Launch Your Marketing Career

Do you have what it takes to make it in marketing? Which position should you look for if you're just getting started? Whether you're interested in a traditional marketing job or you're searching for a role that involves marketing in a unique way, these tips can help.

Does the degree matter?

If you want a job in marketing, a marketing degree definitely helps, according to Pat O'Donnell, recruiter for the Minneapolis-based McKinley Group and an independent career counselor. Read her blog at www.placementgenius.com. But more important, people need to be able to advocate for ideas and concepts, have a broad range of interests and be able to dissect problems from different angles.

"In the early '70s, advertising agencies turned liberal arts majors into marketers because there were only three schools with BA advertising programs," says O'Donnell. Today, marketing degrees are much more common, but marketers can also launch successful careers with degrees in journalism or social sciences.

Honing the right skills

No matter what degree you have, most employers will look for effective writing and communications skills. Some marketers tend to shy away from numbers, but you'll need to be comfortable with numbers for projecting budgets or interpreting demographic data.

Finding the right fit

O'Donnell also advises candidates to join a professional association and volunteer on a marketing or membership committee. You'll grow your professional network while trying out different marketing roles and building your portfolio.

Landing a job

"There are three times as many marketing graduates as there are entry-level marketing jobs in the Twin Cities," says O'Donnell. While traditional marketing job openings are on the decline in the short term, Internet marketing positions, such as search engine marketing and search engine optimization, are hot.

O'Donnell suggests working for a nonprofit where you can demonstrate your marketing savvy or starting out in event planning or agency-based account work. The most common entry-level job titles may include marketing assistant, assistant product manager and marketing communications specialist, but remember that it may be easier to find a position with some marketing responsibilities in a sales or in-store promotion department and grow your career from there.

Kelly Burkart is a Twin Cities-based freelance writer.