How can I start a career in marketing?

Jobs in marketing help promote products and services or raise awareness about issues. Roles often centre around creating campaigns – ways to get your audiences’ attention. They can also be analytical – seeing how campaigns affect sales, sign-ups or donations, for example.

Marketing jobs often involve:

• Looking at data to work out who you want to reach
• Developing campaigns – this could involve using social media, advertising or printed materials
• Organising events and exhibitions
• Writing and copy-editing (improving other people’s writing)
• Monitoring the success of campaigns

Entry-level roles in marketing are usually advertised as marketing executive or marketing assistant.

You can find marketing jobs in most industries. Roles vary depending on the type of organisation or business you work for. There are lots of options, from small charities to retail giants, big brands and local government.

Working in a smaller organisation often means you have a wider range of responsibilities. In a large company, you’re more likely to focus on one aspect of the marketing mix and share responsibilities with your team.

You can also work for a marketing agency, which is essentially a team of marketing specialists. Agencies provide marketing services for different companies, known as clients or accounts. At an agency, you often work across different accounts at the same time.

There are different ways into a marketing career. If you’re a graduate, having a degree in a relevant subject can help, but recruiters often take graduates with any subject. You can also take the apprenticeship route – try searching for marketing apprenticeships.

Suitable work experience is a huge advantage.

Many employers will also look for personal qualities such as creativity and communication skills.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing has more information on different ways you can get started.

There are many entry-level marketing jobs out there. Use job sites like Indeed or search online for marketing recruitment agencies. If you want to work for certain companies, check their websites for jobs or follow them on social media.

Trade sites such as Campaign and Marketing Week also list jobs and are a great way to find out about industry issues and news too.

Dakota Murphey writes content for a number of companies and organisations, including marketing recruitment specialists Lime Talent.

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