My guide to starting a marketing career
Over the last year, I’ve spoken to over 100 undergraduate students interested in marketing, but not sure where to start. I can’t blame them. I barely knew what marketing was when I started college, and with no degree program for it at my university, learned a lot from the Internet and even more by trial and error.
Unlike other business fields, marketing doesn’t always have a clear entry path. There’s not one application season or recruiting system, which can be intimidating. Looking back on it now, I’m glad I listened to the gut feeling that this field was a good fit for me.
Talking to current students helped me reflect on why and how I started my marketing career, and what I recommend to undergrads who are trying to do the same: study something you love, redefine experience, explore startups, create publicly, do your research, and reach out.
1. Study something you love
“How will I ever get into business without majoring in it?” — Me, 2016
I didn’t major in marketing. I studied Psychology, Computer Science, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship — a combo that doesn’t immediately translate to marketing. But my interviewers always asked me why I chose those programs, and I was able to answer passionately because I truly loved learning about motivation, analysis, and innovation.
You don’t need to major in business or marketing to get into the field. You need to communicate effectively, work well in teams, and be comfortable with data. You can learn those skills in many fields of study or even outside of the classroom. Once you find something you like, build your storytelling skills. My education made sense to employers because I showed how I synthesized creative and analytical thinking through my studies.
I’m over a year into my first full-time position, and my studies haven’t hindered me. I learned most of my “marketing skills” on the job, and use psychology when communicating with others, data analysis to make decisions, and innovative thinking throughout my work. And I promise it’s not just me. My coworkers hold degrees across engineering, English, visual arts, foreign language, and more.
2. Redefine experience
“Why does this internship require two years of work experience?” — Me, 2017
It’s difficult to get marketing experience early in college, especially if your university doesn’t have marketing classes or an existing network in the industry. I used my extracurriculars to explore and build experience in marketing. You can manage social media for a club, drive sign-ups for a campus event, or write and distribute a newsletter for a campus department or a topic you’re passionate about. Try a lot, see what you like, document results, and highlight those experiences when you’re applying for internships and full-time positions.
3. Explore startups
“We can’t pay you, but if you do a good job, I’ll connect you with anyone in my network.” — Interviewer at a startup, 2017
My first official internship was with a software as a service (SaaS) startup that had three employees. They couldn’t pay me, but they made it worth it — in one summer, I worked on demand generation, customer engagement, marketing, and social media management. My manager became a strong reference for future positions, and my time there exposed me to the business side of tech, which helped me get to where I am now.
Many schools have entrepreneurship programs that offer hands-on experience. If your school doesn’t have that resource, reach out to startups and small businesses in the area to see if they’re looking for marketing support. If they can’t pay you, negotiate what you need and apply for class credit through your university.*
*You deserve to be paid for your work, internship or full time. That said, startups can’t always do that. See if you can work from home during the summer, negotiate hours during the school year, or get class credit for the internship.
4. Create publicly
“Isn’t starting a foodstagram a little pretentious?” — Me, 2016 (lol)
College is busy (an understatement, I know). If working for a startup or being a club’s marketing chair isn’t feasible, that’s okay. Creating is a great way to build communications skills without adding too much to your plate. Whether you write, design, podcast, or tweet, make sure it’s public. Sharing your work is scary (I still struggle with this), but it’s one of the best ways to get feedback and get noticed.
Example: My Writing 101 class had a blog component. When the class ended, I saved my posts and started sharing them as a writing sample in job applications. This was work I already did for a class that I could repurpose to showcase my writing skills.
Or, build something new. I love food and started taking pictures of it in college. I created a foodstagram just for fun that, over time, turned into a 2,000+ follower account with opportunities to work with local restaurants. Build a social media following for your art, write poetry, start a podcast with friends — whatever it is, create often and share it.
5. Do your research
Me, 2017: “I want to go into marketing.”
Advisor: “Okay, what kind?”
Me: “…”
“Marketing” encompasses a lot more than I realized when I started exploring the field. Read about the different paths and functions within the industry. Ask yourself:
- What ads or marketing campaigns have caught my eye recently, or left a lasting impact? Why?
- Do I want to be at an agency that works with lots of different customers, or work in-house for a company and market their products or services?
- Do I want to work at a company that sells to consumers (B2C/D2C) or a company that sells to other companies (B2B)?
- Am I more interested in marketing or advertising?
- Do I like visual media or data more?
- What industry to I want to market for? Tech, fashion, consumer goods, media… the list goes on.
- What kind of marketing do I want to do? Research content, field, digital, social media, event, and brand marketing.
Doing this research will help you focus your interests and dedicate time to building the skills needed in these different functions. And they’ll help you ask better questions when you’re networking, which brings us to…
6. Reach out
“I have a question.” — Me, always
Build a network and use it! I started with my university’s alumni association, searching for alumni working in marketing. I would look them up on LinkedIn, message them, and ask for a 30 minute call. Later, I branched out beyond my alumni association. It was incredibly awkward, but almost everyone I reached out to agreed to speak.
Once you secure the call, prepare for it. This helps take away some of the awkwardness, and I’m always impressed when a student has done their research. This looks like:
- Get a sense of their journey. Look at their LinkedIn and see what questions arise, like “What made you move from tech to media?” or “I saw that you worked at XYZ Company right out of college — what was that like?”
- Know what you want to learn. I had a set of questions I would ask every alumnus I spoke to, plus some I customized to their specific experiences.
- Do your research. I’ve had students call me and ask how to get into fashion marketing — but I have no experience there! Thirty minutes is not a lot of time, so make sure you’re using it wisely and preparing specific questions ahead of time.
- Share your story. If you don’t have an elevator pitch yet, work on one. I love hearing about what students are involved with and why they’re considering marketing. This also helps me give students more tailored advice.
