Marketing Career Zone

No matter how much research we do into our career of choice at the outset, sometimes there is no substitute for good old-fashioned experience to help us determine whether it really suits or not.  For some, the decision to work in marketing may have been a good one, but over time more specialist areas might have become more appealing and led to thoughts of a career change.  For others, a change in working environment might be what is needed for personal career development.  For others still, those working in a different field altogether, they may wish to change career and move into a marketing job.  What many people lack when considering a change of direction, however, is some good career change advice, and it is this issue that we hope to address here.

Of course, there are many reasons why people decide on a shift in direction at some point in their careers.  They may wish to seek greater opportunities or prospects for advancement, a higher salary, the chance to work for a different organisation or to experience a different working environment.  They may love the area or discipline that they are currently involved in but would prefer to work with a different type of product or service.  Very often too, they find that not only do their skills fit better with a particular specialist area, but also their personalities.

Many careers offer a variety of roles in a variety of environments and marketing is certainly no exception.  In fact, with such apparently diverse areas as research, brand management, media buying, event marketing, sales and business development, the choice can be quite bewildering.  Not only this, but there is the choice of business sector and the option to work within the marketing department of a single firm or to work with a variety of clients in an agency setting.

So, having spent a number of years and having all of your experience in one particular discipline, how do you go about making the switch?  Actually, it is just this dilemma which causes many people to stay put.  Especially in a tough job market, they all but rule out the possibility on the basis that they will be up against those with more relevant experience.  This need not, however, be a limiting factor and making a successful change of direction has much to do with how you market yourself in your CVs and cover letters and which job search methods you employ.

One of the biggest mistakes that people tend to make when putting together their CVs is that they concentrate on the tasks that their past roles encompassed, rather than the skills that were required of them and their achievements.  This mistake, however, can be particularly fatal where career changes are concerned, both because the tasks often bear no relevance to the new role and because employers are less interested in what you did than how you did it and how well.  Essentially, their bottom line is how much money you either made or saved your previous employer and the more you can do to demonstrate this, the better.  What you need to concentrate on, therefore, are skills and achievements.

A great many of the skills and personal qualities that we use in one role are transferable to other, often completely different positions.  Leadership and management skills, for example, can be used in just about every field or industry that you can think of.  Excellent people skills, initiative or creative abilities all transfer into other areas, and it is these transferable skills that you need to concentrate on when trying to demonstrate that you are the best match for a new position.  ‘Soft’ skills such as being an excellent team player or problem solver are extremely highly valued by employers and of course, these too are transferable.  The aim of your CV, therefore, should be to demonstrate which skills are your particular strengths and precisely what results, and what benefits the use of these skills brought to your employer in previous roles.

Another tip which is well worth remembering if you are considering a career change either into the marketing arena or into a different marketing job, is the style of CV that you select.  The chronological format, which most job seekers select, tends to highlight a change in direction and so often fails to demonstrate best fit between candidate and role.  The functional format, however, because it concentrates on skills and abilities, allows you to focus on the strengths that the employer requires.