Graduate careers advice: you and your marketing degree

Read our graduate careers advice on where a career in marketing could take you.

Related jobs include:

• Advertising account manager
• Arts agent/promoter
• Exhibition organiser/event manager
• Market researcher
• Marketing executive
• Media buyer/planner
• Political lobbyist
• Press officer
• Public relations officer
• Social researcher
• UX designer

Work experience

Marketing is a highly competitive sector, so any experience you can acquire is essential to make you stand out from the competition.

If your course offers a placement, use it to build contacts in marketing departments and develop your practical skills. Display as much initiative as possible.

Organising society events, managing budgets, joining committees and writing newsletters will help you to develop your communication and project management skills. Combining your studies with part-time work and social activities will aid your time management skills.

Charities and local sports clubs and community organisations may welcome any marketing or publicity help you can give them, if even in a voluntary role.

More information on work experience can be found here.

What sectors?

Major employers of marketing graduates exist beyond PR, advertising and marketing agencies.

As every organisation requires marketing to survive, opportunities are available across the spectrum of industry sectors, both private and public. The range spans from IT, financial and consumer sectors to government, charities and educational institutions.

Your marketing CV

A degree in marketing will give you the skills to anticipate customer demand, and identify and engage effectively with target markets. Areas covered include business management, customer psychology, human resources, and how customers engage with IT and digital media.

The transferable skills you develop include:

• planning and strategic thinking;
• communication, both oral and written;
• initiative;
• research and presentation.

Postgraduate study

Most postgraduate marketing courses are run by business schools and tend to focus on a theoretical understanding of marketing, such as customer psychology, branding and strategy. Areas like digital marketing and international marketing will be covered. While not essential, such qualifications can be helpful to graduates in non-business subjects.

Some management courses may include marketing as part of a wider curriculum.

More information on postgraduate courses can be found in our Further Study section.