Marketing

You'll need experience to help you get a job in the popular field of marketing. With opportunities in areas such as digital and social media, discover what the sector has to offer

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Advertising account executive
• Advertising art director
• Digital marketer
• Market researcher
• Marketing executive
• Media buyer
• PPC specialist
• Public relations officer
• Sales promotion account executive
• SEO specialist
• Social media manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Business adviser
• Business development manager
• Digital copywriter
• Event manager
• Product manager
• Publishing rights manager
• Retail merchandiser
• Talent agent
• UX designer
• Web content manager

Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

Work experience

The marketing sector can be very competitive but there are many job opportunities out there, so you just need to prepare yourself well. Any skills and contacts you build up outside your studies can give you a real advantage.

If your course involves a work placement or internship, use it to make contacts in marketing departments and develop your practical marketing skills. Showing initiative at this stage could really pay off in the future.

You can develop good communication and project management skills through organising society or department events, writing newsletters, managing budgets and standing on committees. You can also help your application by showing how you developed organisation and time-management skills through combining your studies, social life and part-time work.

Your interests can also offer a way into a marketing career - for example, if you're passionate about sport, the environment or music, one of these could become your specialist area.

Consider marketing or publicity roles in dedicated organisations. For instance, charities, sports or arts organisations may value your drive and commitment to the area even if you don't have marketing experience.

Search marketing work placements and internships.

Typical employers

Specialist marketing, advertising and PR agencies are not the only major employers of marketing graduates.

You can find roles within all industry sectors as all organisations have some form of marketing element within them. The size and number of opportunities can vary but roles exist in a variety of places from financial and consumer companies through to not-for-profit organisations like charities and local government.

Many companies are expanding into marketing in digital and social media channels alongside the more traditional marketing methods.

Find information on employers in marketing, advertising and PR and other job sectors.

Skills for your CV

A marketing degree helps you develop the ability to anticipate customer demand, identify target markets and communicate effectively with them. You explore areas such as customer behaviour and psychology, business management, human resources and culture, as well as learning how consumers' use of IT and digital media impacts on marketing.

You also develop an essential range of transferable business skills, including:

• the ability to express yourself clearly, both verbally and in writing
• advanced planning and strategic thinking
• research, analysis and presentation skills
• the ability to use your own initiative and think creatively.

Graduates from some courses will be eligible for exemptions from some modules of professional qualifications provided by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Further study

Postgraduate courses in marketing tend to fall under the remit of business schools and will usually focus on a more theoretical understanding of marketing, such as customer psychology, strategy and branding, as well as covering areas such as international marketing and digital marketing. Although these types of qualifications can be helpful for graduates in non-business subjects, they're not essential.

You may also want to consider management degrees that include marketing as part of a wider curriculum. Think about your career aspirations and whether a particular postgraduate course can help with entry to the role.

A range of reputable vocational certificates and diplomas in marketing are provided by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). CIM offers a variety of courses at levels, from foundation through to senior level, which can be taken while you’re working in a marketing role.

There are also a huge number of online marketing courses delivered by other training providers, many of which can be studied in a distance learning capacity, and some with options for face-to-face learning or a blend of the two. You should do your research carefully though and choose one that best meets your own needs and interests, is well-structured and most importantly, is well-regarded by employers.

For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see Masters degrees and search for postgraduate courses in marketing.

What do marketing graduates do?

35% of marketing graduates are working as advertising and marketing associate professionals 15 months after graduating. Public relations professionals (5%), PR professionals (5%), business sales executives (5%), sales accounts and business development managers (3%), marketing and commercial managers (3%), HR officers (2%) and managers and directors in retail and wholesale (1%) are also among the top ten jobs reported.

For a detailed breakdown of what marketing graduates are doing after graduation, see What do graduates do?

Graduate Outcomes survey data from HESA.