Hello Everyone,
I transitioned out of the Navy back in May and my transition into marketing has been very difficult due to my minimal experience
I have spoke to various marketing experts and leaders about marketing and it was helpful because I learned product marketing or marketing strategy is what I want to do. However, getting into a position is close to impossible. I joined the American Marketing Association, I joined and engage with various marketing groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, I connected and engage on the posts of various marketing leaders that I am connected with, I put all of the extra marketing learning that I learned through LinkedIn on my profile, and none of that has worked yet.
I have applied to marketing roles, made the corrections on my resume that I was told to make, and am in the process of fixing my LinkedIn according to some recommendations I received a few days ago. I applied to internships, positions, and yes even volunteering and no call backs yet. I have been on indeed, LinkedIn, military hires, hire heroes usa, hire a hero, hire vets, and many more. No call backs yet. What strategies can you recommend I try to get my foot in the door to a marketing position? I tried networking my way in, randomly applying, going through professional organizations, tapping into family and friends, and even trying to volunteer. None of those strategies worked for me. Any other recommendations?
Answers
What are you looking for as in marketing products? I have been working for a company that deals with helping people in mortgage protection. If that interests you please reply.
Thank you
Keith
Alfred,
Marketing is very broad and it would help to think about how your experience and interest help to focus in on a few key areas where you can represent yourself with confidence and start your new career. I am happy to connect live if you would like to message me but here are just a few areas. Events - think about promotions, trade shows, etc. Advertising - how your promote your products and services Product marketing - building the requirements for a product or service through customer engagement Digital Marketing - building a strategy for leveraging appropriate digital platforms to engage with clients Strategic marketing - identifying longer term focus areas for products and services that could include acquisitions, partnerships, and competitive analysis. Hope these help. After this level you can think about sectors that are of interest. Technology, hospitality, transportation etc….
This may be an option: https://www.pathrise.com/marketing
If you're open to look at a career in sales, one of these may be better:
https://vendition.com
https://gofuelsales.com/
Hi Alfred,
Please connect with me on LinkedIn and let's find a time to talk. I can walk you through some of the basic experience you need and how to find places to get that work. Product marketing is a great role but it takes a good writer to get the job so as Chad suggested, start writing. I can give you some subjects based on exactly where you want to be in the marketing industry.
My LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-m-munroe-83aa094/
Best Regards,
Bill
Thank you all for your advice. This has certainly helped me gain a fresh amount of energy and inspired me to continue trying
Alfred, marketing is a somewhat miss used occupation. It depends on the company and in some cases the division as to how they use someone in a “marketing “ position.
In some cases your job is to support sales regardless of product, in other cases you need to be a product expert supporting sales, or you may be a product market expert supporting development teams creating and introducing new products. You also find positions that only expect you to be a social media expert.
Your entry into a company is easier if you know what they expect of a marketer and what type of job you want.
One possible way to find out the above and earn some money in the process is to be a contractor offering marketing services.
An easy way to find opportunities is to become a contractor on www.wework.com
Look at the job requests and offer bids. It helps to have a good resume statement which you should be able to create from all of your educational prep work.
Look for groups seeking help writing job bids for the government. There are many. Look at the site - https://www.gomactech.net/. All of these companies attend this out of a need to market their services and market the government reps to help them define new opportunities.
Once you have a few of these under your belt you can be a more attractive candidate for full time employment or you may decide it’s better to be a freelancer.
Make sure you keep your LinkedIn profile up to date with project accomplishments as this is one source recruiters scour aggressively seeking potential candidates.
If you decide you want a full time position then seek out recruiters but only those who are client retained so you don’t pay their fees.
The number one Marketeer in the world is Jay Abraham. You can go to youtube.com to begin to get a taste of what he recommends. When it comes to internet marketing you want to follow Frank Kern again on youtube.com. He will keep you from investing into the get rich quick promotions you get everyday from people who tell you they have a system that will make you rich overnight. The only people who get rich is the people doing the promotions.
Hello Alfred,
Building off some of the good advice in this thread, here are a couple of other things to consider.
1. Write articles or create videos on LinkedIn, etc. on marketing topics that interest you. Demonstrate your expertise.
2. If you can swing it, get some kind of marketing experience. Even if you do it for free.
3. Rewrite your work experience and frame it from a marketing perspective.
4. Remember, marketing is largely about influencing people. Use this approach of why you rock and build a brand around that. Be creative and position yourself as anything but normal or average.
Regards,
Chad
I’d suggest that you network at the target company or industry. Use LinkedIn to find people already working there and reach out to them. Ask them the process they used to get hired and ask them to help you navigate the hiring process and if they are willing, ask them to submit you as a referral. These activities require much more time on your part but in my opinion would greatly increase your chances for success. Good luck!
Alfred
Thank you for your service! I would start w/ what discipline in marketing are your skills most aligned to. Marketing is a big field..do you want to do execution (eg. events), digital/social, product marketing, etc. I am happy to have a discussion with you if you want to connect on LinkedIn or reach out directly. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasmith92/
I have a long career in marketing and am Happy to help in any way!
Start backwards. Find a couple target firms - then use coffee chats or their official channels to understand their talent pipeline. You might find that they only go to a certain number of target schools due to limited budget or they may have diversity and inclusion events where they hire vets regardless of school, such as the MBA Veterans Conference.
It's important to note that if you do use an advanced degree to get your foot in the door, brand matters and not all degrees are perceived the same way in the market. If you're in school now, you should be able to check their employment report for where their alumni are going. If they don't have one, that's a red flag and you might not be getting the return on your investment. The program rankings exist for a reason and certain firms only formally recruit at those programs. In Virginia, UVA has a strong reputation, as does Georgetown and UNC - and they're all hungry for more vets who can be the stalwart leaders in their schools.
HI Alfred,
Thank you so much for your service to our country! You might have to re-locate to get your foot-in-the door. Here are some opportunities I know about in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Mullen-Winston-Salem-Reviews-EI_IE14157.0,6_IL.7,20_IM938.htm?filter.iso3Language=eng
https://inmar.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/inmarcareers/1/refreshFacet/318c8bb6f553100021d223d9780d30be
You may have to start off as an account executive and then work your way up. Good luck and happy searching!
Dr. Darlene Casstevens
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