After keeping up to date with the latest business news and participating in a few job interviews, I'm beginning to believe that Marketing is the toughest (business) major to graduate and land a job with in this economy. I'll lay down both my personal and observed reasons:- Marketing Department is Laid off first: It may be a myth, but I can never shake this nay-saying when I've heard it from several different sources. Of course, every situation is different, but one can't help postulating that companies will cut marketing and advertising budgets when the economy is slumping.
- College Inexperience: Sure, I've taken roughly a dozen marketing classes, and learned all the theoretical concepts. I've even taken two corporate immersion classes along with several internships for a little "real world" experience. But nonetheless, I lack the experience of a real world position. I need that entry level job to get the ball rolling, but it's so tough.
- What I'll Bring To The Company: In hindsight, I really need to formulate a mental list of the top five qualities that I will bring to a company. After participating in my latest interview, this question arose and I really was at a loss for words. I quickly dodged the word "experience" in my head because of the last point-- I suppose I could tailor a response that highlights what I've done based on its quality, but not quantity. As a marketing major fresh out of college, what do I say that I'll bring to the company? Creativity (that one gets a follow-up question every time)? How about A dedicated work ethic? A bag of bagels for the marketing team every Wednesday?
Anyone else in a similar situation?
5 comments:
exact same situation. Even worse even having majored in Advertising and so with my lack of experience (limited to 6 weeks at advertising agency) I am finding it hard to break down those walls.
I've only had one interview but I was wincing in my head with some of my answers but like you said, it all adds to experience.
I suppose we will have to become more amazing than we already are!
I remember being at Bentley and thinking "Management is most useless degree there. Marketing being the second."
Before I'm attacked, lemme give the logic we had.
First, management is something that one naturally will have skill at. There are leaders and there are followers. It's tough to teach someone to be a leader. Concepts, yes, but seriously.
Marketing. Teaching people to be creative. Again, that's a talent people are born with. You can't throw a programmer in a dozen marketing classes and expect him/her to truly know what they're doing. They can regurgitate concepts back, but coming up with something creative would be difficult (trust me, I work with those people. They don't have a mind to stand on.)
It's sad to think, but your only two options are medium companies and huge companies. Medium companies want their name out there. They want to find ways to get business. Huge companies generally have existing brands, they just need to keep it fresh (translated: "young").
Marketing is touchy-feely. Have you thought about going into an interview with some sort of "fresh idea" to market one of their products? In this economy, guts gets a job. Who knows, they may like your idea and hire based on their want to expand on it. (I guess the hope is to try to find something broad enough that it'd work for almost any company with tweaks.)
The one thing I would do before any of those is get a "poor man's copyright." -- Write down as much of the idea as you can and mail it to yourself. Don't open the package when it arrives and file it away in the event one of the places you interview with try to use it as their own. Of course, if that does happen, you may not have to worry about looking for work :)
Hi Alec. In response to your blog on your recent interview, I would use "passion" as one of your responses on what you would bring to the company. If someone brings passion for what they do to the position, the company can't go wrong in hiring that individual. A smart recruiter knows that you can teach someone the "how" of the job, but you can't teach them the passion to want to do the job. Motivational fit in addition to job skill fit is huge.
Good luck with your job search.
Thank you all for the advice and comments.
Scottie, good luck to you, we won't be unemployed forever.
Simply Unpredictable: I hear you-- good advice about the poor man's copyright as well. Next interview I have I'll brew up some great idea and pitch it (along with my own personality).
Laura: Thanks for the tips. I'm definitely going to combine passion with a great idea (as Simply Unpredictable suggested) in my next face-to-face interview.
Try not to take these interviews too personally. I've been in web design for 13 years and I've never seen an economy like this one. I recently was laid off. It took me 5 months to find a job and when I did my pay was reduced by 17% of what I was making plus I have no benefits. I've been looking for an additional 4 months for a better paying job and have not found one. I've been to many interviews and had no luck. The best thing you can do right now is continue to get your name out there and keep interviewing. When the economy gets better you should be the best interviewee in town. You can also keep writing cool songs like the one I saw you do on youtube!
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