What skills are marketing employers looking for?

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What skills are marketing employers looking for?

Looking for a job is an exercise in marketing whereby the product (i.e. you) must match the requirements that the buyer (i.e. employer) is looking for. In other words, what can you do for their business and what key skills and attributes that you can bring to the table that will be of interest to an employer?

Although you may never have worked in a marketing role before, employers will be looking for certain qualities that will give an indication of your potential and help them decide if you are worth taking a punt on or not. So what skills are employers looking for?

Essentially you will need a broad mix of skills to be successful in this industry and potential candidates need to show evidence of the following.

interpersonal skills
good oral and written communication skills
numeracy and analytical ability
creativity and imagination
influencing and negotiation skills
teamwork
organisational ability
IT skills
business and commercial acumen
drive and ambition
The key is to demonstrate that you have most if not all of these key skills so as to get your foot in the door.

Remember, some of these skills you will have gained through non-work related activities, so don't get hung up in the fact that you haven't had the opportunity to use them in a work situation – you are selling your 'potential' not necessarily your 'proven' ability!

Of course there are some specialist marketing roles that will require specific skills in addition to those listed above. Knowing what an employer is looking for specifically or offering skills that could benefit them from an entirely new perspective can give you a reputation as a real "go-getter".

Market researchers who are working in the pharmaceuticals or automotive industries, for example, may need a degree that is relevant to the field in which they are working. Similarly, those wanting to work in direct marketing may find that a statistical background will be beneficial.

And if you are entering the industry from an entirely unrelated sector, you may find that by undertaking a professional qualification accredited by an institute of marketing, for instance, will make the transition much easier as this will inevitably boost your application and demonstrates your willingness to learn new skill specific marketing.

Even if you are in a well established role you may find the attainment of a professional qualification to act as the barrier breaker between staying in an existing role and moving up the career ladder. Most employers will cover the costs for these qualifications, dependent on their time period and how they fit around your other work commitments and priorities.

Source: Monster