs.
What Sort of Entry Level Job Should I Apply For In Marketing
There are several entry-level marketing jobs that you could apply for, depending on your interests and qualifications. Here are a few examples:
- Marketing Coordinator or Assistant: These roles involve supporting the marketing team in executing campaigns, coordinating events, managing social media channels, and handling administrative tasks.
- Social Media Coordinator or Manager: These roles are focused on managing social media accounts, creating content, and engaging with followers to increase brand awareness and drive engagement.
- Content Marketing Coordinator or Writer: These roles involve creating and managing the production of marketing content, such as blog posts, email campaigns, and social media updates.
- Marketing Research Assistant: These roles involve supporting the research team in gathering and analyzing data to help inform marketing decisions and strategies.
- Marketing Analyst: These roles involve using data to track and analyse marketing campaigns, identify trends and opportunities, and help optimise marketing strategies.
- Sales Development Representative: These roles involve prospecting new leads and generating interest in the company’s products or services through outbound calls and emails.
- Digital Marketing Coordinator: These roles involve managing digital campaigns, including email marketing, paid search, display advertising, and social media ads.
When applying for entry-level marketing jobs, it’s important to highlight any relevant skills or experience you may have, such as internships, coursework, or extracurricular activities.
Build Your CV Focused on Your Marketing Skills
You may have yet to gain formal experience in marketing, but you may have picked up some of the abilities you’ll need to succeed in the profession through other channels. These might include school/college work, freelance work, internships, volunteer work, or even your previous jobs.
The main idea here is to build a CV that highlights your marketing skills. These can be both hard skills and soft skills. For example, you might have experience in data analysis, content writing, sales, and administration, or even possess strong leadership skills. All of these skills are required in marketing positions and could be important factors for interviewers or hiring managers.
If you’re creating an your first marketing CV, there are several elements you should focus on to make it stand out to potential employers. Here are some of the most important:
- Education: As an entry-level marketing professional, your education is an essential component of your CV. Highlight your relevant degrees and certifications, including any courses or workshops you have taken in marketing, advertising, or related fields.
- Relevant work experience: While you may not have a lot of professional experience in marketing, you can highlight any relevant internships, volunteer work, or part-time jobs you’ve held. Be sure to describe your role and responsibilities, and how they relate to marketing.
- Marketing skills: List your marketing skills, including any software you’re proficient in, such as Adobe Creative Suite, Hootsuite, or Google Analytics. Be sure to emphasise any skills that are mentioned in the job description.
- Personal qualities: Employers are also interested in learning about your personal qualities that make you a good fit for the marketing industry. Highlight skills such as creativity, attention to detail, and strong communication skills.
- Achievements: Include any significant achievements you’ve had, such as projects you’ve completed, campaigns you’ve managed, or any awards or recognition you’ve received.
- Relevant hobbies and interests: Include any hobbies or interests that relate to marketing, such as blogging, social media management, or event planning. This can demonstrate your passion for the field and your willingness to learn more.
Overall, make sure your CV is easy to read and concise, and tailored to the job you’re applying for. Highlight the most important and relevant information to catch the employer’s attention and stand out from other candidates.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
At Total Career Solutions, we offer the expert, knowledge, experience, and insights and help you change career and find a new career path may be as a marketing professional. Book a free 15-minute consultation with our professional career consultants to learn more.
