Marketing Jobs, What are they, How to get in, Salary Range Indications and Resume Tips

We love marketing, we want to get a marketing job and we hear they pay very well to marketing guys, but many have no idea how to go about it and they really have no idea if they are right for marketing jobs or not. We are also not aware that there are different marketing jobs each requiring different skills and personality traits.

What are the marketing jobs generally available? How to make a choice between different kind marketing jobs available? How to get in and how to write the resume, what are the salaries like at the top and the entry these are some things we need to gather information about before we start making an attempt. In this, and the hubs that follow I intend to put this information in a compact form beginning with a over view of the nature of marketing jobs, the personality and qualifications required, the salaries and how to get in.

It is better do the home work, before undergrad because we might want to focus on Marketing in our under graduate.

Is there enough demand for marketing?

There are numerous marketing jobs in the job market most of the time, even when the market is down, the number of jobs may be little less, but marketing people are needed most of the time. The reason is very clear, most organizations, the profit earning and not for profit organizations, the manufacturing and service organizations all require marketing and finance specialists. In business schools most students opt for one of these majors and the placement records also show that the largest recruitment is in these two major areas. Experience also shows that the highest salaries are offered in the marketing and finance areas by the recruiters.

Am I right for a marketing career?

We should not decide what we want to do just looking at the salaries. Sure money is important but we must also make sure that we are right for the jobs and the jobs are right for us. If there is a mis match we may underperform and find ourselves in very unhappy situation.

It is common belief that marketing jobs need aggressive, outgoing, communicative persuasive, hardworking people with skills in building relationships and liking for travel.

You must like to interact with people and have the ability to analyze customer needs to offer solutions. You must have ability to interact with many departments in the company and see that the specific needs of customer are met.

However, not all jobs in marketing have the similar need. For example, jobs in marketing research have different requirements. They tend to be more inside jobs with limited interaction with client unless working for a marketing research company.

Marketing jobs can be broadly classified under the following broad subcategories

Marketing management

Relationship management and CRM

Market research and analyst in the company

Product Management and brand management jobs

Sales promotion jobs

Marketing accounts and finance

Sales jobs at various levels

Key Account management

Distribution and logistics

Telemarketing jobs

Marketing research jobs in the company

Jobs with marketing research companies

Jobs in advertising agencies

How to choose the right Job

 

Do you have the qualifications needed?

Marketing jobs require an undergraduate degree or master’s degree in marketing or business administration with focus on marketing.

Do you have the relevant experience?

See the job description and see the minimum number of years experience specified. If the job does not specify any years or type of experience we can assume that there is a flexibility in the requirements. If the job clearly says it does not need experience it is good.

When you prepare the resume you need to explain how the previous experience is relevant to the present job. For example, you have done summer job in a company that needed contacting people and convincing them about say cancer relief fund and you have collected substantial funds, it is very relevant to sales and relationship jobs. You must emphasize the skills required for the specific job. If it is planning oriented high light the planning experience and skills, if the job is analysis oriented high light how you analyzed a problem and contributed to solving the problem

Do you have the right personality for the job?

Quite a few jobs need some specific personality types. The job must suit you. It is good for the company and you to have the proper matching. For example, if you like outdoor work, travelling and enjoy interacting with people you may enjoy sales jobs. If you love to work on computer do analysis and research marketing research jobs may suit you. Exact fits may not be possible but glaring misfit should not be there.

It is best not get into a job just because you have to do some work especially for career building. Such choices will get you money but you may not be happy in the jobs.

Your health needs are also important. If the job requires working odd hours and travelling you need to be sure that it suits your health.

Where is the job located?

If you have preferences for location make sure the job is in the right place. Once you accept the job the companies may expect you to work anywhere in the country or even outside your country. Those who cannot move out for various reasons must state so or refrain from applying to such jobs. You must get this cleared at the time of interview if you are very particular about your location; some people are!

What does the job pay?

For many jobs especially the corporate jobs the pay depends on the responsibility and accountability of the job. Marketing jobs pay well. With in marketing sales job is high paying not through basic salary but because of commissions. It is easier to fix salaries for jobs with standard job descriptions. But others leave them open to fix final salary for an individual employee in a salary band. Naturally, high profile companies and high profile jobs pay higher than others. Jobs are paid based on responsibility not based on designations.

When the salary is not specified you can check and see how similar jobs are getting paid. There is adequate information about jobs and salaries. This should give us an idea.

Does the job show growth Potential?

One cannot become a marketing Vice President without some experience. For this you need to have familiarity with sales and territory management, product and brand management, planning, organizing and formulation of strategy, good communication skills and very positive attitude.

Therefore, you need to get into the organization at a level commensurate with your qualification and experience and perform well. For example you could join as marketing research analyst and grow to be research director. If the company is large multinational company certainly the scope is there. Rapidly growing smaller companies also create new jobs faster.

Some examples of marketing jobs

Given here are jobs from all sub categories of the marketing jobs. In the hubs that will follow this each category will be described in detail along with some tips on resume writing to suit the job.

Vice President of Marketing/Director of Marketing
VP’s and directors manage various subsections and coordinate the staffing, training, or any other specific tasks that are needed in order to increase company success. They formulate policies and strategies for marketing These are senior positions ideal for persons with 8-10 years experience.

Marketing Manager
Marketing managers are responsible for generating and following customer leads. They need to contact both individuals and organizations, to make necessary efforts to create customers. The formulate strategy and plans for markets under their control and assist the VP or Director. These are midlevel positions , may need MBA or 4-5 years experience.

Product Manager
These managers are responsible for the coordination and execution of numerous tasks associated with marketing promotions, advertising projects, developmental programs, and other organization developing duties. These are mid level positions ideal for MBAs with 2-3 years experience ass product executives.

The entry level jobs

These positions will have analyst and assistant and sometimes officer designations associated with a specific sub category like market analyst, research analyst or product assistantThese are generally given to under graduates with marketing background or some fresh MBAs too

Salary Range( Indicative)

Top End Indicative Job designations and Annual salaries in USA

Chief of Marketing, Median salary US $ 194000,Range $126000- 436000,Bonuses plus benefits add up to 37-38 percent on median salary of$ 200,000 the final salary after bonuses and benefits comes to approximately $ 326000

Chief Marketing Research Executive: Median salary $ 160,000,Range $101,000-236,000, Bonuses and benefits apply

Chief Product Management Executive, Median $176,000,Range $136,000-270,000, bonuses up to 37 percent, On base salary bonus and benefits add up to $302,000

Chief Sales Channel development Executive, Median $ 175,000, range 91,000 -252,000, bonuses and benefits up to 40 percent

Level 1 Indicative Job designations and annual salaries in USA

Marketing Assistant, requiring under graduate degree, median salary $37698, range 33,000-42,000, bonuses 30,000-48000, bonuses and benefits come to 33 percent of base salary, on a base 37,600 the bonus plus benefit salary works out to 56,000

Sales Analyst, requiring undergraduate, median salary $ 46,000, range $ 26600-59000, bonuses and benefits apply and come about 33 percent,

Channel Sales representative, median salary$ $49,000, range $33000-60000, bonuses and benefits up to 37 percent on base salary of$ 49,500 the final remuneration is $77,700

Marketing research analysts, median salary $48,500, range $39,000-66,500, bonuses and benefits come to about 31 percent, on a base salary of 49,800 the final remuneration comes to 72,000.

I will be posting additional details of each subcategory in my forthcoming hubs

For additional reading please see the links below

http://hubpages.com/hub/What-To-Check-Up-Before-You-Join-A-Start-Up

http://hubpages.com/hub/Ramkkasturis-Job-Hopping-is-it-Good-or-Bad-and-the-Precautions-You-Need-to-Take

http://ramkkasturisbusinessmanagement.wordpress.com/

http://ramkkasturisbusinessmanagement.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/moving-up-in-the-corporate-ladder-why-is-first-job-important/

http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/indexSES.asp