I often look back at my professional journey of 25 years and think about career advice for Marketing newcomers. As well as what I would tell myself if I were to start a Marketing career all over again.
Whether you are a recent graduate or someone looking to make a career change, embarking on a journey in Marketing is an exciting venture filled with endless possibilities.
To help you on this journey, here are my 5 pieces of career advice.
1 – Know yourself
What: Understand your motivations for a Marketing career and how it connects to your broader goals in life.
How: Do some self-reflection and/or work with a professional coach to identify:
• Your broader purpose (learn about the IKIGAI concept)
• Your passions and interests in life
• Your strengths and growth opportunities
Why this is important: Knowing your motivations for a career in Marketing (or any field), a specific role and/or an industry is key to get you started and keep you going during your professional journey.
It will come handy when preparing for job interviews, managing your career as well as inspiring others.
2 – Understand the big picture
What: Learn about business dynamics, consumer needs & behaviours (and Human Nature in general), broad economic challenges and opportunities, macro consumer trends, corporate life and its rules of engagement.
How:
• Research online, read books and specialist publications
• Attend industry events
• Work with mentors and connect with diverse professionals
Why this is important: Marketing is about creating value for both customers and companies selling products / services.
As a Marketer, you need to be plugged in the consumer as well as the broader business agenda.
You need to be externally curious and up to date with macro dynamics in the marketplace so you can adapt your offering as a future employee or business owner.
3 – Plan for the journey
What: Set an overall sense of direction for your Marketing career (i.e. role and industry long term aspirations), define some milestone goals and have a development plan to get there.
Although it can be challenging to know your desired end destination when starting a career in Marketing, try to take an active role and plan whenever you can.
How:
• Map out different Marketing career trajectories and choose the one that appeals to you the most (and try to understand why)
• Investigate the knowledge, skills and experience required for the different Marketing roles on your chosen career trajectory
• Connect with industry experts, role models and get professional support
Why this is important: Without an overall sense of direction and a plan on how to get there, it is relatively easy to move from job to job, let the time pass by and potentially not reach your desired career end goal.
With a competitive marketplace and evolving recruitment needs across industries, driven by technology advancements, the next generations of Marketers need to be more agile than ever and be proactive with their career management.
4- Behave like a brand
What: Understand how key Marketing principles can apply to you, as a future corporate employee or business entrepreneur. You will be amazed by the synergies between building a brand and building ourselves as professionals.
How: Practise using key Marketing frameworks for yourself such as:
• SWOT analysis
• Brand positioning statement
• 4 P’s (including a Communication plan to drive your visibility in market)
• 3-year strategic plan and/or annual brand plan
Why this is important: While humans and brands are inherently different entities, there are clear parallels in terms of proposition, values, identity, storytelling, perception and key growth drivers (i.e. availability, visibility/share of voice, word of mouth/endorsements).
By understanding these similarities, we can, as individuals, leverage principles of branding and Marketing to enhance our personal brand and achieve our career goals even more effectively.
There are also some similarities in trading dynamics between businesses / consumers and employers / employees, such as the exchange of value and the importance of trust.
I will cover more on this topic in a future post.
5 – Drive your personal and professional growth
What: Take responsibility and ownership for your growth, both personal and professional.
The connection between personal and professional growth is deeply intertwined, with each influencing and complementing the other in significant ways such as the alignment of goals and values, the development of self-awareness and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.
How:
• Have a concrete, holistic and actionable development plan for yourself
• Adopt a continuous learning mindset and actively act on it
• Build the necessary knowledge, skills and experience for your desired Marketing roles as well as a deeper understanding of yourself, others and the broader world around you
• Combine regular self-reflection, feedback and the use of external resources (i.e. courses, books, online content, mentors, coaches, peers etc…) to drive your growth journey
Why this is important: By investing in both your personal and professional development, you can achieve greater fulfilment, success, and well-being in all aspects of life.
With more and more information at our fingertips, we are further empowered to be in the driving seat to navigate our personal and professional growth journey.
Conclusion
Remember, success in Marketing is not just about what you know, but also about how you apply that knowledge, build relationships and adapt to change.
Keep learning, stay proactive, and embrace opportunities for growth and advancement in your Marketing career as well as your broader life journey.
And if you were to ask me ‘What is the best career advice I was given during my 25 years in Marketing?’, it is the following:
If you realise you are in the wrong job or in the wrong company, get out as quickly as you can. Don’t waste your time.
For more Marketing career advice, check out my other posts and don’t hesitate to reach out for one to one coaching sessions.