How many of us know exactly what field we want to spend the rest of our professional lives in? As it turns out, the number isn’t too high.
Nearly half of the workforce has made a drastic shift in their career trajectory. This change is according to a recent report from Indeed.
There can be various underlying causes for a work transition. These include more flexible benefits or a lack of personal engagement with current responsibilities. The ultimate goal is to become a happier and more driven individual in the workplace.
It can be challenging to secure your first marketing job.
For the right type of person, a career switch to marketing offers engaging work. Such a role provides competitive salaries. There are also excellent opportunities for professional advancement.
The world of marketing is vast and diverse. This industry is home to a wide array of people from different backgrounds.
This means that there is no singular path to transitioning to marketing.
You have a background in creative work or have a penchant for developing results-driven marketing campaigns.
That being said, you aren’t the only one who has their eye on a new marketing position.
Successfully securing a new marketing position means competing against a large pool of talent through the application and interview process.
This task becomes increasingly difficult the less marketing experience you have.
This is how to successfully find your first marketing job
If you’re serious about switching career paths, you need to enter the world of marketing. You should learn how to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Here are 5 tips to help you start in marketing and successfully find your first marketing job.
1. Narrow your scope
You have spoken to a friend who works with digital ad campaigns.
Or maybe you follow some marketing-savvy influencers on your social media. At this point, all you know is that marketing seems like a great fit.
It matches your skills and work experience.
Unfortunately, your decision shouldn’t stop there. Enjoying a career in marketing means choosing a specific facet of the industry and developing relevant skills within that area.
It’s easier to think of marketing as an umbrella term.
Marketing encompasses a broad scope of functions related to promoting or selling products and services.
First comes the division between digital and traditional marketing.
Though they rely on the same guiding principles, the channels differ. It’s the difference between a social media post and an ad printed in a newspaper.
Traditional marketing still does play a role in connecting consumers to brands. Its piece in the larger marketing strategy pie is only getting narrower.
Trends over the past several years show that spending has increased incrementally for traditional channels.
Yet, digital marketing budgets have seen visible growth. They have also yielded larger returns.
In terms of sustainable career options, digital marketing is the best path ahead for many.
Even those who are interested in traditional marketing should be aware of digital marketing strategies.
4 digital marketing categories
You can break digital marketing down further into four distinct categories:
- Search engine marketing (SEM)
- Social media marketing
- Content marketing
- Paid channel advertising
The functions of each branch certainly overlap with one another.
Having a sense of the intent behind each one can help you specialize in your marketing skills.
It can make you a more attractive marketing candidate.
2. Start with marketing certifications
You need work experience to find and land your first marketing job. To gain this experience, you need a job.
It’s a catch-22.
Even entry-level positions need experience that often exceeds what most people acquire in school.
What can you do about it?
If you are not having any luck with your current job search efforts, consider taking the top digital marketing certifications.
A significant number of marketing certifications are available at no cost. They take fewer than three to four days to finish. They are a low-risk investment in both time and money.
Some great places to start with digital marketing certifications include:
- Google Analytics Certification
- Hootsuite Platform Certification
- HubSpot Inbound Marketing Certification
- HubSpot Content Marketing Certification
- Moz Free SEO Training Course
Many of these digital marketing certifications offer hands-on experience with a specific marketing tool or technology.
This means you’ll have information that directly relates to the work that digital marketers do on a day-to-day basis.
Marketing certifications and classes that focus on a specific subsection of marketing can be beneficial. They help you find the areas of marketing that you find most engaging.
Not all digital marketing certifications are created equal, so it’s important to understand your “why.”
Besides certifications, you should read a lot of digital marketing books.
3. Prepare for a possible relocation
It’s not always necessary. Yet, strategically relocating to a city with a high demand for marketing can help you find a job.
You can increase your chances of landing a marketing position. New York City, for example, lists over 3,000 marketing positions in a single year.
Other major cities, like Philadelphia, San Diego, Houston, and Los Angeles, are equally full of opportunities.
Being close to these marketing “hot spots” certainly enhances your chances. You are more likely to secure a position with employers seeking local marketing talent.
It also lets you network with other professionals in the area. This often leads to various possible opportunities down the road.
Before you rent out a moving truck and stow your belongings in boxes, it’s important to be strategic. Approach a career-based move with careful planning.
First, you should scope out the general cost of living. Pay special attention to the amount of space you can actually afford on a marketing salary.
Calculating your cost of living also means estimating the amount you’ll have to spend on transportation to and from work.
Additionally, consider the average weekly grocery bill you can expect, as well as the local and state tax rates.
Cost of living calculations will help you live within your means. They will aid you when it comes time to negotiate your salary offer.
You can’t accurately estimate your expenses. It’s crucial to determine how much you’ll need to maintain your lifestyle. You need this to decide if your proposed income is enough.
4. Apply knowledge in a practical environment
At this point, you’ve focused your research on a few designated marketing channels.
You have garnered a wide array of online certifications and explored a new city to call home.
You have all this preparation under your belt. Even so, there’s still a chance that your resume gets thrown in the reject pile.
More often than not, it’s because you don’t yet have hands-on experience in marketing.
Marketing is an industry that values direct, hands-on experience over an understanding of abstract concepts.
That means you need to prove that you not only understand the founding principles of marketing strategies.
You should also know how to practically apply them toward an organization’s goals and key objectives.
At this stage in your transition, it’s time to put what you’ve learned so far into practice.
Even if that practice doesn’t come from a full-time, salaried position. Internships are a natural starting point.
Opportunities to gain experience expand far beyond work that is typically rewarded through class credits or low hourly pay.
Freelancing and a personal pet project
A great example is freelancing. With freelancing, you can charge a rate that makes you competitive based on your current experience.
If hunting down client leads and drafting up statements of work doesn’t work for you, launch a personal pet project.
A personal project can give you the same level of direct work experience.
In digital marketing, this is achieved through website improvement. As a marketer, you should either buy a domain name or acquire an existing website.
Then, work hard to market your website.
Write blog articles, promote them via social media channels, and encourage people to sign up for your email newsletter.
When you learn how to market in a real-world environment, you can communicate those learning to your future employer.
They will give you several actionable bullet points to include in your resume.
5. Market yourself
If employees are tools that a company uses to achieve its goals, then job interviews are a sales pitch.
This is where you advocate for the value you will bring to the potential employer. To successfully find your first marketing job, it lies in your ability to market yourself effectively.
Effective resumes, cover letters, and interviews are successful because they can tie personal achievements to a company’s goals. It’s not enough that you are passionate about the world of marketing.
How does this passion make you capable of boosting conversion rates, improving brand awareness, and generating more leads?
Bringing it all together
Marketing is not a guessing game; it’s a craft. One that rewards those who stay curious, disciplined, and willing to learn the details others overlook.
Devote the time to understand not just what works in marketing, but why it works.
- Study the strategy behind great campaigns.
- Learn how psychology shapes decisions.
- Analyze what turns attention into action.
Now is your moment to put it all into practice. To show the world what you bring to the table. The tools have never been more accessible.
Yet, a successful career still comes down to the same timeless ingredients.
These are tenacity, strategy, and knowledge.
If you stay consistent, keep learning, and keep experimenting, you won’t just build a marketing career, you’ll build a legacy.
One campaign, one idea, one bold move at a time.
Join my email newsletter for a free eBook and more helpful insights.