The Little Careers Book

࢚࢚ You will likely work with many brilliant and highly intelligent people, both inside your company and with clients/suppliers. ࢚࢚ Given the deadline focus of the business, you should be prepared to work hard, long hours, including occasional weekends and evenings, especially early in your career. ࢚࢚ There can be quite a lot of travel involved, especially if you work on the agency side and need to meet clients; this can be at very short notice, too. ࢚࢚ If you have talent and work hard, the rewards are potentially very high. ࢚࢚ Progression in marketing careers can be much faster than in other careers; you can move into a managerial role by your mid-20s, and into a senior role by the age of 30; it’s a young person’s profession (especially advertising). ࢚࢚ In marketing, starting salaries (which can be low) can be a poor predictor of future earnings (which can be high). ࢚࢚ Some marketing roles can marry up both analytical and creative talents in a way few other careers can. ࢚࢚ Marketing can be an incredibly satisfying and fast-paced career with no scope for boredom. ࢚࢚ 25% of FTSE 100 CEOs have a background in marketing, so a career in marketing can take you far. TRUTHS XX Advertising is the most glamorous of all marketing careers. XX You need to be an extrovert to work in marketing. XX You need a dodgy hipster dress sense to work in marketing. ࢚࢚ The breadth of marketing (often simplified into the five “Ps”: Product, People, Price, Place and Promotion) enables specialisms for all sorts of personality types. ࢚࢚ Marketing is fundamentally about observing and understanding consumer attitudes, beliefs and behaviours; having an insatiable curiosity about this is a must. ࢚࢚ Marketing is very subjective, and you have to be good at selling your ideas. If you are not inclined towards persuasion and debate, marketing may not suit you. ࢚࢚ Marketing work is group-oriented some of the time (when working with colleagues or clients) and solitary at other times, so you need to be able to work both well as part of a team and independently. ࢚࢚ As media and sales channels change, marketing must change in response, so you have to be a lifelong learner who is adaptable to change. ࢚࢚ If you are natural at building rapport and relationships with people, you will have one of the most important qualities needed in marketing. MYTHS MYTHS TRUTHS REWARDS AND SACRIFICES PERSONALITY TRAITS