Choose Your First Marketing and Communications Job Wisely (Part 2 of 2)

In the second part of this series, we will discuss the various entry-level jobs available to mass communications and marketing graduates, the job functions, challenges, and characteristics required for each position. In the first part, we talked about how we should prepare for our first job. Once we have a clear direction and strategy, it’s time to study and evaluate the various types of positions that are best suited for you.

Here are 10 positions available in the market for recent mass communications and marketing graduates to consider:

Marketing executive.

This is a typical position for graduates in business and marketing. You will be part of the marketing arm of an organization, be it multinational or SME, and you will be in charge of planning and executing marketing activities. Depending on the trade, marketing activities will vary. Fashion marketing is done very differently compared to consumer electronics marketing. Generally, there are two types of marketing positions: marketing and marketing communications. In marketing, you watch the entire process and explore pricing, distribution, products, and promotional issues. At Marcom, the scope is primarily to use the A&P budget and how to most effectively plan an integrated marketing communications plan for your company’s services or products.

You must be creative, resourceful, and able to handle stress. Most marketing people are very outgoing and able to relate to people very well. You must also have strong communication and presentation skills.

Account Services Executive

Don’t misunderstand the term account service with bookkeeping. In the world of advertising, account services, also known as suits, are people who manage the advertising portfolio of clients. They are people who provide the bread and butter for their advertising agencies. The account service executive researches the client’s advertising needs and works with the creative team to develop the creative concepts, strategy, and plan. The executive should also work closely with the media planners, buyers, and the traffic executive in the course of their work.

This position is stressful as it is extremely fast and demanding. However, if you enjoy a less bureaucratic environment, agency life could be fun and instructive as you are surrounded by creative, light-minded, and free-spirited people. In advertising, you need to have good public relations skills when it comes to managing the expectations of your clients, creative team, and also vendors.

Public Relations Executive

As a public relations executive, the buzzword is publicity, publicity, publicity. On a broader level, look at public relations initiatives to build corporate reputation, employee relations, government relations, crisis communications and media relations, etc. If you apply for a position with a public relations agency, you will be exposed to different industries and the advantage is that it forces you to be a broad-based public relations professional as you learn about the multifaceted problems that different industries face. Your exposure will increase as you are on the ground working with stakeholders such as the media, government, NGOs, corporations, etc.

Some companies hire internal public relations executives to manage their public relations activities. However, clarify with the HR representative about the roles expected of you. Your expectations may not be met if all the company wants from you is to maintain the corporate website and company newsletter.

As a public relations executive, you are expected to find platforms to get publicity for your company. Advertising tools are largely press releases, media kits, corporate videos, websites, newsletters, etc. In addition, you must have writing skills and a nose for the news.

Journalist

As a mass communications graduate, working in the media will be an exciting and challenging endeavor. As a journalist, you are expected to meet deadlines and cover news assigned by the news editor. A good journalist must be objective, conscientious, witty but critical in his work. There are many types of journalists – print, broadcast, Internet, radio – and they all have different job demands and writing styles. If you are interested in embarking on this career, you must have a thorough knowledge of current affairs and news. Other traits include nose and eye for a story, legal knowledge, aspiration for precision, fairness, and a passion to always seek the truth.

Assistant Producer

In the entertainment world, the producer’s job is always challenging. The primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production, from developing the show idea and hiring the cast to supervising filming and fact-checking. Often times, it is the producer who is responsible for the overall quality and survivability of the show, although the roles depend on the particular show or organization.

For starters, recent graduates will always take on the role of production assistant. The learning curve is steep if you are suddenly thrown into the Dead Sea and expected to give up. The entertainment industry is advancing at a very rapid pace and the desired traits of an effective producer include time and resource management skills and the ability to work with multiple stakeholders.

Events executive

As an events executive, you will help your clients plan their company events. Depending on the type of event company you joined, events can range from company dinner and dance, family day to high-level events such as forums, exhibitions, road shows.

As an events person, you should be able to work with partners such as artists, lighting and sound people, advertising agencies, contractors, etc. Your basic task is to make sure the event runs smoothly and to minimize setbacks as much as possible. Multitasking is therefore a desired trait, as you may need to be in multiple places to make sure things fall into place and run smoothly.

Customer Service Executive

As the name implies, customer service staff are supposed to provide top-of-the-line customer support, especially when it comes to feedback and complaints received. Different companies have different customer service quality standards and processes to follow. In general, as a customer service support executive, you will need to follow a standard operating procedure on how customer feedback and complaints are channeled, resolved, and taken into account for further improvement.

As a customer service person, the adopted mantra should be ‘Customers are always king’ and in most cases this is an area that is more discussed and discussed.

Market Research Executive

Market research executives collect, analyze, interpret, and present information to explore the potential market for a product or service. This may involve conducting opinion polls or surveys, analyzing statistics, and / or negotiating with clients. Typical research on behalf of a company that manufactures consumer goods might include evaluating national purchasing trends, the performance of major competitors, or the effectiveness of current advertising methods.

As a market research executive, you will need excellent organizational skills to budget, plan, research, analyze, and interpret market research information. You must be resilient, self-motivated, and prepared to act as a liaison with others in the decision-making process. Strong reporting and writing skills are desirable as you will present your findings to both managers and clients.

Social media expert

This industry is still new and the grounds are not fully tested or ventured. However, there are some social media companies that provide internet related services to help clients better manage their online marketing strategies. Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, Google marketing, Facebook and Twitter marketing are new areas that corporations are using to market their services and products. If you have a strong interest in social media, joining a new social media company will be a smart and refreshing move.

Contractor

An entrepreneur is a person who owns a new company, business or idea and takes significant responsibility for the inherent risks and the outcome. If you’re prepared to take risks, start your own business, perhaps by providing marketing-related services to professionals in this industry. The stakes are high, but what you will learn is a never-say-die attitude, a passion for work, and values ​​of perseverance and determination.

Article by Dennis Toh, Publicist for Flaunt PR & Communications, a public relations agency that provides communication services to help business owners drive sales, build public awareness, and build credibility with media advertising.

Dennis Toh is also a full-time teacher.

For more details, please email [email protected]