HOW TO GET A MARKETING JOB WITHOUT A MARKETING DEGREE

Three Methods: Make the Most of Your Experience and Degree Gain More Experience Market Yourself

Marketing is a promising and multi-faceted career path that continues to grow because of the rise of the Internet and social media. Marketing careers can range in anything from advertising, media planning, and sales strategy to public relations. A marketing professional should use critical thinking and creativity to create, manage, and enhance brands. If you want to get a job in marketing but don't have a marketing degree, don't worry. You can land the marketing job of your dreams by following these easy steps.

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METHOD 1 OF 3: MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR EXPERIENCE AND DEGREE

Make sure you have what it takes to work in marketing. Before you try to get a job in marketing, you should research what marketing actually means to make sure that you're a good fit for the work. Though marketing is a broad category that can range from advertising to being a Facebook social media manager, there are still some qualities you should possess to be a good fit for the role.

·         Are you a creative thinker? Can you look at traditional situations in a new way and help reframe something bland in a way that makes it fascinating?

·         Do you have top-notch verbal communication skills? Are you a strong writer who can clearly and concisely communicate your thoughts?

·         Can you organize and interpret complicated data?

·         Can you spot problems and figure out a way to solve them?

·         Do you have strong research skills that can help you understand a situation from multiple angles?

·         If you answered "yes" to a few or all of these questions, then a career in marketing is perfect for you.

Make the most of your degree. Remember that many people in the career field do not have experience in marketing. Many of them have degrees in English, history, economics, or even foreign languages. Whatever your degree may be in, you can use your background to show that you have the skills that are necessary for marketing. Here's how to do it:

·         Show your abilities to be a great researcher. Marketing requires problem solving, and problem solving often requires you to do some research to get to the bottom of a problem. It's likely you've done some research no matter what degree you received, so don't forget to stress your experience, whether it was for winning an award for a final paper, or in writing a distinguished undergraduate thesis.

·         Show your creative side. Marketing employers are looking for people who can think outside the box, no matter the circumstances. If you have creative writing experience from your English degree, that is a perfect way to stress your creative side. But almost any degree must have required you to give a presentation, or make an elaborate project at some point, and you can stress the creativity you used to put it together.

·         Demonstrate your organizational skills. Strong organizational skills are important for any marketing degree, since you'll be balancing a variety of projects. Show that you were able to balance a busy schedule of classes, being active in your fraternity or sorority, and taking on a part-time job at the same time.

·         Play up your knowledge of a foreign language. Many marketing companies are expanding their product to a non-English speaking market, so if you're a Spanish or Chinese major, you may be a great fit.

Make the most of your experience. Though you may not feel you have marketing experience, if you spend some time with your resume, you'll be able to find a way to give your experience a marketing-friendly skill. You don't have to lie or even stretch the truth to show how your experience can be relevant to the marketing field. Here's how to do it:

·         Don't discount any of your sales experience. Even if you feel that working in a coffee shop or clothing store may not apply to marketing, you can talk about how your knowledge of a specific product has helped you understand how to market it, even if it just means you helped put up friendly signs around your store or to find a new way to sell the product to customers.

·         Discuss any creative aspects of your job. Even if you're an English teacher or tutor who wants a job in marketing, you can talk about the creative strategies you used to engage your audience and to teach an old concept in a new way.

·         Play up your team work experience. Whether you're talking about an intense group project in school or a project you worked on in your office, you should stress your ability to communicate with others and to collaborate, because many marketing jobs require you to do just that .

·         Show initiative and drive. Demonstrate that you're a go-getter that went above and beyond the requirements of your job. Even if you were just a work-study library aide, you can talk about how you took the initiative to reorganize the contemporary fiction display to make twice as many students check out books.

·         Take advantage of your involvement in undergraduate clubs and activities. You may not think being your sorority's rush chair can help you land a marketing job, but you can talk about how hard you worked to essentially market your sorority and make it appeal to a wide variety of girls. If you were on your school's tennis team, talk about how you marketed your home matches to a variety of students.

METHOD 2 OF 3: GAIN MORE EXPERIENCE

                        Gain more traditional work experience. The easiest way to get a marketing job is to gain more traditional experience in the marketing world. To find a job that can help you play up your marketing abilities, you have to know where to look. Here are some places to consider:

·         Inquire about a marketing position at the company where you work. More and more companies are looking to promote laterally and hire from within. They already have a good grasp of your abilities and work ethic.

·         Look for entry-level marketing jobs that offer on-the-job training. Although these do not always have large starting salaries, the experience you gain will be valuable.

·         Do small jobs or contract work to develop your portfolio. Look for people who need a little help with graphic design, Constant Contact emails or Facebook marketing and charge a small fee per month. While you hone your skills, you can also build your resume and your references.

·         Search for jobs in small companies in addition to large marketing firms. Almost every business has a marketing budget these days, and some hire full-time marketing people.

·         Don't turn down a marketing internship just because it doesn't pay. This is a valuable way to put some marketing experience on your resume.

·         Find your niche. If you want to market men's clothing, working in a men's clothing store can help you gain a perspective into what it takes to sell men's clothing. If you can move up in this job, you may be able to find yourself in a marketing position. Working in a men's clothing store and blogging about it? Even better.

·         Sign up for marketing newsletters from large marketing firms, such as the Intelligence Group, Linked In, Marketing Today and the American Marketing Association. This will help you stay on top of trends and demographics, and it will also help you learn about more job opportunities.

Find work at a company that offers marketing graduate trainee programs. These programs can help graduates gain experience in the marketing world. Here are some places to look:

·         The Mars company. This company has a cross-functional management development program that gives graduates access to opportunities in marketing.

·         Nestle. This company specifically recruits new graduates on a needs-basis, so it's a great place to start out.

·         Procter & Gamble. This company recruits graduates into one of its eight career tracks, which include consumer and market knowledge and marketing.

                        Gain experience by improving your skills. Many companies won't even look at your resume if you don't have basic experience in a variety of computer design and advertising programs. You don't have to be completely proficient in dozens of programs, but having a proficient knowledge of a few basic programs can make you look like a much more attractive candidate. Here are a few things to try:

·         Learn to use computer design programs. Marketing departments often look for people with experience in Adobe Creative Suite, email blasting websites and web programming. If a company already has a small staff, you can fulfill requirements that might be more important than a marketing degree.

·         Improve your skills in Google Docs, Excel, PowerPoint, and Pagemaker.

·         Master HTML, CSS, video editing, SEO digital marketing, Facebook advertising, and Google advertising.

                        Create a blog or a website. Having a personal blog or a website is an excellent way to market yourself and to share more of your ideas with the world. If you have enough followers on social media, then it should be easy for you to get people to be interested in your web site or blog. This will show that you're comfortable with writing on the Internet and can use your critical and creative skills to promote a brand or enhance a product. Here's how to do it:

·         Whatever the purpose of your blog or website, make it look professional. If you have a friend who is savvy in web design, you can ask for help, or you can spend some time on your own to make your site look professional, sleek, and eye-catching.

·         Update your site often. Though you don't have to blog every day, you should try to share your thoughts as often as you can to keep people interested. If you only update your blog once a month, people will stop looking at it.

·         Be interesting. To keep people coming to your site, you'll have to write about engaging topics and use a lively voice to do it. Make a habit of browsing the Internet for half an hour each day to check out the most relevant topics, and come up with something to say about them.

                        Write online. There are other ways to write online in addition to having a blog or a website. Here are some things you can do online to further your writing experience:

·         Create a marketing blog. Using a free blogging platform, like WordPress or Blogger, publish daily or weekly blogs. Chronicle your observations and insights about the latest marketing trends, and they will serve as proof of your marketing prowess. Use your blog to network and link to other marketing bloggers and firms.

·         Publish marketing articles online. You can become a marketing examiner in your area or find other places to submit free marketing articles. Pay attention to your writing quality and make sure not to plagiarize.

·         Write quality reviews online. You can become a member of Yelp Elite or an Amazon top reviewer. You'll not only get some perks, but you'll be able to show your Internet presence.

METHOD 3 OF 3: MARKET YOURSELF

                        Market yourself on Facebook. If you want to work in marketing, then chances are that you already have a Facebook profile. Nowadays, it's common for a potential employer to check out your Facebook profile before he decides to interview you, so you should make sure that your Facebook profile shows you to be a professional, responsible, and mature potential employee. Here's how you do it: 

·         Manage your privacy settings. When an employer looks you up, he should only be able to see your picture and some key information about you. Let anyone see information about your work experience and your mature Facebook photo, and hide those more "fun" photos for the rest of your friends.

·         If you really want your Facebook profile to market you, make sure all of your photos show your best side. You could become Facebook friends with someone who could help you get a job, so those photos can show you having fun at things like gallery openings or poetry readings, or doing something work related, but you should eliminate photos where you look obviously drunk or aren't appropriately dressed.

·         Try to have as many Facebook friends as you can. Many social media marketing jobs need a Facebook media manager and will outright ask how many Facebook friends you have.

·         If it's relevant, create a Facebook fan page. If you have a talent or a skill, you should promote it through Facebook to spread awareness about your work and to update your fans.

                        Market yourself on other social media. If you want to work in marketing, you should not only have a Facebook page, but you should also have a Twitter and Instagram account. This will expand your social media skills and will also get you in touch with more people. Plus, this will prevent you from being caught in that awkward moment where you potential employers asks for your Twitter or Instagram username and you don't have one.

·         Many marketing jobs have a place for you to put a link to any relevant sites that can provide more information about you, or even a place to put your Twitter username, so you should take advantage of the opportunity to show as much about yourself as possible.

·         Think before you Tweet. Though you may have a brilliant idea for a dirty joke after you've had a few beers on a Saturday night, remember to keep it appropriate, even if your privacy settings are high.

·         Think before you post a photo. Though Instagram is an opportunity to show your followers what you've been up to, minimize the photos where you're in beach wear or have had too much to drink, just as you would on Facebook.

·         Try to get as many followers as possible by staying active and favoring your friends' Tweets or liking their photos on Instagram.

                        Market yourself by networking. Networking is a great way to let people know who you are and to improve your chances of getting a job. Remember that while it's important to gain experience, it's equally important to have connections who can actually help you get a job. Here's how to do it:

·         Keep up your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a professional network, and you should not only have an active profile, but you should update it often and make sure to include all of your experience. You can network by adding people to your LinkedIn network. Avoid adding perfect strangers and stick to people who share several connections with you.

·         Network in person. Just because social media networking is more popular than ever doesn't mean that you can't make connections in person. Whenever you meet someone who can help you advance your career, be friendly and personable and exchange contact information. Do this only if it's appropriate and you sense that the person wants to talk to you.

·         Make a business card. Even if you feel like you don't have much to put on your business card, you should keep one to hand to people whenever they ask for your contact information. Plus, if they ask for your card, it will look awkward to say, "I don't have a card, but let me find a scrap of paper to write my number on." If you choose this method, the person will forget you. If you give that person a card, he'll keep it in his wallet and can pull it out if an opportunity comes up.

·         Take advantage of the alumni network at your college. Join any alumni networking sites to increase your chances of finding a connection who can help you find a job.

·         Ask your friends and family connections if they knew about any marketing jobs. You may feel silly for doing this, but this will greatly increase your chances of landing a marketing job. Even if your friend or your Aunt Rhoda may not know of any jobs, they may know someone who knows someone who can help you. Don't be embarrassed to send an email to people in your circle asking for any leads. You'll be surprised by how quickly you may hear about an opportunity.

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