It’s challenging if you’re looking to get a job in marketing, especially if you know nothing about marketing. Common marketing words such as analytics, bounce rates, and conversions sound confusing and scary without understanding the right context for these words. You may have been working in a different industry before, or you studied another course and are looking to change careers, then you should know a couple of things.
How to get a job in marketing
The good thing about marketing is that you don’t need to have a specific degree to become a marketer. So, this makes it easy for you to get started on this career with several resources on the internet. These are some of the steps to take when starting in marketing:
Determine a marketing focus
Marketing is broad, and there are several disciplines that you can settle in. So, the first step to getting a marketing job is to determine an area of focus. The good thing is, you cannot be short on options to choose from; so it’s wise to learn about the different options before deciding which one to settle for.
Some of the marketing roles you can choose from are: email marketing, product marketing, brand management, search engine optimization, influencer marketing, social media marketing, and voice marketing. Think about the type of marketing job you prefer and would love to do in the long run when deciding. You may also start with a generalist role to build your skills before specializing in an aspect of marketing.
Take online marketing courses
Understanding the basics of marketing is crucial before you start seeking your first marketing job. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never done anything in marketing before. So, there are several online resources that you can learn from; such as books, YouTube videos, blog posts, Ted talks, workshops, etc. However, of all the available options through the internet, your best bet is to take online marketing courses and get certifications. Doing this helps you accomplish two things: getting marketing knowledge and having something to add to your resume.
Of course, some certifications are better than others, but whichever you choose; you’ll have something to add to your resume, especially if you don’t have a previous stint in marketing. It would help to search for the most relevant marketing courses in the industry before choosing a course. Also, some of these online marketing courses are free, and they offer certifications; so you don’t have to spend money getting these certificates.
Update your resume to get a job in marketing
After you’ve identified your marketing priorities and taken the appropriate certification courses, the next step is to update your resume and to reflect your new qualifications and skills.. As much as your resume is a professional document, it also has to be creative. Marketing requires a lot of creativity, and your resume is one way to sell yourself as a creative marketer. In addition, your use of designs and colors in your resume helps you differentiate your resume from others and makes it easier to get the job.
You must realize that your resume is your ad to market yourself. So, you have to highlight your accomplishments and strengths and make yourself an asset to the prospective company. Try to avoid listing your responsibilities and tasks, and focus on what you can achieve. Ensure to add data and numbers to your resume as proof you can drive results. When job hunting, you should try to market yourself and show potential employers what you’re about. If you’re unsure how to create your resume, you should seek resume help from online resume writers to market yourself appropriately.
Follow blogs and newsletters by marketing experts
Keeping up with thought leaders in the industry and following the success of their marketing campaigns helps your knowledge and exposure. You can read their blog articles, subscribe to their newsletters, follow them on social networks, etc. Doing this ensures that you learn the current trends in marketing and follow up on their campaigns. You may also follow up on their case studies based on their campaign results to get more insights about marketing best practices and strategies.
Knowing these key industry players helps you identify the companies and people you may consider working for and the marketing areas that interest you. This can help you determine your marketing specialization over time. This information can also come in handy for you during your interviews as you can show hiring managers and recruiters that you’re current about industry trends and know how it affects them. This proves your passion and enthusiasm for the role you’re applying for.
Seek freelance opportunities
You should seek freelance opportunities for yourself in this industry. Several freelancing gigs online are marketing-related, such as social media management, copywriting, etc. This ensures that you have real-world experience in marketing, and you also have extra information to add to your resume.
You can start by asking your network, friends, and families who know small business owners who need to promote their business on social media or put out weekly newsletters. Next, seek out people with marketing projects that you can work on. If you had a marketing internship, try to reach out again to find out if they have other opportunities for you to join as a freelancer. You may not get something immediately, but you’ll be on people’s minds if a chance arises somewhere. Joining marketing groups and signing up for freelancer newsletters may help you get a job as a freelancer.
Starting your job in marketing as a freelancer helps you build your marketing experience while earning. It also ensures that you taste life as a professional marketer who has to deliver multiple data-driven and creative projects simultaneously.
Marketing career paths
So, marketing is an essential part of any business. Every business or company looking to grow must do one form of marketing. This means that marketing works in almost all industries; so you can get the chance to work in an industry that interests you. You can also get the opportunity to get employment that fits into your lifestyle. There are several career paths you can follow in marketing, and these are some of them.
- In-house marketer: most marketers work as part of a marketing team in a company, primarily as full-time workers. This career path is stable because it offers a guarantee of salary and other benefits, on top of the experience that you’ll gain. So, you’re surely going to get professional advancement.
- Agency marketer: some companies outsource their marketing to other agencies. Working with these marketing agencies also guarantees a consistent salary, and you also get the chance to work for several companies. However, working for an agency means you’ll need to have a specialization, and you may not get the opportunity to work on other projects outside your skillset.
- Freelance marketer: Marketing as a career allows professionals to work as freelancers. Moreover, this gives you a lot of freedom, but it also has instability and inconsistencies. You may be solely responsible for finding your clients and getting benefits.
You can work as a freelancer, at different points in your career, for an agency or work in-house for a company. Before you start this career, find the path that suits you at that time and pursue it.
Necessary skills for a marketing job
You require a couple of secondary skills to succeed in marketing. Firstly, you must learn to accomplish your job roles and responsibilities and possess several personality traits that set you apart from other marketers. Some of these skills are:
- Analytical skills: You need to be analytical at crunching data for identifying the best opportunities to help you make the best decisions.
- Team player: You’ll probably work in a marketing team of different specialists, so you must learn to help the team accomplish its common goal.
- Strong communicator: You must be articulate with what you’re doing and hope to accomplish.
- Constant learner: Marketing is an ever-changing field with new trends constantly. So you must be willing to learn and keep up with trends to remain ahead of competitors.
- Creative: You should be numbers-oriented, but you must be creative and learn to strike a good conversation with potential customers.
- Goal-oriented: You must learn to be goal-oriented to succeed in this career. Marketing teams often have clearly defined goals to accomplish, and you have to work daily to achieve these goals.
Conclusion
Getting a job in marketing isn’t easy, especially if you’re just starting. However, it’s not impossible. By learning the necessary tips and skills, you will put yourself in an excellent position to get a job.
Abstract
To get a job in marketing, especially if you’re not a marketing major or you’re switching careers, there are several steps you need to take, including: determining your marketing focus, taking online courses, updating your resume, following marketing experts, and taking freelance opportunities.
