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Welcome
to an Exciting Marketing Career!
Career
Planning and Placement
Your marketing degree should prepare you for a wide variety
of careers following graduation. Because marketing has become
the dominant management philosophy over the past three decades,
the entry level, executive track position in many companies
is in the marketing department. Therefore, marketing graduates
are recruited by many firms from many diverse industries.
Your career planning should begin at a very early stage
in your college education. Students who have focused career
and employment objectives can develop an effective professional
development strategy to meet their objectives and therefore
are far more likely to obtain the employment they truly
desire. For example, many (but certainly not all) companies
demand that a candidate meet the following criteria:
-
A
reasonable grade point average (usually 3.0 or above)
-
Demonstration
of leadership skills
-
Honors
and awards demonstrating outstanding performance and
recognition by others
-
Activities
in several community, social, and academic organizations
-
Work
experience with responsibility as closely related to
the position as possible.
A
student who is aware of such demands made by desired employers
can take steps early in his/her education to meet or exceed
these standards.
Students should counsel with their advisors, family, friends
and acquaintances for input on career decisions. Other important
sources of career information include business periodicals
and participation in the AMA student chapter. Students can
greatly enhance their educational experience in general
and career planning specifically by regularly reading such
periodicals as Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune,
Inc., and Advertising Age. These publications are readily
available in the library, and students can subscribe directly
to many of them at very low student rates.
As your graduation approaches, you must isolate companies
who have a need for your services and can fulfill your career
goals. This process generally takes a great deal of time
and energy in your final semester and designing a program
of study with a "light" final semester is generally advised.
The Marketing Department places great importance on assisting
students' efforts to find employment; however, your success
will be determined in large part by your preparation and
efforts. Several methods are generally used by students
in combination to obtain employment. Each of these are discussed
next.
Do not wait until after graduation to begin your employment
search. The placement process generally takes many months,
and those students who begin the process late and do not
use the University facilities find the placement process
much more challenging. Also, don't forget to let your marketing
professors know you are seeking employment. They often know
companies that are recruiting and often are a good source
of advice on job hunting.
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