A few thoughts before accepting your first marketing job

If you're reading this in 2021, good for you. Because jobs are everywhere and talent can be picky. We're not going to discuss tactics or tips for getting your first job. This post is all about deciding if you want the job that is being offered to you. Going to job interviews, chatting with experienced professionals,  and getting your first offers can be exciting. But Slow Down.

This decision will impact the trajectory of your career. A lot of things can go wrong. Sometimes good wrong and sometimes bad wrong. What I'd love for you to get out of this post are a few tips on how to avoid a nightmare situation.

Good Wrong:

You find out that the marketing strategy role lives inside of a spreadsheet, and you hate that. But, you are able to lean into the creative side because the team is big enough to shift around the focus.

Wrong Wrong:

The job role keeps expanding and you find yourself responsible for 5 things. On top of that, no one in the company has seen them executed well.

For Example (if you see a job post like this, run...):

Title: Marketing Specialist - Entry Level

Responsibilities:

• Event Planning
• Event Coordination
• Social Media Content Creation
• Social Media Distribution
• Branding
• Website Maintenance

You could find yourself excited because of the diversity of tasks... but this person's life will be a shit show of underperforming and stagnant growth.

These roles are out there, and I could tell you a hundred reasons why, but here is all you need to know. A lot of CEOs and business owners see marketing as something they should do, but struggle to budget the appropriate time or resources. Most of the time it's because they have never seen marketing done well. Find yourself a company that believes in marketing. Find someone who has managed a successful marketing team in the past. They know how impactful marketing can be on a company, and better yet they will know how you can contribute.

Here are some questions I would suggest for you to ask your soon-to-be boss.

1. What is the most impactful marketing campaign/initiative they contributed to?

2. How do you see this role interacting with others in the marketing department?

3. What does success for this role look like 6 months from now?

See what they say. Do their answers inspire you? Do they signal that your effort will be rewarded with new challenges and opportunities?

Look for the opportunity to surround yourself with people that can leave a mark on you, and give you the opportunity to leave a mark on the organization.

If you find yourself on the fence, shoot me an email (keegenk@gmail.com). I'm happy to jump on a call and listen to the situation you are in. You're caught having to act fast, manage emotions and pay that college tuition... so let's make sure you make the best decision possible.

Cheers,

Keegen