Whether you've learned how to approach complex tasks and sensitive situations or navigate the many successes flanked by occasional failures, there have certainly been lessons to learn from.
Early on, I realized I had to be good so no one could ignore me. When I speak and present, the audience knows I'm an expert. That's why I continuously upskill myself and am both a generalist and a specialist (or, instead, a specialist in many domains). My advice is to be too good to ignore.
Embrace new challenges and opportunities with confidence, knowing that even in the face of adversity, you are building a path to personal and professional growth. Remember, the most challenging moments can provide the greatest lessons.
If you recognize that every experience is valuable, you can take what you’ve learned and build on it. Embrace the fact that your career path probably won’t be linear. You’ll learn a lot from jobs that broaden your professional horizons and provide insights into different businesses, industries, roles, and leadership styles.
While I haven’t been in marketing long enough to know the full extent, there’s no doubt things are changing. Corporate responsibility is more significant than ever. As part of HubSpot’s 2022 State of Consumer Trends Report, they uncovered insights confirming that consumers expect companies to look after their employees, the planet, and give back to their communities.
My advice to marketing students in the early stages of their careers is to take the initiative, seek new opportunities, and make yourself known. Regardless of your strengths, you won't stand out without confidence.
I wish I had taken advantage of the power of mentorship earlier. A great mentor will have a massive impact on your career trajectory. They can hold you accountable, push you out of your comfort zone, help you achieve your goals faster, and expose you to unique opportunities you would’ve missed.
To the next generation, take the time to understand yourself and be aware of your unique strengths and the areas that could be improved. Being self-aware, confident, empathetic and curious is the formula for the marketer of the future.
Saying yes led to my closest friendships, acquiring more business experience, and a sizeable professional network. Saying yes opens you up to possibilities you may have been afraid to explore which is valuable even if it is not directly related to marketing.
Tracy Reese CM, a Marketing Instructor at New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), discusses her passion, critical thinking, flexibility, curiosity, sharing experiences and advice for young marketers.
Testing is the key when it comes to marketing. Take calculated risks with the marketing strategies you feel are suitable for the business until you determine what is profitable.
Jillian Seronik, a marketing student at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC, shares her views on studying marketing while simultaneously being employed as a marketing coordinator.
"From an early age, I would say I have always been a leader. When I was running for student council in middle school, thanks to my successful campaign I was elected Prime Minister of the Student Body. Also, being an effective public speaker, I was chosen to represent my school at the Halton Public Speaking Championship and selected as a finalist for my creative speech on hand signs. I now use these skills to motivate my co-workers and aid them in achieving their goals."
"I can say with utmost certainty that I love digital marketing because it is quantifiable and results-driven. Marketing makes both sides of your brain work! You have the opportunity to be creative and innovative while also being analytical and calculated. The best thing about digital marketing is that with the help of Google tools like Google Analytics, you can track your success and calculate ROI very easily. You can see the impact of your campaigns in real-time and the field is always forever changing and growing. You will never be bored!"
"I graduated from university with a medical degree, but I’ve always been a marketer at heart. While in school, I started exploring business and work opportunities that exposed me to the world of marketing and communications. I developed a passion for building brands and some years later, I decided to pursue a career in strategic brand management."
"That said, growing up in a Gujarati family, I have learned a lot about businesses and how to run them. Once I complete my education, I aspire to be a businessman and look forward to the day when I can set out on my own, with my marketing firm that will create advertising campaigns for brands in the luxury sector. ."
"During this two-to-three-month period of pandemic life, living without friends or family in a small apartment in London, Ontario, I came to terms with an important realization. This passion project taught me there is always something I can build and create from scratch regardless of my living situation changing or getting derailed."
"Whether I am driving a car and listening to ads on the radio, seeing ads on billboards, or entertaining myself with television or social media, I see ads. I am fascinated by how brands convey their message to their target audience to delight their customers and achieve measurable business objectives."
"Before coming to Canada, I was in a project marketing management role across many different industries. Realizing that simply having the general know-how of business wasn’t enough, I decided to pursue an academic path at Douglas College, entering the Sales and Marketing program."
"I didn’t know much about the field at the time, but after some research and reading, it sounded exactly like what I was looking for: a marriage between people, relationship building and business."
" It’s easy for imposter syndrome to sneak in and feel as though you do not have enough experience, or you are not good enough – but it only takes one opportunity to launch your career! It’s important to stay confident and to apply to positions that are relevant to your skillset and where you want to grow."
"I want to help create an organizational culture that is predicated on inclusion and celebrating the diversity of employees. A culture that includes passionate employees wanting to make a difference in racialized/marginalized communities by creating/offering programs to youth that will provide opportunities to excel in a bevy of different ways. "
"Coming from the music industry with 5 years in the business, my biggest realization was figuring out how to market music after it was created – it was and still is the most difficult part for most independent musicians. Life in the digital space changes so fast that sometimes we miss the signs and find ourselves behind the curve."
"However, coming to Canada has been my dream ever since I studied a semester abroad here thanks to an ELAP scholarship from the Canadian Government. I fell in love with this country and when I returned home, as the scholarship required, I made a promise to myself to do everything in my hands to come back someday. "
"Being a social person, I love networking and making connections that are more than just professional partnerships. A lot of my educational background comes from finance but being an avid social media user myself, I started my career as an entrepreneur and used the potential of social media to help generate revenue for my business."
"I began my marketing career in my fourth year as a member of the University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Hatchery team. Upon graduating, I was applying to every role that had “marketing” in its job description. After countless coffee chats and 100s of job applications, I realized that this approach did not work. It was one of my mentors who pointed out my lack of focus and suggested understanding what each role in marketing actually entailed and to self-evaluate my attitude and aptitude for success in those roles."
"My first career job post-graduation was a Sales Consultant role at an energy consulting firm. I took the opportunity to learn sales, one aspect of marketing, and better understand the B2B marketplace. A few months later, the company I worked for was seeking a full-time Marketing Manager and I applied internally. Perhaps it was a bit of luck, but if I didn’t accept that initial Sales Consultant job and give it a shot, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to become a Marketing Manager."
"To me, communication is a critical component for both professional and everyday life. Without marketing and communications support, the world we know today would be a very different place. Forms of communication in various settings, particularly a corporate environment, and how communication processes, information technologies, and mass media shape and transform our societies, cultures, and perspectives. "
"I started my marketing career at General Motors, two weeks after my last day at university. It all happened so quickly; I barely had a chance to catch up. I love the automotive industry and wanted to experience everything it had to offer, so after a few years in manufacturing, I moved over to retail. I always wanted to be my own boss… at age seven I drew up a business plan to start a bakery and convinced friends to lend me money. In 2011, after reading Richard Branson’s ‘Losing My Virginity” twice, I quit my job and started a marketing consultancy."
"I’ve always been fascinated by the way information can influence people’s beliefs and behaviours. This curiosity led me to study Communications in my undergrad and seek marketing and communications roles after graduation. After taking on increasingly senior positions, I struck out on my own and launched Compass Content Marketing. Around the same time, I began teaching digital marketing courses at the college and university level. Now, I am affiliated with Humber College and McMaster University, and I regularly speak at marketing and business-related events across Ontario."
"Growing up I always thought I wanted to be a teacher, which is what I originally pursued after high school. As I headed down that path I realized that while I loved the idea of educating, I had a lot of passions and skills that I likely wouldn’t get to call upon as a school teacher. After a lot of research and self-reflection, I became focused on marketing, and more specifically the field of PR, which seemed to check all the boxes for me. All at once, my life plan switched pretty drastically."
If I were to describe myself in one word, it would be passionate. Whether it’s about the welfare of our environment, my favourite TV series, or a new project I’m working on, I always care a littletoomuch. But once I’m invested in something, I become extremely dedicated towards it and am constantly sharing it with other people. Working within marketing
My interests include traveling to experience different cultures, playing musical instruments, speech arts, analyzing legal issues, and of course, marketing! What drew me into marketing is its flexibility and the role it plays in different industries. I can think outside the box and be creative with the content and graphics I create. What I love about marketing is the freedom I get to express with my ideas in all creative and unique ways
"I’m very interested in seeing how content is going to continue to play a role in marketing and in business success. Content is everything nowadays, and it’s critical to stand out from all the clutter. It’s essential for engaging consumers, creating brand loyalty, and it will be interesting to see how it will be used to market to the next generation. With content, also comes influencers, which is another trend I’m excited to continue following and see how it impacts the industry. "
I got started in marketing because someone took a chance on me! Given both my undergraduate and master’s degrees were in disciplines outside of business and marketing, I didn’t really have a leg up on other candidates in this field. Understanding my disadvantage on paper, I was determined to get in front of as many people as possible and tell my personal story firsthand and highlight all of the transferrable skills I had acquired that would help me succeed in sponsorship and marketing.
"My greatest achievement would have to be helping grow a small business through its marketing and communications. I was able to grow their following as well as learn so many new ways to target customers, create content, and learn more about a new industry, barbering. Taking general lessons learnt in class and online and then actually applying them, has been so beneficial and personally rewarding."
My biggest challenge was finding a marketing position on the client-side that I would be happy with. Client-side opportunities, especially intern positions, are much rarer than they are on the agency side. Once I landed my first job at Mercedes, the biggest challenge was adapting to the practices for corporate culture.
I view success as creating and implementing programs that empower marketing and business development professionals to drive top-line growth within their organizations. And on a personal level, establishing yourself as an agent of change within your firm and as a trusted resource to both your colleagues and peers in the industry.
"I started my marketing career working for Wunderman which is a direct response marketing agency. I was a shared resource between the account service and media departments. It was actually a perfect entry-level role - I learned very quickly about how to measure a campaign and the how to apply those results and insights on the creative development and the media buy. I got a big picture view very early on in my career."
"My proudest achievement has been the work I've done as Vice President at the Digital Enterprise Management Association at the University of Toronto Mississauga. With my team we successfully organized and executed over 12 individual and collaborative events throughout the school year that contributed to the personal and professional development of UTM students."
I love the storytelling aspect of marketing. When marketing is done well,it creates a story around a product or service that enhances a consumer’s enjoyment of it.Nike understands this implicitly when they market their performance apparel and shoes. That brand building and storytelling is the reason I got into marketing in the first place and continues to be the reason I enjoy it today.
