Entry-Level Marketing Jobs: Top Options

Entry-level marketing jobs can take time to land as a new graduate or beginner. Without much experience on the job, competing against more experienced candidates can be quite a challenge. While it’s standard for experienced marketers to be more in demand, you can still get your foot in the door faster if you know which jobs to look for. Granted, you’ll likely have to work under an experienced marketer before advancing to senior positions, but this is the key to jumpstarting your career. Keep reading to find out the full scope of the requirements for landing the best entry-level marketing positions and the jobs to look out for most. 

How to Find the Best Marketing Entry-Level Positions 

When searching for entry-level marketing jobs, you’ll come across tons of options. You should separate the most relevant jobs from the ones that aren’t suitable for you. The goal is to find an entry-level job so you can gain enough skills to move through the ranks to a more suitable higher position.  

That said, the best way for a beginner to start a career in marketing is to: 

Focus on Your Interests 

Before you even begin searching for entry-level marketing jobs, take the time to narrow down your areas of interest. Marketing is a broad field with different jobs. So, knowing where you want to focus eases the burden of searching for the right job and crafting a killer CV. 

If you’re unsure where to focus, consider your skills and interests. Knowing what you’re good at and what you want to do can help you narrow down your options, and discover jobs you never considered before. 

For example, if you’re good at writing and interested in creating campaigns, consider being a content marketer or marketing writer. Conversely, if communication is your forte and you’d like to learn more about branding and public image, consider looking for public relations jobs. 

Know More about the Entry-Level Marketing Positions You’re Interested In 

Once you’ve narrowed your search to several interesting entry-level marketing jobs, take your time to learn more about their different roles and responsibilities. It will increase your chances of finding the right first-level marketing job. 

You can learn more about different positions by reading what other people in similar entry-level jobs do and the requirements for starting in their roles. You can also organize informational interviews with marketing professionals in the marketing career paths that interest you to learn more.  

When you are talking to various professionals, you can ask them questions like: 

• What are the favorite and least favorite aspects of your role? 
• How did you land your role? 
• What’s your typical workday (any specific duties done daily)? 
• Why did you decide to pursue this specific marketing field? 
• What skills are most fundamental for your role? 

With this information, you’ll be one step closer to finding the right entry-level marketing job.  

Market Yourself 

You’re applying for marketing jobs, so recruiters want to see your skills immediately. You should put extra effort into marketing and branding yourself as the ideal candidate. Focus on creating a stellar portfolio, CV, and cover letter highlighting your skills, achievements, and goals. 

Furthermore, no employer wants to receive a dull, run-of-the-mill CV with an outdated look. As an entry-level marketer, you should constantly have your finger on the pulse to ensure your CV has the most current updates. You should also tailor your recruitment materials for the job you want. 

Plus, if you’re looking for entry-level digital marketing jobs, you should create an engaging digital portfolio and CV and send it as a link to recruiters. You can also make your CV and cover letter more creative using websites like Canva that create stunning graphic resumes that can impress any recruiter. 

Other helpful ways to appeal to potential employers include: 

• Maintaining an active social media presence: As a marketer, having accounts on various social media platforms today shows potential employers you’re up to speed with the times. Ensure your accounts are updated with recent photos and bio information. You should also clean up any past controversial matters that may make potential employers overlook you. 
• Networking: Knowing the right people in the right places can help you find an entry-level marketing position faster. You can find excellent networks by attending in-person marketing events. If you’re not a fan of events, platforms such as LinkedIn, Slack, and Quora have made it possible to grow a network you can market to. 

Set Realistic Expectations 

An entry-level position may not be glamorous or come with your ideal job title, but the whole point is to gain more skills and expand your network. 

Therefore, be honest with yourself. If you have a list of job requirements you’re looking for in a position, be modest about them and understand you’re not looking for your dream job yet. 

Set realistic expectations for yourself and your job search so you won’t be disappointed or look for a job way above your skill level. When setting your list of job requirements, focus on one main thing: finding a first-level marketing job that gives you a valuable learning experience.  

Realize that this can come in the form of: 

• Paid positions: Some companies offer low pay for first-level marketing jobs, which helps you gain experience and meet some basic needs. 
• Unpaid position: Other companies have unpaid first-level internship marketing positions where you only benefit from experience gained.  

Either way, you’re more likely to get hired by a company after your internship than someone applying from the outside. Companies often absorb interns first as they’re better familiarized with their operations. 

Take Online Courses 

During your job search or when you’ve narrowed down which field you’d like to focus on, you may notice your skills aren’t up to par, even for an entry-level position. Examples of standard requirements for marketing you may find employers want include: 

• Professional certificates: Some employers require marketing applicants to have a professional certificate from recognized institutions. You may also be asked for professional digital certificates from platforms like Coursera. 
• Certifications: Other employers may require certifications that demonstrate your skills in a particular area, such as Google Analytics Qualification, Digital Marketing Pro, and the like. 
• Degree-level training: A degree in marketing, communications, or any related subject is a requirement for most entry-level marketing jobs 

In any of these cases, don’t give up. You can take online courses to make yourself a better candidate. Some things you may not have learned in school, or maybe you want to sharpen a specific skill or hear a different perspective. 

You can find quick marketing courses online on platforms like YouTube or LinkedIn. It’s worth the time to get acquainted with basic marketing principles and terms to ace your job interview. 

If you’re looking for more substantial tuition-free online certificate programs or a degree in business administration, check out University of the People to see if something fits your interests. The university also offers a highly specialized certificate program in marketing that can give one’s career the right boost. 

10 Best Entry-Level Marketing Positions to Apply For 

When browsing for entry-level marketing jobs, keep an eye out for these job titles. They’re the best for an entry-level in marketing. Many of them favor first-level applicants in the marketing field. And, for many of them, you may not even need a marketing degree to apply since other degrees and skills can be transferable. 

Marketing Coordinator 

In this position, you’ll be responsible for creating and implementing marketing plans and strategies. If you’re good with numbers, this can be your ideal role since it needs a good eye for research and analytics. In the process, you’ll learn a ton about the inner workings of a company’s marketing strategy by working with multiple departments and junior- and senior-level marketing managers. 

Communication Specialist 

Do you love branding and have excellent writing skills to boot? A communications specialist role could be right for you. Here, you’ll be responsible for your company’s messaging and get to work with all kinds of departments. These include both internal and external departments, like public relations, advertising, media, and more. The main requirement for this entry-level marketer position is sharp verbal and written skills, so make sure your portfolio and cover letter reflect this. 

Digital Marketing Assistant 

As a digital marketing assistant, you’ll be focused on helping with marketing on channels like your company’s blog, social channels, and other forms of content. You’ll need to be able to analyze results such as traffic, leads, and funnels and then create reports on these subjects and communicate them to the rest of the team. 

Marketing Intern 

Just because this position seems obvious doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. While it is a rather vague position, you stand to learn a lot since you’ll have access to experienced professionals in your field. If you’re not yet settled on which direction to go with marketing, doing marketing internship can give you a better taste of different roles. Your roles as an entry-level intern can include assisting in campaigns, helping with social media, creating presentations, doing research, and much more. 

Junior Business Analyst 

You’ll work closely with senior marketing management to help them create and analyze reports, monitor sales and overall performance, and closely watch systems. In this job, you’ll have to find and report trends and patterns and learn more about the analytical side of marketing. 

Social Media Marketing Specialist 

If you’re already glued to all the various social channels, you’d be a perfect fit as a social media specialist. You’ll work closely with the digital marketing team to plan and implement social campaigns and produce engaging content. As the person responsible for a brand’s voice, you’ll need to keep up with current social media trends, maintain a social calendar, and closely monitor your social accounts. 

Content Marketing Specialist 

As a niche entry-level marketing job, recruiters seek someone with creative skills. You’ll work with marketing teams to brainstorm, create, and publish compelling content on various channels. To qualify, you’ll be able to identify what type of content is best suited for different scenarios and then analyze results after the content is published. 

Email Marketing Specialist 

There is so much to learn in the field of email marketing, and this role will give you hands-on experience that you can carry with you to all future marketing roles. As an email marketing specialist, you’ll be creating and implementing emails. You’ll also be responsible for A/B testing, personalizing email campaigns, creating email lists, and analyzing the success of a campaign. 

Paid Ads Manager 

For this job, you’ll need to have a strong sense of budgeting and spending. As a paid ads manager, you’ll be responsible for creating ads posted on search engines and social media. Since these ads are paid for with a provided budget, you’ll have to constantly monitor and adjust them to get the most out of every ad dollar spent. 

Partnership Marketer 

Are you a people person? Then, this job might be right for you. A partnership marketer’s role is to create and maintain strategic partnerships to help grow a business’s bottom line. This can be anything from affiliate management to influencer marketing. You might find yourself regularly liaising with potential partners at industry events, so you’ll need strong communication skills for this job. 

Begin Your Journey to Become an Entry-Level Marketer Today 

Finding entry-level marketing jobs today doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right game plan, a strong portfolio, and a CV, and by focusing on the skills you already have, you’ll be able to land a role that might one day lead you to your dream job.