Marketing As A Career

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INTRODUCTION

Marketing in General

In general, marketing involves four main factors, known as "The Four Ps:" product, price, promotion, and place. The products are goods, services, or ideas to satisfy the consumer's needs. These products or services must be exchanged for a dollar amount, which is the price. If anyone is going to buy these products or services, some type of advertising must be used to catch the consumer's attention. The place is defined as where the consumers can purchase the products or services they wish to buy, which should be convenient for the consumer. According Teich (2005), "The overall purpose of marketing communication is to sell something (p. 9). The basic ideas behind all marketing positions is trying to find out what will sell, why it sells, who to sell it to, and what price to sell it.

Creativity is an important characteristic of those in the marketing field. "Creativity and the formation of ideas remain a mystery - a combination of knowledge and imagination that can be neither learned nor predicted. The ability to see things in new ways is vital in creative work" (Stair, 2002, p.39). Creativeness is needed to "think outside the box" when trying to come up with new ideas/products to enter into the market, and even when existing products or services need modifications. Also, according to the Strong Interest Inventory results, "Selling and managing are the dominant skills I possess."

Purpose of the Study

There are many reasons in partaking in this study, other than the simple fact that it is an assignment and requirement for this particular class. By doing so much extensive

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research on this topic, very much knowledge was gained throughout the research process. Personal networking was also gained by the interviews given to professionals from places of which I'd like to work.

The primary purpose of this project is to gain as much knowledge on the topic, and in conclusion, figuring out whether or not to continue pursuing a career in the field of marketing.

Given that the information acquired in marketing is interesting and appealing, the interviews provided great networking! These interviewees will hopefully remember the names of those giving the interview, and possibly consider hiring/promoting me and others at a later date, such as graduation.

Scope of the study

This study covered many issues pertaining to marketing careers in general. Topics and data such as educational requirements and salary expectations were discovered during research. Other information such as job outlook or forecast and the nature of the work itself was also acquired.

Entry-level positions and career paths along with the use of written and oral communications in marketing ended the study. The interviews provided more detailed information, but this information does not necessarily mean all jobs will contain such aspects, but only those jobs belonging to those interviewed. The question of "How much do you make?" was asked to none of the three individuals interviewed since such a question would be rude and nosey.

Job security is not an issue for Mrs. Jones, but according to a recent survey (2003) of 335 managers, the other two are. Figure 1 illustrates the top three responses

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from those managers when asked, "What are the most important issues facing managers today" (Strout, 2003, p. 50).

Figure 1

Sources and Methods

Although only used for personal knowledge, Marketing 305.001 provided useful, common knowledge. Recent online journals from the Central Library, located downtown Evansville, IN, were acquired to explore information. Magazines and books also from the Central Library provided plenty of useful information as well.

At the beginning of the summer session, each student enrolled in Business Communications 231 was required to complete the Strong Interest Inventory test. This test is basically a personality test used to determine each student's interests pertaining to certain jobs. After the results were acquired, each student listened to a presentation by Tim Buecher on May 22. The results were then discussed and salary figures were shown.

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Each employee interview for this project provided information on daily activities, difficult aspects of the job, and enjoyable aspects as well. When all of my questions were answered by each interviewee, I was able to draw conclusions and get more questions in.

Plan of Presentation

The topics that will be presented in class about this career will prove to the class that a marketing position is a fulfilling career. First, an in-depth discussion about how information was gathered and how networking helped with the overall completion of the project will be explained. Next, the nature of work that a marketing professional has will be discussed. FInally, salary information and job outlook will be explained in detail.

RESULTS OF THE STUDY

The findings of the study will be presented in the following categories: education requirements, nature of the work, and some general information. The general information will cover topics such as: salary expectations, job outlook, use of written and oral communications, a common career path, and conference usage.

Education Requirements

Educational requirements and basic background skills are very important in the field of marketing. "Normally a college degree and, even more important, a portfolio of writing samples and ideas are required for breaking into this highly competitive area" (Stair, 2002, p. 41). Common majors that are appealing to business are: marketing, business administration, statistics, computer science, and economics (Careers in focus, 2004, p. 104). As with most job seekers, the ones with the highest degree of education will most likely catch the eyes of the employers.

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Job recruiters are looking for people who are enthused about figuring out what consumers like and what they need; and in the long run, how to make them buy the product (Careers in marketing & market research, 2005, p.78).