Having recently participated on a panel for my alma mater (PSU – Go Vikings!) as part of their career services initiative, I wanted to pull together important areas discussed by marketing experts on landing a job out of college.
These four pieces of advice had the most resonance and consensus among panel’s experts:
- Have a clear sense of what you want out of a job including industry you are interested in marketing, specific role you want to play, and your priorities when it comes to finding personal satisfaction
- Differentiate from other applicants through a literal process of “branding” yourself via soft skills (communication, professionalism, presentation) and specific technical knowledge others may not have (insight into special software programs and real-world experience)
- Get in front of decision makers by means of tenacity, asserting yourself into the conversation and not shying away from uncomfortable situations even if you feel outside of your element
- Have a portfolio or book to share if you are entering the creative space; examples of college material, freelance, and pro bono work can be tailored to each job opportunity
At the end of the day, our encouragement to college students was to identify and pursue their dream job, keep an open mind to all opportunities presented, and do not quit your pursuit until you’re satisfied with the position.
What did we miss? What career advice would you give to a college senior ahead of graduation? Leave a comment on LinkedIn and let me know.
– Lee Sumner, Research Director
