On the other hand, professional and personal advancement opportunities abound in the marketing profession. And with most organizations always striving to sell themselves as well as their products and services to the general public, marketing jobs are truly here to stay and thrive even in this recessionary economy.
Well, of course, a career in marketing entails hard work on your part mainly because this is a highly competitive market where only the best of the best attain success. The good news is that you can belong to the elite circle of the most successful professionals in the marketing profession by following these 7 steps.
Step 1: An Education Is the Best Foundation
Nowadays, the best foundation for professional success lies in an education. Even the richest entrepreneurs among us including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett secured their education within the four walls of the classroom!
Depending on the entry level marketing jobs being offered, employers look for a wide range of college degrees. For example, in marketing management positions, a business administration major in marketing degree is preferred while advertising management jobs require a degree in advertising. However, many college degrees with courses in economics, business law, finance, communication, and even graphic design are acceptable takeoff points for successful marketing careers. Once on the job, you always have the benefit of learning applicable knowledge, skills and capabilities for your professional advancement.
Step 2: Complement Education with Training
Most employers who offer marketing jobs will also provide for in-house management trainings, workshops and seminars with the ultimate aim of optimal employee development. You must actively participate in these programs for many reasons, namely, your resume can be more impressive, your skill set can be more productive, and you can be more persuasive when promotion time comes.
Step 3: Be Updated with the Trends
Trainings are also valuable in another aspect - you can be updated on the trends affecting the marketing profession. Each year, it appears that innovative ways of doing things are being discovered in the marketing industry so much so that anybody caught flat-footed can lose his job in an instant. You have to enroll in classes, attend industry conventions, read trade magazines, listen to the news and just generally keep on top of trends.
Step 4: Develop the Right Personal Traits
Even in interviews for entry level marketing jobs, employers are already looking for the right personality traits to make it in the business. All successful marketing careers have been built and continue to be built with personal characteristics including but not limited to creativity, flexibility and ability to deliver on expected results as well as on strong communication skills, people skills and market skills.
Step 5: Develop Your Portfolio
Aside from the resume, your most important asset in landing the most coveted marketing jobs is the portfolio. You have to customize your marketing portfolio for each job application in the same way that you must customize your cover letter and résumé to suit the company's standards. Your portfolio must contain letters of recommendations, proof of accomplishments, several writing samples, marketing plans and certification programs, among other pertinent documents to show your suitability for the job.
Step 6: Choose a Specialty
Many successful marketing professionals chose a specialty early on in their careers simply because doing so has many advantages. Employers can easily look for the best position to fit your specialized skills, thus, avoiding the lengthy procedure of trial and error. Of course, entry level applicants are not required to have a specialty for obvious reasons but you have to identify your niche in the marketing industry as soon as possible.
Step 7: Be Ready to Diversify
On the other hand, you must also be ready to diversify your marketing skills even when you have already become a specialist. This should be easy considering that you started from the bottom up with a generalized focus and then worked your way up the corporate ladder with a specialized area. Diversification is an essential skill in the recession-prone economy largely because you can apply to more jobs instead of just being confined to a few opportunities.
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