Question

Topic: Career/Training

Post College Experience And Situational Advice

Posted by Anonymous on 8/12/2005 at 12:47 PM ET 700 Points
More questions on Post College experience

Dear Marketing Profs:

I need input in regards to my situation and what they think is the best route for me going forward.

* This is long! I truly appreciate your feedback.

* My ultimate goal is to be a brand or marketing manager in one of the following industries: Food, Beverage, Nutritional supplements, Automotive, Entertainment or Publishing.

Quick summary of my situation:

I graduated college in Jan 2003 from a small college in New York with a Bachelor in Marketing and a Bachelor in Management. I worked for a small software company as a sales assistant/marketing assistant for 1 year. The company went of business and I was unemployed. I had a job offer to work full time as a Marketing Intern (Coordinator) for the local office of a Temporary Marketing staffing firm.

I learned a lot about the process for the hiring process and how marketers become marketing managers. In the 7 months I was there I was not given any real marketing responsibilities. The work environment was bad as well as the job it self was dead end. The company delayed an extra 3 months to offer me permanent employment.

I looked else where and an excellent career building opportunity came to me working for a well established publishing/trade show organizer as an Event Coordinator. Desperation kind of got the best of me because although it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for but it was a much better position. I would spend roughly a 1 ½ to 2 hours each way to get to work. The 10 months of commuting did wreak havoc on my psyche and overall well being. The position and company was a great experience but again I was limited on ability to do any marketing and felt it was time to move on.

Present:

* I have almost 3 years Post College working experience.

I was interviewing at few companies but nothing came to fruition other then an opportunity to work as a sales person for Student Loan Consolidation Company. The company is private and I was told I would be used a marketing assistant as well as a sales person. I have been here 2 months and I find the place to be very unprofessional. I have 2 sales manager that micro manage everyone here. I feel that I am in position where I will not gain much valuable experience as a telemarketer 50 hours a week. Am I crazy for quitting?

My present options:

The interviews I have gone on have been for positions that still do not encompass enough marketing responsibilities or they are for company in industries that I really have no interest or knowledge in.

I do however have a great opportunity to work with a close friend as marketing manager for his online performance parts/ performance shop for import cars. Import cars have been a passion for some time of mine. The company is growing but not booming yet. I would not be making a living there but able to get by at the start. I would also have enough time finally to sit down and study consistently for the GMAT and get the process going. The schools I am applying for want 3.5 yrs to 5 yrs experience. My questions are:

Do you think this experience will look good for regardless of how successful it become will be seen by graduate school and potential employers as valuable experience and respectable decision on my part. All my present experience is B2B. I also see this as a good opportunity to work on B2C marketing.

I will be working on:

Online and print advertising
Customer incentive programs
Collateral creation
Website content
Press Releases
And more…

Regardless of the outcome I want to go graduate school for my MBA for brand management next September or September 07 the latest… I feel I am ready for Grad school.

Is it normal to have such difficulty finding an interesting position that challenges me for a company that has products or services I am truly interested in?

Are my thoughts normal? I feel like I had a very tough time post college.

Please do not post Potato Chip Difference…

I am really just hunting for peoples take on this and maybe some suggestions… I have tried job hunting my eyes out with companies I want to work for.

I mailed resumes, letters and even made some calls to Marketing Directors… I should follow up more on the letters I sent. I just feel that soliciting can be such a burden. Any one has some thoughts on how successful that is. Applied to whatever good ads for marketing I am applicable for. I had since May 4 interviews.

Recruiters have contacted me occasionally but again I am magnet for jobs that are similar to where I have been no real chance for growth or immediate responsibilities in a marketing dept. Am I asking for too much?

TIA
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by mgoodman on 8/12/2005 at 11:24 PM Accepted
    I think you want the answer delivered to you. That's not how it works. You have to be the one to figure out what you want and what strategy you'll need to employ to get it.

    You already have a small base of experience that indicates you've probably not started out right. You've gone from one off-strategy job to another. It's not working.

    Time for re-thinking the approach. If you don't want to learn from books, then you might want to retain a professional career counselor. You're not likely to find the answer by looking within or asking us -- unless you're prepared to work hard to implement what we recommend.

    We really want to be helpful, but when you come back and ask the same question several times, and don't take the advice we offer, it's not likely that things will change based on anything we tell you.

    Remember: If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always gotten. What's different now than it was last time? Why should the outcome be any different?
  • Posted on 8/13/2005 at 3:53 PM Accepted
    I agree with Square Peg, you don't so much need more answers from this forum as you do help with venting your frustrations and redirecting your energies into coming up with a viable career; that's what a coach does. Find one you can work with, at least by phone, if not in person. There is a lot of hostility coming through your posted words; it’s likely that you are coming across to employers the same way. No one owes you (or anyone) a living, let alone a satisfying career.

    So, if you’re serious about getting your MBA, do it. There are loans available to help you. They have counselors who will be head-over-heels better than anything you’ll find at a state school like CUNY (I’m a SUNY Oswego grad, BTW). Like Brian said, you could start by making yourself the primary product. Ask yourself, what can I do to make myself invaluable to an employer? Why would they want to hire you? What do you have to add to their existing team that will make your salary and training worthwhile to their business model? If you can answer those questions, you will be way ahead of the others vying for the same few positions.

    Although there’s a possibility of you getting more experience with your friend’s business, working FOR a friend has its own problems. What happens when you leave (and you will)? If you decide to help you friend out for a short time, specify what that time is, one month, two? Or be a contract worker with a set 1099 rate per hour rather than an employee? Either way, clearly defining what you will be doing is essential to your success.

    Good Luck, Debi
    Writing & Marketing Consultant
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