So you have your eyes set on graduation. You have written your marketing resume and you are asking yourself, what’s next? Well, this might be a good start for you. In my experience, marketing majors usually go one of two ways. They either land a marketing job right out of school or go into sales somewhere (usually Enterprise). No hate to the car renter, but there seems to be a trend.
The truth is, with everybody and their cousin wanting to do marketing, it’s a challenging field to get in. We want to get real with you and give you actual marketing resume tips that you can take away that will benefit and set you apart from the vast competition. Coming in at #1 is experience.
Marketing Resume Tip #1. Get Experience
Experience is quite possibly the most significant value-add on your resume. Ideally, it would help if you were looking into internship opportunities as early as your sophomore year.
Look, we went through this process. So many agencies are looking for 2-3 years of experience for most entry-level positions. Do the math. As our agency standards have come into play, experience doesn’t equal quality.
If you want to get into the marketing field, you need to be a problem solver. Go to small businesses and ask to help them. Create your own eCommerce business. Look for internship opportunities on career pages. Make connections. And if you’re not sure what type of internship you are looking for, but you know marketing is the specific field, check out point two. These marketing resume tips is as simple as putting yourself out there and being open to new experiences.
Marketing Resume Tip #2. Be willing to explore a lot of different positions
There are A LOT of marketing roles to fill. Understand the positions and what purpose they serve. In today’s agency, being a full-stack marketer can be your biggest separator. Become a dangerous social media strategist who also can utilize the Adobe Suite.
Our agency believes the pinnacle of a marketer understands creatives and can operate in media buying. Absolute lethal combo. It can take a while to get to this point, and that’s why being open-minded is essential. If you are unsure of the roles, anyone on our team would be happy to explain potential options.
Tip #3. It’s okay to work the “menial” position – we have all been there
With exploration comes possible boredom. Not every role will be a smash hit – and that’s okay. It takes time to dial in on what you want to do, and even after you’ve found that, it could change just as quickly.
Writing blogs is certainly not my favorite thing to do at a marketing agency, but I appreciate its purpose, and I’ve developed an appreciation for the ones that write!
Tip #4. Certifications (maybe)
I am sure we’ve all heard it, “get certifications for your LinkedIn!” If we had a dollar for every time we saw someone with ‘proficiency in Excel’ on their profile or resume, we would be rich. In all seriousness, some certifications can benefit you. Like these: Facebook Blueprint, Snapchat Master Certification, and Google Ads Certifications, etc.*
Now, getting these can be challenging, but just getting them will most likely not benefit the many hours you put into studying. You need actually to use the certifications that you are receiving. If you are getting them for vanity, maybe those certifications are not for you. Focus on getting more experience and loopback. This may be our most powerful marketing resume tips so make sure to write it down.
Tip #5. Learn some form of creative programming
As we stated in point two, having several marketing facets under your belt will significantly benefit you. We highly recommend getting some time behind Adobe.
Understand how graphic designers work so you can communicate better with them. Understand how much time and effort actually goes into creating a logo, and maybe you’ll think twice before using Fiverr…
If you’re not interested in using Adobe, or the price tag is too much, check out free versions like Canva, Figma or Miro. These are solid designing platforms but cannot replace Adobe. Benji, if you’re reading this, I apologize for putting Canva.
Tip #6. Additional applicable skills
Our team strongly believes in passion and fascination. Be curious in the field and think outside of the box. Some of the best marketers we know are incredibly creative because they dare to ask questions and think about subjects in ways that blow our minds.
We recommend reading marketing news at Marketing Dive or The Morning Brew. Stay up to date on social media trends with TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, etc. At the end of the day, passion and fascination will take you a long way. It helps to have the skills, but those can be taught and come in time.
Tip #7. Consider other options
You don’t need a college degree for a marketing position, but it can definitely help. Let me say it louder for the people in the back – YOU DON’T NEED A DEGREE FOR A MARKETING POSITION.
Now that the rage is out of the way, having a degree CAN be beneficial, but it isn’t necessarily for everyone. There are many examples of entrepreneurs scaling an eCommerce business in their parent’s basement. It can be done; we’ve been there.
Schooling is fantastic for finding opportunities and creating relationships. College isn’t all about getting good grades. Make relationships, find connections and let them grow if you decide to go the college route.
Despite the difficulty of getting into the marketing field, there is a lot of hope for marketers’ future. With expanding programs, technology, and the ability to work remotely, more roles should be accessible to younger populations. You do have a lot to offer, but the experience is king at the end of the day. And as a shameless plug, Finden is always looking for talented individuals, regardless of your educational background here.
Want more marketing resume tips? Want to learn more about Finden Marketing? Finden Marketing is Duluth, Minnesota’s leading Gen Z & Millennial marketing agency. With years of experience, hundreds of thousands of dollars managed, and a dedicated team we can help grow your business to its true potential. Our team offers a wide range of services, including PR, Branding, Content Creation, Paid Media, Graphic Design, as well as Web Development. Also with over 30 projects in the bag, Finden Marketing is becoming a staple marketing agency in Duluth, Minnesota. To learn more about Finden Marketing, check us out here, or visit us at our office in Duluth, Minnesota.
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