by Sarah Clark
Sarah.clark@careertrainingreview.com
Career Training Review Columnist
Marketing jobs involve a mix of creativity and business savvy. Those with a keen eye for trends have an advantage in the field as do those who develop expertise in a particular industry.
If you think you might like to pursue a career in marketing, start building the skills needed for a marketing job immediately.
Begin by regularly reading the marketing sections of national newspapers like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. They will feature articles on trends and significant developments in the field of advertising.
Develop Industry Expertise
In staying abreast of broad trends in the field of marketing, you'll also want to develop expertise in a particular industry, such as food, clothing, hi-tech, or biotechnology. Once you've settled on a field of interest, pay attention to how brands in that industry market themselves. For example, it's recently become more common for drug companies to advertise their product directly to patients through television ads. You'll also notice that Corn Flakes cereal often offers promotional items from movies or pop culture figures in promoting its brand.
Studying Marketing Principles
Of course, for a career in marketing it may help to have a college degree. Degrees in marketing are offered from a business school established in a university or college. Programs typically require four years of full-time study to complete. They will also require that you take a set of "core" courses that may include a literature and composition class as well as other courses in the sciences and the humanities.
Extracting Value from Core Courses in Your Business Program
While core courses may seem superfluous, they are in fact very important, particularly to marketing majors. Business professionals need to be strong communicators, both in writing and in speech. Use each opportunity you encounter to write a paper to improve your communications skills - you'll be glad you did later in your career. While your colleagues might struggle to put together an e-mail without egregious violations of the basic rules of grammar, you'll reach your audience with precise writing that is intelligent, thoughtful, and relevant.
You can also read classic books on marketing, such as Robert F. Hartley's Marketing Mistakes and Successes or one of Philip Kotler's many books on the subject. Books by anyone involved in marketing major global brands such as Coke, Nike, or Nestle would also likely be of great interest.
About the Author
Sarah Clark is a freelance writer who often writes on topics related to postsecondary education and career development.
Posted on : February 8,2006
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