Question

Topic: Career/Training

Graduating In December

Posted by Anonymous on 4/29/2008 at 1:00 PM ET 50 Points
Good Day,

Thank you in advance for your insightful thoughts and responses. Your time is truly appreciated!

My name is Joshua, a senior who will be graduating this December from St. Cloud State University (Minnesota). I am majoring in Marketing and have held positions in SCSU's collegiate chapter of the American Marketing Association for the last two years. (I will be joining the Denver Professional AMA Chapter after I move out there!)

I am very excited to have the opportunity to work in B2B sales for a local company and my mentor since the beginning of 2007. I am also very excited to begin my career after graduation.

Although, I have many contacts with respectable Fortune 500 firms in Minnesota, I will be relocating to Denver, CO on January 5, 2008.

***One of the professionals that I have been fortunate enough to create a relationship with has offered to put me in touch with the local sales manager in their Denver office. (Let's call the company XYZ Dist.)

I appreciate the value of being able to communicate with customers and the hard work that is required to build solid relationships but, I know that I do not want to make a career out of sales. My passion is marketing.

I have noticed from researching local agencies, such as the The Carlson Group, Weber Shandwick and The Lacek Group, that it is very difficult to begin your post-college career in the actual field of marketing.

With out further ado, my questions:

If you, as a marketing professional, could start your career all over again: What would you do differently to break into marketing sooner?

I eventually would like to work for a large firm (HSR!) but, I realize the importance of "paying my dues."

I think that a smaller agency present more opportunities for me to grow as a marketer because, I would have the opportunity to "wear more hats."

Do you agree?

If all goes as planned, I would like to work for XYZ Dist. for 1-2 years and then leave that position for a marketing position of some sort at a small-midsized agency. After developing my marketing skills set for another 2 years I am going to apply for graduate school. (Daniels C.O.B. at Denver University) After graduate school, well life is too exciting to plan it out that far in advance and I will cross that bridge when I get there!

Is it selfish to start working for a company knowing that in a few years you will be leaving?

If you were in my position, what would you do while working for XYZ Dist. to position yourself as a good candidate for a marketing job at a small-midsized marketing agency?

My last two questions and these are most important!

How are you feeling today?

What is your favorite part about working in marketing?

Again, I sincerely appreciate the time that you have put into reading my post and I look forward to learning from your experiences.

Have a great day,

Joshua
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Tracey on 4/29/2008 at 1:53 PM Accepted
    Hi Joshua,
    First, congrats on your upcoming graduation and on already landing a job!

    And now for the advice:
    Now is the best time to start from scratch in exactly what you want to do. The longer you work, the greater your expectations for pay and title, and the harder it will be to switch industries, companies, etc. Fortunately, you know what you want to do. So I would suggest hunting down a position in a big firm, since that's your goal. You will have to pay your dues, as you said, but now is the best time for that. If you do sales or work at a small firm, you'll likely get promoted and get a raise, and it will get harder and harder to accept less pay and responsibility at a big firm later on.

    Don't sell yourself short. You sound like a go-getter. Especially since you are willing to re-locate, I don't think it's impossible to find an entry-level position in a big firm. Find a bunch of people you trust to critique your resume (the more you do it, the better it gets, trust me). And find a way to stand out from the crowd when you apply.

    At a smaller company, you will wear more hats -- but you will also likely work for people who have less (or sometimes no) experience in marketing.

    When in doubt, take the job that positions you for growth over the job that offers better salary/title.

    Lastly, my favorite part about working in marketing is the chance to do something creative AND strategic every day. Best of luck!!
  • Posted on 4/29/2008 at 2:25 PM Accepted
    Joshua,
    Life happens while we are making plans! I am not sure what part of marketing you are looking to be in. It is such a broad category with so many different elements. Be sure you know what you want to do. If I could do it over, I would concentrate my skills. It seems that there are positions for brand marketing, product marketing, and many other categories. In a small agency you will wear many hats but you will also not become an expert in one category. Go for the agency you want to work for. Start now and keep at it until the have a position for you. Have fun everyday! I love what I do! I am passionate about marketing my clients! Good luck to you!
  • Posted on 4/29/2008 at 2:54 PM Author
    Tracey,

    Thank you for your thoughts! From what you said I should:

    1. Start early 2. Focus my job search on the bigger firms 3. Take advantage of my network and have them critique my resume.

    I think you made a good point when you said, "In a small agency you will wear many hats but you will also not become an expert in one category."

    Thank you again,

    Joshua
  • Posted on 4/29/2008 at 3:01 PM Author
    Lucinda,

    Thank you for your insightful comments!

    From what you said, I should:

    1. Identify which part of marketing I want to become involved in.
    2. Concentrate my skill set in/around that area.
    3. Go after the agency that I want to work for.
    4. Be persistent!

    Thank you Lucinda and stay passionate!

    Joshua
  • Posted on 5/13/2008 at 12:58 PM Author
    CPappas-

    Please allow me to apologize for being slow to respond to your post. (I just finished up my semester and I am sure you can remember what a busy time this part of the year is!)

    Thank you for your words of wisdom! Company XYZ offers no path to move into a marketing role.

    I think that you are absolutely right by saying that if I stayed in sales I am, "Forfeiting valuable time (I) could have spent in marketing."

    It makes me very happy to know that you enjoy your job and I look forward to being able to say the same thing about my own start in marketing soon!

    ****To everyone that responded,

    Thank you for the time and thought that you put into offering up your suggestions. I really appreciate your insights!

    Best of luck in whatever you do moving forward!

    Sincerely,

    Joshua
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Career/Training)