Marketing is a popular graduate career, particularly in the developing digital and social media areas, but entry is extremely competitive so you'll need to build your marketing experience

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
• Social media manager

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Business adviser
• Digital copywriter
• Event manager
• Product manager
• Publishing rights manager
• UX designer
• Web content manager

Work experience

Due to the nature of the marketing sector, 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 that you'll need for a marketing role 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 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.

Typical employers

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

Marketing is a core element of all organisations and, therefore, opportunities exist across all industry sectors - private, public and voluntary. These can range from the financial, consumer and information technology industries to not-for-profit organisations, such as charities, local government and higher education institutions. Most companies use traditional marketing methods alongside developing digital and social media channels.

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 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.