Breaking Into The Marketing Industry

Breaking into the Marketing Industry

Why would I want to work in marketing? Marketing is one of the most popular career destinations for newly qualified graduates. And it is easy to see why. Marketers are the people who make us Just do it, entice us to get the London look and Turn it to 30°. Marketing is concerned with identifying consumer demand relative to a product or service and developing ways in which consumers can purchase these in the optimum amounts to make your company profitable. This involves analysing market research, distribution, design of the product, place (i.e. where to sell it), pricing and promotion – also known as the 4 ‘Ps’. By tapping into your market’s buying habits, your job is to develop new products, design the packaging to make your product stand apart from its competition, public relations, develop advertising strategies such for TV or newspapers and various other media, and after-sales service. Of course one of the biggest reasons why so many people are drawn into the marketing industry each year is the prestige that is often associated with working on some of the biggest, most recognisable brands, such as Coca-Cola, Virgin or L’Oreal. But it’s not all glitz and glamour. There is marketing that attempts to persuade people to buy car insurance, eat more greens or use less energy. Then there’s

www.monster.co.uk business-to-business marketing promoting industrial and office equipment, direct marketing via telephone or mail, websites and TV. One of the beauties of working in marketing is the innumerable opportunities to specialise in certain areas such as market research and direct marketing or diversify into other related disciplines such as public relations and advertising. New entrants into the industry will typically start their career as a Marketing Executive but, in a world where branding and re-branding is commonplace this job is sometimes known as Product Manager or Assistant Brand Manager. Another popular entry level position is that of Market Researcher. Further up the career ladder Marketing Manager’s and Director’s occupy the top positions within an industry that currently employs around 1m workers. The industry is fast paced and can never be called pedestrian, it’s at times glamorous, but always hard work – this is not a 9 to 5 job and the hours can be long. Employment is predominantly permanent. And as the choice of media becomes increasingly diverse combined with our somewhat insatiable appetite for consumerism, demand for skilled and creative marketers will continue – so too will the rewards. Why? Because you’re worth it.

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What are the common marketing career paths? If you have never worked in marketing-related position before now or are fresh out of university looking for your first job you will want to know what sort of roles to be looking out for in the situations vacant pages of your local newspaper or online job site. So here are a few ideas to help you narrow your job search. Most people start their marketing career as a Marketing Executive regardless of whether they have taken the graduate or non-graduate entry route. Sometimes described as Assistant Brand Managers/Product Managers/Marketing Coordinators, the precise responsibilities of the Marketing Executive varies from company to company and are largely determined by the size of the organisation by which you are employed and the importance of marketing within the company. For the most part your role will see you involved in all aspects of marketing, from researching and analysing your core target market to developing the product’s packaging, point-of-sale, advertising, public relations and sales promotion.

Further Reading - How can I choose the right company? - What are my transferrable skills? - Should I work part-time, temporary or permanent?

www.monster.co.uk After two or three year’s promotion to Senior Marketing Executive will see you taking on greater responsibility in a post which will set you in good stead for moving into a Marketing Manager after a further two or three years, and then to Marketing Director. As with many industries, further professional qualifications, such as those offered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, are increasingly becoming a pre-requisite to facilitate progression into more senior marketing positions. Just about every conceivable type of organisation has marketing as a core element of its overall function. From charities and other nonprofit organisations to public sector bodies, such as local government, private sector organisations, such as insurance companies, and FMCG’s – fast moving consumer goods (washing powder, cars, toiletries and so on). All of which means that you may find yourself launching a new beauty of pet care product for the likes of Proctor & Gamble, creating awareness for a charity such as Save the Children, or working for a marketing agency such as WWAV Rapp Collins which handles the marketing of an innumerate portfolio of international brands.

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

Where can I find out about marketing employers? It is said that looking for a job is a job in itself. You can spend hours trawling through the job pages of your local newspaper and scanning the internet to find the job that you really want. But once you spot a position that is right for you, how do you know if the company itself is right for you? Searching for a new job isn’t simply a case of finding a job you quite fancy and sending off you application. There is much more to it than that. You need to ensure that the company you are applying to can meet your expectations in terms of the type of working environment you wish to work, what career opportunities are available, or whether its values are in sync with your own – these are snippets of information that you won’t find in any job advert. The first port of call is to tap into your existing network of contacts. If you have recently graduated from university you will have a readymade bank of people who you can ask for information. Your university or college tutors will invariably have worked in the marketing sector prior to embarking upon their careers in teaching and it is likely that they will have contacts with various organisations. Tap them for information on certain employers that you are considering applying to and even if they have little knowledge about your chosen targets, they many know someone who does who they can refer you to.

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Without these ready-made contacts, non-graduates will need to take a more proactive approach. Ask friends and family if they know of anyone who works in marketing who they can introduce you to and when you finally make contact, ask them questions about how they started out: What constructive advice and tips they can give? More importantly, are there any jobs going where they work? University careers and general recruitment are another prime source of information gathering on certain companies. With innumerate exhibitors attempting to lure would-be employees this is a golden opportunity to network with some key personnel who will be more than happy to divulge information on what it’s really like to work for their organisations. Where else will you get the opportunity to meet so many recruiters at the same time under the same roof! Regardless of what stage you are at in your job search, professional associations, trade and business press are great resources for fining out information on certain employers. Luckily the marketing industry has a number of key trade magazines that give an insight into your chosen sector and who the key players are.

Industry Associations There are many associations in the UK covering almost every job role and sector. To find out if there are any relevant for your occupation, take a look at: -

Wikipedia: British Professional Bodies Trade Associations and regulatory Bodies

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What qualifications are important in marketing? Now that you have identified marketing as the career for you, all you need to do now is ensure that you have the right requirements that employers are looking for. Entry level qualifications for marketing executives vary from company to company. However, large employers will typically prefer candidates with a Higher National Diploma (HND) or Degree – especially those operating graduate training schemes. Some employers will accept entrants from any degree discipline, most will favour business studies or marketing subjects whilst industrial companies, for instance, may prefer science-based degrees for their marketing positions. Whereas some smaller employers will place more emphasis on candidates who possess a professional diploma such as one awarded by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). But a career in marketing is not exclusive to those with an academic background, many entrants have spent their careers to date working in the related fields of sales or advertising – areas in which academic attainment is secondary to experience and industry knowledge. Besides, training is predominantly on the job with some employers happy to send you on external training courses as and when appropriate, though some large-scale employers may run their own in-house courses. So not having a specific degree or diploma is not necessarily a bar to entry.

www.monster.co.uk However, once you are established in your new position it will soon become clear that the attainment of professional qualifications will mean the difference between staying in your existing role for some time and climbing the proverbial career ladder. For many employers, accredited professional qualifications from the likes of the CIM are a must for anyone who is serious about moving their career forward into a Senior Marketing Executive, Marketing Manager or Marketing Director role. These qualifications signify that you are up to date with developments in the industry and that you are committed to best practice as a marketing professional. The CIM alone has four levels of qualification which are determined by your academic qualifications and experience, along with courses operated by the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM), The Institute of Export and the Communication Advertising & Marketing Education Foundation (CAM). Most employers will cover the costs of these courses which may be studied on a part-time or full-time basis around your existing commitments. Previous work experience in any commercial environment will give you a good insight into how organisations operate. Approach employers directly and volunteer for an unpaid work placement by making speculative applications to companies with large marketing departments. And who knows, if you impress your boss this could end up in a job offer.

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What skills are marketing employers looking for? Looking for a job is an exercise in marketing whereby the product (i.e. you) must match the requirements that the buyer (i.e. employer) is looking for. In other words, what can you do for their business and what key skills and attributes that you can bring to the table that will be of interest to an employer? Although you may never have worked in a marketing role before, employers will be looking for certain qualities that will give an indication of your potential and help them decide if you are worth taking a punt on or not. So what skills are employers looking for? Essentially you will need a broad mix of skills to be successful in this industry and potential candidates need to show evidence of the following: - interpersonal skills - good oral and written communication skills - numeracy and analytical ability - creativity and imagination - influencing and negotiation skills - teamwork - organisational ability - IT skills - business and commercial acumen - drive and ambition

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The key is to demonstrate that you have most if not all of these key skills so as to get your foot in the door. Remember, some of these skills you will have gained through nonwork related activities, so don’t get hung up in the fact that you haven’t had the opportunity to use them in a work situation – you are selling your ‘potential’ not necessarily your ‘proven’ ability! Of course there are some specialist marketing roles that will require specific skills in addition to those listed above. Market researchers who are working in the pharmaceuticals or automotive industries, for example, may need a degree that is relevant to the field in which they are working. Similarly, those wanting to work in direct marketing may find that a statistical background will be beneficial. And if you are entering the industry from an entirely unrelated sector, you may find that by undertaking a professional qualification accredited by the CIM, for instance, will make the transition much easier as this will inevitably boost your application and demonstrates your willingness to learn new skill specific to marketing.

Further Reading - What are my transferrable skills? - How can I improve my skills on my own initiative? - Should I become a specialist or a generalist?

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What makes a good marketing CV? The first glimpse of your marketing potential that an employer will see of you is in your CV. The way that you market and sell yourself as the ideal candidate for the job in hand will mean the difference between your CV making its way to the top of the pile or languishing somewhere near the bottom. As with all successful marketing campaigns, your CV needs to match your features and benefits with the requirements of the job being advertised. The job advert itself will give you a clue but, in true marketing fashion this only scratches the surface. Get a copy of the full job description from the company’s human resources department or recruitment consultant so that you identify the key requirements of the role and tailor your CV so that your skills and abilities match what the employer is looking for. With employers spending as little as 20 or 30 seconds considering your application you need to use active language that jumps out from the page and adds meaning to what you are saying. Start your sentences with a descriptive verb rather than a noun.

Further Reading - How can I tailor my CV to an audience? - What are my unique selling points? - What are the classic CV mistakes to avoid?

www.monster.co.uk For example, stating that you are ‘Creative’ or ‘Analytical’ will make your CV read more like a dictionary rather than a document that is designed to sell your experience and achievements. Being ‘creative’ may mean that you may have “assisted in developing a new re-branding campaign for a large high street bank.” And being ‘analytical’ has enabled you to “spot a gap in the market that enabled your company to penetrate and gain a 45% market-share.” The key to writing a successful marketing CV is to always link your achievements with the requirements of the job you are applying for and demonstrate how you have used these skills in your career to date - or during your university days - and to what effect. But don’t overdo it; keep to no more than six or seven examples. Finally, consider who will be reading your application. Avoid using abbreviations, technical jargon or job titles that may be confusing to someone reading your CV who has little or no knowledge of the sector you are coming from. Remember that CVs are often read at great speed so make sure it is clear and concise for the reader.

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What does the job interview process consist of? So far, all has gone well. Your CV has done its job and the fruits of your labour have earned you the interview that brings you one step closer to your first job marketing. Now the real selling begins. Interviews can take a number of different formats and you need to find out which one will be used before the day itself. Large employers will typically run an assessment centre at the company’s head office where you will be put through your paces in a series of practical problem solving tasks both in groups and individually, psychometric tests and presentations – some of which you may have been expected to prepare in advance. Other employers, especially those will a lower intake of new recruits, will invariably cut out the assessment centre process and may start the selection process with an initial telephone interview that works to sound-out if you like the sound of the job and if the employer likes the sound of you before moving into the more traditional interview format.

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www.monster.co.uk Interviews are structured in a way that give the employer an insight into your potential, personality and your understanding of the organisation and industry in which it operates. Having broken the ice with a few gentle pleasantries (“Tell us about your current job”), the questions will gradually start to become tougher as the interviewer probes more and more into your background (“What achievements are you most proud of?“) and your motivations for applying for the job. Some questions come straight from the Interviewer’s Handbook that are focussed on personality traits (“What are your strengths and weaknesses?“), whilst others will be designed to check your understanding (“What interests you about this job?”) and potential (“What should we hire you?) to do the job you are applying for. Providing you do your research beforehand, you’ll be able to anticipate what will be asked of you at interview and have great answers to respond with. The secret to pre-empting likely topics of discussion lies in the job advert itself. So make sure you keep a copy of it and highlight the key points it mentions. Employers want more than a candidate with the right skills and experience – they want someone who has a genuine desire to want to work for their organisation. So do your background research and ensure that you can talk confidently about them.

Further Reading - How do I make a good first impression? - What should I wear to my job interview? - How can I calm my job interview nerves?

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

What career goals should I set myself? Congratulations! You have knocked your competition into touch and landed your first job in marketing - given that marketing is one of the most fiercely fought for career choices you have every right be to be pleased with yourself. However, after a while your initial enthusiasm inevitably begins to wane as the honeymoon period turns into one of regular routine. Now your attention has started to focus on what your next step up the career ladder could be. But like all things you need to walk in your career before you can run, and that means taking the time to learn everything you can about the company, your duties and what is expected of you in the role you are doing now but also identifying those that will be expected of you to perform your next role successfully. And the best way of doing this is to associate yourself with the people who are visibly doing a good job – they will know what it takes to make your mark in the organisation and then you can plot your course accordingly.

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Career progression within the advertising and public relations sectors is relatively quick, with many executives moving swiftly through the ranks into senior positions within four or five years. However, the pace in marketing is somewhat slower. Marketing Executives will typically spend around two or three years in their role before moving up into a Senior Marketing Executive position then Marketing Manager after a further three to five years depending on the size of the organisation. That said if you have a proven track record of success within your existing role and can demonstrate your commitment to continued professional development by studying for your CIM, for instance, you will probably find that promotion opportunities may come sooner than they would for those without such qualifications, when career progression can be sluggish at best. One of the great things about marketing is the variety of the work on offer and the opportunities to diversify into a number of related areas such as direct marketing, sales, advertising or public relations. As with all jobs there are good and bad things about marketing so even if you find that being a Marketing Executive or Market Researcher isn’t right for you, there are innumerable options available to you where the transition from one role to another can be made smoothly.

What Next? If you’re still looking for advice on finding the right job, creating a great CV or tips on job interview, career-advice.monster.co.uk contains everything you ever wanted to know, and more! If you’re ready to apply for jobs, upload you CV to Monster and then take a look through the latest roles.

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Breaking into the Marketing Industry

They say that the grass isn’t greener on the other side, but often it is. Our series of eBooks brings together expert advice to help you secure the job you want and build a successful career. For more career tools, visit career-advice.monster.co.uk.