Advice for New College Graduates Seeking a Job in Marketing
Congratulations! You put in the work, got the degree, and now you are off to an exciting career in the glamorous world of Marketing.
Getting advice upon your graduation is a right of passage.
Prepare for outdated gems such as “When I was your age, I made $30 a week and bought my first house at age 23.” Or, “So, you are going to sell things? Like working at a store? On the internet?” And, of course, “You know TikTok can’t pay the bills.”
So, I am here to give you some more unsolicited advice. Mostly, the wisdom that I ignored when I was your age starting my first marketing job.
#1. Just one word: Plastics
Congratulations if you got this reference.* It means that you spent the last few years studying the intersection of art, culture, and psychology. That’s good because everything else you learned is useless.
Marketing is 30% intuition, 30% science, and 40% just plain luck.
This means that ‘being right’ is less important than taking the risk. It’s a hard concept to grasp after 16+ years of taking tests, counting credits, and striving to get the A.
I made this mistake at 22 as a know-it-all marketing assistant who HAD to be right. I had interns, entry-level marketing coordinators, and even a marketing manager with a graduate degree do the same.
As you enter your first marketing job, the best advice I can give is to value the experience of learning and trying over the need to be right. Observe, listen, and ask questions to colleagues, managers, leaders, and those with opposing views.
The more angles you can see, the more likely you will be to find one that works.
#2. It’s not Chanel, but it’s something
A marketer that I admire told me this story. The recruiter called her with an opportunity for a global role at a Fortune 500. Intrigued, my colleague asked more about the company. The recruiter took a deep breath and replied: “Well, it’s not Chanel. But it is something…”
I love this quote. It truly sums up the best advice I was given.
Marketing isn’t always glamorous. Most marketing roles are for companies that you’ve never heard of. They may sell parts for machinery, trade insurance, or create complex algorithms to support the Department of Defense.
Don’t get stuck on the idea that you MUST work for a commercial name brand. Yes, it sounds great when you tell your nosy neighbor. But, you will likely get more meaningful work experience working in an important, albeit lesser recognized industry.
#3. Put the Pom Poms Down
Are you a natural cheerleader? Enthusiastic supporter? Can you get jazzed about just about anything?
Well, you are in the right place.
Great marketers can get excited about anything. They are naturally curious, empathetic, and always seeking creative solutions to ‘what ifs.’
Enter a marketing convention for an obscure industry and you will find 2,000 soulmates espousing the virtues of the latest polymer or a growing list of MarTech they love.
This enthusiasm is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the drive to problem-solve, promote, and persuade is the centerpiece of marketing. That passion for a product, service, or brand is infectious.
The flip side is this attitude can be mistaken for naivete. Many new marketers that exude agreeability find themselves being given less meaningful work. The company picnic is now yours to plan. Team Taco Tuesdays, monthly birthday cake pick-up, office tidying, backing up the receptionist on their coffee break, designing the boss’s kid’s party invitation, and sorting random papers into folders suddenly become ‘marketing’s job.’
It’s not your job. No really. IT IS NOT YOUR JOB.
New graduates entering the marketing world need to maintain a balanced enthusiasm. Be enthusiastic about the product, your profession, and contributing but, put your pom-poms away when someone is seeking to off-load grunt tasks.
It’s ok to say ‘no.’ Or, more professionally: “Yes, that does sound important. I am currently working on XYZ project that is a high priority for our team. I look forward to attending but I must focus on this work priority.”
#4. Anything goes, and so can you
The final advice for all the new college graduates seeking a marketing job is to be flexible.
Nothing is set in stone. There is no gold watch waiting for you. Cutting-edge technology today will be outdated in two years. Far-flung ideas can become a reality. And, there is always someone newer, faster, smarter, better, or luckier than you that will throw your plans into a tizzy.
Just remember that things change and you can change too. Permit yourself to be human. Choose a job that doesn’t fit, say the wrong thing, or get yourself into a bind — learn the lesson and keep growing.
That’s the beauty of marketing. Whatever is now won’t be tomorrow. There is plenty of opportunity to reinvent yourself.
Good luck with your job search.
—
Nichols, M. (1967). The Graduate. Embassy Pictures.
Graduation Advice for the Ages: Plastics
