Hey, new and about-to-be college grads: We know you’ve been dreaming of that corner office with an awesome city view before you even joined the workforce. Reality check: It can be a tough pill to swallow when your first job has you at a cubicle with a view of your coworker’s forehead.
Well, you gotta start somewhere. Lucky for you, there are plenty of jobs in cubes that come with exciting work in a variety of growing fields.
We searched our job board to find today’s top marketing fields, and entry- and junior-level positions for recent graduates and young professionals looking to break into them. Here’s what we found:
Content Marketing
You’ve probably heard it before: Content is king. Content marketing is all about making the king look good so his subjects like him (in other words, creating and distributing content to attract and retain audiences).
Entry-level positions in content marketing include producers that create hilarious cat videos, editors in charge of updating website content, coordinators in charge of influencer outreach and more. Positions in content marketing require great writing skills and a focus on consumer behavior and analytics. These roles often intersect with social media, search-engine marketing and public relations.
Quick Fact: 57 percent of organizations now have two or more people dedicated to content marketing. —Contently, 2015
Find entry-level content-marketing jobs
Event Marketing
If you’re the kind of party host that’s more focused on making sure everyone else is having fun, then event marketing may be for you. Event marketing involves planning conferences, sponsorships, trade shows and other events. Entry-level roles typically require helping event managers make decisions and executing events on time and on budget.
Duties may include coordinating staff, researching vendors, setting up or even securing media coverage for the event. Highly organized marketers who want to break away from a desk and don’t mind working outside the typical 9-to-5 may hone their skills as an assistant before becoming an event planner or manager.
Quick Fact: Jobs in event planning will grow by 10 percent from 2014-2024, which is faster than average for other industries. —U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Find junior-level event-marketing jobs
Copywriting
Marketing copywriters write for just about every medium these days: video, social media, websites, print, email, radio—you name it. They must be able to adapt their writing style to fit brand voice and tone, while appealing to the target consumer and to search engines.
With storytelling now a critical part of a brand’s marketing, copywriters need to know how to sell the big ideas and get copy out the door quickly. They may go on to earn the title of senior copywriter or editor, move into content-development roles or pursue other associate creative positions.
Quick Fact: Copywriting is more important than ever, thanks to the huge boom and renaissance period that content marketing is experiencing. —KloutFire
Find junior-level copywriting jobs
Search Marketing
Having the best product in the world means nothing if no one can find it. That’s where search-engine marketing (SEM) comes in. It’s all about increasing online traffic and purchases through search-engine optimization and advertising. An entry-level SEM professional assists in developing and carrying out the strategies that make that happen.
Someone in this role may help maintain pay-per-click advertising or be responsible for making website updates using a content-management system. These responsibilities, plus staying on top of changes to search-engine algorithms and new technologies, can prepare someone for future roles in search planning and strategy.
Quick Fact: Search marketing spend will rise to $32.32 billion in 2017, $36.41 billion in 2018, and $40.60 billion in 2019. —Search Marketing Daily
Find entry- and junior-level search-marketing jobs
Social-Media Marketing
Contrary to popular belief, jobs in social-media marketing involve a lot more than just posting fun photos to Facebook all day. An entry-level role in social media may include helping develop content for different channels, monitoring messages and comments, and managing promoted posts and other paid social media.
Any job in social media also requires the ability to recognize trends and use analytics tools to measure performance. While someone in an entry-level social-media role may pursue roles in social-media strategy, starting out in social media can prepare marketers for positions in other areas like consumer research and content marketing.
Quick Fact: 66 percent of companies have a dedicated social-media team. —Salesforce
Find entry- and junior-level social-media jobs
Media Planning and Buying
Media planning and buying involves finding the best media outlets—television, radio, magazines, billboards, social media, etc.—to reach your customers. It requires a lot of strategy and skill at getting your client or company the most bang for its buck. Entry-level and junior roles in media planning and buying are important in negotiating and executing media plans. Assisting the team with research, entering data and calling vendors and publishers to get media kits and rates for commercial air time, print space and digital buys are just a few of the duties involved in this type of role. Individuals who exhibit superior analytical skills and a grasp of emerging tech have the potential to grow into senior media positions that involve more strategy and decision-making.
Quick Fact: Media-planner positions are expected to grow faster than average over the next decade. —The Princeton Review
Find entry- and junior-level media-planner or media-buyer jobs
Account Services
In a marketing, advertising or PR agency, the account team serves as the bridge from the agency to the client, making sure everyone is focused on the same goals and has what they need to accomplish those goals. Account coordinators typically assist senior account-service staff. Someone in this role should be personable and professional at all times, especially since account coordinators may have direct contact with clients. Other must-have skills include the ability to listen well, take great notes and organize fast-paced projects. Excellent account coordinators can eventually move into higher-level account-service positions such as account executive and account supervisor.
Quick Fact: Account services topped the list of positions marketing executives planned to hire in the second half of 2015. —The Creative Group
Find entry- and junior-level account-coordinator jobs
