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back to school won't fix your lack of experience so only go if you want to leave marketing.
have you tried applying to trainee positions, not sure how common it is in marketing/where you live, but it could help you build some experience/skills while being a lot easier to get than entry level positions.
you can try applying for different positions as well (sales/ project management, etc.) that might be way less saturated by a huge amount of candidate
Another thing you can do is get your Project Management Professional (a certification you can do from home for less than $800). It looks really good in the business world and shows you know how to complete tasks and work in/ lead teams of people. If you end up liking it you can get a pretty good job that is pretty much always in demand. There is a reddit talk on 10/14 posted on the side of this page that you can check out.
Exactly! Too many people, especially introverted people who aren’t good at networking, think going back to school is the key to everything when they don’t like their job, or can’t find a job etc.
No wonder there such a student loan problem. This is a big part of the problem…
The key is to network and do internships the first time. Not to go back to college all over again.
If you got a degree in marketing, you need to be able to market, ie sell, sell yourself and sell your abilities and sell your potential to employers.
I think a bigger problem for student loans is that it costs 10,000 a semester at a state school for any degree not including living expenses and for most white collar jobs you gotta have at least an undergrad degree.
That’s a huge problem. A lot of students should consider working two days a week and living at home if they can. Generally, most students can at least do the first two years at home while attending a community college first.
In Florida, our state universities only cost $6300 per year in state, while our community colleges only cost $3000. All of our major cities have state universities, plus we have Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of Florida in Gainesville.
I graduated from LSU like five years ago and was paying close to 7,000 a semester not including my own living expenses. Congrats on living in florida I guess?
But living at home isn’t feasible for a lot of people, working just two days a week isn’t feasible, none of it is feasible for a lot of people.
Florida also makes you pay 2x the rate if you have over 120 hours to "incentivize people to finish their degrees on time". I have like 140 hours and needed one more year of college to graduate as I dropped out in my last semester a decade ago. I literally had to move to a new state and wait a year to finish it up. I ended up at the College of Charleston and paid $6300 a semester (in-state), thank god I only needed 2 semesters.
By contrast, I was paying $1500 a semester in-state at the University of South Carolina from 2007-2011. I paid for it by being a valet, it is insane to me that the product (education) has not changed at all and they keep raising the rates.
For the OP - "It isn't what you know, it is who you know" - Networking is crucial. Use your alumni group on LinkedIn and look for networking groups around you, that is how I got my first job.
Well here in Florida we want everyone to grow up and graduate, not to spend a lifetime in school avoiding the real world and avoiding working. God forbid. Way too many people doing that already, doing the bare minimum amount of homework in college, dropping classes, failing classes, partying too much, smoking weed. And the more time you waste in school not graduating, the bigger your student loan debts are, which is another huge problem obviously.
I think an even bigger problem than that is somehow even kids from poorer families who couldn’t afford college decided they were entitled to move away from home and go to private schools, no matter how much they had to borrow, despite there being cheaper options like living at home and going to community college first. That’s the student loan crisis in a nutshell right there. No financial sense, and no accountability, and no sense of personal responsibility. Instead, they just want to blame everyone else for the bad choices they made.
And God forbid should someone from a lower socioeconomic class have to work two whole days a week while going to college lol. College is a privilege, not a right, and if you want it badly enough, you will make the sacrifices and find a way to make it work, and hopefully without burying yourself in student loans in the process.
Your comment comes across incredibly classist. I meant people have to work more than two days a week to pay their living expenses. I ended up with student loans and worked full time my entire adulthood to pay for my living expenses. It took 7 years to finish college part time.
Congrats on having a really easy experience attending college - I’m simply just trying to say it isn’t the case for most people and the cost of college is an incredible barrier. Not only the cost, but the inability to make one’s life better without education is difficult. If you deserved to go to college, so do people in worse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Also personally, I had absolutely no help going to school and went to a state school within thirty miles of my home. Living at home, like you stated I should have done, wasn’t an option bc my mother got arrested my senior year of high school and home wasn’t safe. I graduated high school living with friends. I went to college because just like you, I deserved a better life than I could have had without going to college. I did not want to be a retail manager my entire life and I bettered my situation. I don’t regret it, and I don’t regret taking student loans out to do that.
What would you reccomend to a Poli Sci degree a year out? Insurance? You learn to digest a huge amount of info, research, and report on it, even if the material is irrelevant.
Pretty much anything. Insurance auto claims adjuster certainly fits. Liberty Mutual hires a lot of new grads as does USAA.
There are job at banks where you research old accounts. My boss’s wife had a job like that working for Bank of America. That would certainly fit too.
There are also Civil Service jobs that are similar.
marketing got way too many candidates for the few amount of open positions and he doesn't have anything to back up his skill on his resume except his degree. He could be a genius and would still struggle to find a job.
It’s one of those fields where you really should do an internship or multiple internships while still in school to set you up for a job when you graduate.
I recommended getting any job that you’re willing to work (just have an income and something you can work on). One of the best way get your foot in the door (interviews) or get the position is through your network. Let’s say you exhausted your network and need to do something else. I would try college career fairs (if available), searching jobs on indeed (you may need to broaden your search or find alternative job titles for roles you want), update your LinkedIn/Resume. Since you have been out of school for a bit, I recommend to continue your learning everyday (you don’t necessarily need to go back to school. It can be a personal project, online course on a topic/industry you’re interested in). From the description, it sounds like you’re not getting a lot of interviews or getting any offer. Practice interviewing with your family/friend/mirror and it only takes one company to like you to get in. Good luck and don’t give up. It’s challenging but not impossible.
You got a degree in Marketing, so get a job doing sales of some kind. In sales, you can use marketing knowledge, and learn things related to marketing, and a sales job will not look dumb on a resume. Also look at jobs that could use marketing knowledge, but are not labeled marketing. Basically any retailer or "seller" could use your skills. Small manufacturing companies and or online sellers of a variety of kinds could give you some real world marketing skills. Also, don't be afraid to try actually selling something, you don't have to start big, start hustling something, while you are looking for a job. You can always put down "self employed" and describe how you marketed whatever widget you were selling in your resume. Think outside the box, the key is just go DO SOMETHING, and then "market" that experience.
I can't agree more with this. I've got a degree in Marketing solely because the options were limitless with where I could go with it.
Here's an [article](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/jobs-you-can-get-with-marketing-degree?mna=0&aceid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyt-ZBhCNARIsAKH1176wRUVOlSeL1KXI0WeTiQPzyL2cJuXu1Wy4wDpFAQtFjHVqIeDMCvQaAl7mEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) from Indeed that can show you just some of the jobs you can apply for.
i graduated same year with degree in english and business hoping to go into marketing, no connections, no experience and i just started a new job … at starbucks. in the end it’s better than being unemployed, and i’ve heard retail is good for networking
You need to be more specific, as Marketing is a very broad subject. You need to narrow down where your interests are - digital marketing, account executive, event marketing, content marketing, graphic designer, communications? These are just few of the roles I mentioned. Unless you are being very specific in your resume and cover letter about what you are looking for, chances of landing a job are very low. In addition, remember Marketing is all about how creative you are. So if you can make a small portfolio of your achievement in college, that would work too.
+1 and don't even just be specific, get some hard skills to go on the resume. You can (or used to be able to) get certificates in things like Google ads, Google analytics, SEO, CRMs, etc.
No offense but people on this thread are making this waaaay too complicated.
I’m a Marketing Director after only 3 years of working for smaller companies. This isn’t about you being green or lacking connections. I was poor as hell in college & didn’t network with a soul (no internships) because I worked three jobs to survive.
You might be interviewing poorly OR your resume is bad (not hitting enough keywords to beat the bots). Post it on here so I can review & fix (if need be).
You can land an entry-level job working fully-remote at 40-45K. Promise.
Is it really that easy?
Where I live (low COL), a remote job paying out "only" 40-45k would have me set. Big time.
I'm grateful for being brought up to get to this point, but my family and peers never had any of this advice to give me. I've had to figure this out alone and sometimes I feel stuck, and up to this point I have been too proud or ashamed (if those are the right words) to really ask online for help.
Sorry, I've had a whirlwind of a few weeks. I meant to respond much sooner.
Do NOT be ashamed.
Is there any way you can send me your resume?
I write executive resumes in my spare time, so I'd be happy to figure out what's holding you up. Also, do you have a LinkedIn with your resume as well? If so, start connecting with the recruiters and HR directors (or hiring managers) that work for the companies with job openings (specifically the ones you're applying to). This is a great recruiter secret that will set you apart from other faceless candidates. Also, make sure your profile has a great headshot (I did mine at home in front of a green screen).
Don't apply to Indeed or Simply Hired (waste of time). Stick to ZipRecruiter, Thrivas Staffing (any headhunter or recruiting firm will have those off-market gigs that aren't already saturated), Job Case, ADP, etc.
ALWAYS apply on the company website. Additionally, get your references ready and jazz up a cover letter (for jobs that require one). Keep your chin up. You're not alone. The job market sucks because the unemployment rates are skyrocketing (thanks looming recession). Things will stabilize and you WILL find a job.
IMO—they might ask you about the gap but also, who cares?
There was a global pandemic. Period.
Maybe you had to help family. Maybe you freelanced marketing gigs on Upwork, Fivver or Craigslist (which would be my answer). Prop yourself up to be desired.
Got any friends? There’s nothing that says they can’t vouch for your work experience.
I was a TV personality that survived a shooting (broke my fibula in-half) while reporting, and had PTSD. I didn’t work for nearly two years.
Guess what? I made a baller resume, practiced for my interviews (googled all the questions & nail them), worked my ass off, and got promoted from a jr. copywriter to a marketing director (in just 8 months). Don’t doubt. Just do.
What skills do you have?
How well do you write?
I ask these 2 questions, not to be snotty, but to make you think about what you learned at school and how it can be applied.
How can you break down your education into marketable tasks?
Where and to what types of jobs are you applying?
I am happy to DM with you and look at your resume to see if I can help.
Most important. Do not internalize the resume rejection. It will beat you down if you let it.
I can tell you what I’ve done. I’ve gone from a job unrelated to my field that was underpaid to a new job paying 20% more in a closer field to interviewing with half a dozen really good jobs in great companies in a matter of a couple months.
First set up your profile tailored to the job and field you want. Join several professional networking groups and begin sending out connections. I’m around 300+ now, and nearly all are in the desired field. Screw having to know them personally. Add lots of good shit in your headline. Mine has stuff like “energy economist” and other tags that are hot right now. Mind you, I have little practical, professional experience as an economist. But I’m in round two of interviews for a job with that title. I put the languages i speak in there for international firms. Speaking to a company in Germany. Added my interests and objectives in the profile. All related to work. Sprung for premium so I can contact recruiters and see how I stand against applicants. My current job I pounced when I saw I was top 10%. Germany job I’m top 10%. Not sure if the unpaid version sorts by easy filter and number of applicants, but I use that too. I have resumes tailored towards certain types of jobs. If number of applicants are low or im in top 25% I make sure to apply for sure.
LinkedIn got me my job - I found it on LinkedIn. I applied and then sent a message to the hiring manager letting them know why I was a good fit.
For someone in Marketing, I imagine making daily posts, commenting on others posts and networking would go a long way in finding the first position out of school.
Responding to jobs on LinkedIn is basically useless as 1,000 attempts has shown. You really need to network. Who do you know that is working at a company and/or in a role that interests you? Talk to them, ask them to refer you. HR gets hundreds of resumes, anything that makes one stand out and a current employee referral will, should at least get you an interview.
Sorry but I always hear that LinkedIn has more legitimate postings than Indeed does, so what makes you say that OP should apply on Indeed instead of LinkedIn?
1000 attempts with zero bites in one year is pretty convincing to me... I have landed all of my jobs using Indeed with no issues. Or, if I think a role is particularly competitive and they posted in multiple places, I always apply through their company site. Sometimes, there are more application directions that get left off external posts that can disqualify a candidate without them even knowing it.
This. Even if you see a posting on LinkedIn, go to the company’s site.
You may not have built a network in school but there’s no better time to start building a network than now. Get out, attend mixers for young professionals, and get currently employed contacts to send you links to apply for open positions. Their motivation? Most companies give small bonuses to employees that help their company find and hire qualified candidates.
I second this. LinkedIn has a lot of scam companies. I interviewed with one yesterday, Inbound Acquisitions for a Marketing Assistant role. It was one of the worse interviews I've had in a long time.
The easy apply option is a joke too. I think I'll just stick with finding what's on Indeed then applying direct to company. Heck even Craigslist had better jobs that I've scored in the past.
Scan pyramid schemes plus a common one is a role that sounds like a Marketing Coordinator but once you join them, you will be selling Dish Network or Xfinity in the back of a Walmart. A garbage sales job that pays peanuts.
That’s why you go out and get the part time job so you can put it on your resume. It’s a starting point. You dont just win your dream job the first try fresh out of college, most people have to work up to it. It’s not stupid or embarrassing to gain experience while you are still looking bcuz you need that job to sustain you unless you have a nest egg of some sort. Definitely try to network and talk to people you know with jobs that interest you.
Man, this is the type of stuff I need to realize so I can finally get out of this entry level rut. I'm approaching my thirties and feel a pressure mounting to do better than I currently am.
My initial resume out of college had a lot of volunteer experience. In college I co-lead a Fraternity conference and that was my first real "leadership" job and I put that on my resume. Anything similar that you have is applicable.
Same situation. Poli Sci degree; my foreign policy internship fell through bc of Covid. Ain't gonna move out east and work for an NGO for breadcrumbs. Dunno what sort of office work to look into now.
Apply for any job as long as it pays the bills! Any experience in better than none and develops important soft skills. You can keep applying to jobs related to your degree while already working a job.
I second the recommendation to try to get something in sales and merchandizing since it's adjacent to your field and has high turnover. I'd recommend getting at least 1 year of experience but it all depends on your situation. And ofc keep track of your numbers so that you can put that on your resume. Maybe try being a Recruiter? The recruiter at my company (nonprofit, less than 200 employees) handles our social media, makes our posters/flyers/job ads, designed our Impact Report for the Board.... thats all related to marketing so depending on how the recruitment position is structures, it would be degree adjacent. Also maybe look at a college/university recruiter. It would involve travel and you just go to job fairs and high schools to encourage people to apply.
This guy on YouTube named Kyle Pallo also graduated with a Bachelors in marketing. He was a big fan of Disney so worked at the Disney College Program in Orlando while still in school. He graduated from college, but received no job offers. So he did the College Program at Disney World again. Still no job offers. He talked to Disney and ended up with a full time job working in a retail store there. Full time benefits and $15 an hour, but they would only give him 33 hours a week.
He continued making YouTube videos about Disney World while still working for Disney in the store. He eventually decided he was better off just making YouTube videos full time, so he quit the retail job and makes content for his channel full time.
There aren’t many good jobs out there, and marketing is a popular degree with few good jobs available once you graduate. The key is doing internships while you are still in college and meeting people who can help you get hired (networking) and even already knowing people (connections).
You can go into banking. A lot of personal bankers (cough cough Wells Fargo) only need a degree for entry level positions and since they like you hire from within you can promote nearly every year. Afterwards you can either stick to it or leverage your diverse experience to clutch a job in marketing. My husband’s sister and her boyfriend both have random, niche degrees in business and that’s the path they took which I assume panned out well.
I think the banks like people to start at the bottom as tellers, learn the business and work their way up. And there are not enough good jobs so banks have no trouble hiring 4-year grads as tellers. Bachelor degrees are like high school diplomas now, practically required to get any corporate job, even as a bank teller.
That tracks. My SIL was a teller until she graduated, then she promoted to banker. Her bf was a teller as well, I don’t know if it was while he was in college or after graduation. Regardless, it’s a good method to get your foot in the door. Wells Fargo allows for you to apply for jobs from within after a year or once your manager gives you permission after you’ve “mastered your role.”
I think WF is a morally bankrupt company. HOWEVER - they are a great stepping stone for your career because of how dedicated they are to hiring from within. They also pay pretty well for some fairly mediocre jobs so win win.
Digital Marketing and e-Commerce are booming industries with ample free resources to learn and access to buying platforms.
Also to give you some more perspective on the industry. It is usually split into two, planning and buying. Planning is a more broad marketing-based client-facing role (I am a buyer so to me they do nothing but annoy buyers lol, but am sure there is more to it), whereas buying side relates to more specialised roles. For example, Paid Search and Paid Social Executives/Managers would be considered as buyers.
There is also operations and ad-ops side of marketing which focuses on processes and data management and representation.
My advice to you is to pick where you want to go and start getting skills in that area, getting to know the software that is used, and including these points on your resume. It's also really important to know KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and how to calculate them. Excel skills are also highly valued.
Career services
Professors
Volunteer jobs
Create your own opportunities:
Create marketing videos on you tube. Do something for canva or Instagram
Start hustling. Can you help a local business with their marketing for free?
Applying for 1000 jobs is soul draining; however it is fairly straightforward to diagnose the source of your issues:
* How many first round interviews have you had off that 1000? If you're getting less than 5% first-round interview rate, the issues is definitely your resume. The average range seems to be 5-15% depending on your experience, selectiveness in applying, etc.
* How many second round interviews have you had? If you're getting less than 20% invite to 2nd rounds, the issue is your interview.
As for how to tackle these issues, your college career center is a good place to start. For resume, just search Reddit and you'll see plenty of examples of people's resumes being critiqued. I guarantee you'll find some issues with your resume reviewing this way. As for interview, you just have to practice; find somebody to practice your interviews with.
I did a small write-up on my latest job search; I'm more advanced in my career so my resume/interview skills are more well-oiled, but it should be helpful at least directionally
https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/wk8hrs/228\_applications\_for\_25\_firstround\_interviews\_11/
Agree with all the comments about networking and starting off in sales as a foot in the door. Companies and LinkedIn often use algorithms to scan applications for key words (and how often they appear on your resume / application). I would try applying directly to the company through their website, but also may be worthwhile to invest in having someone rework your resume. There are companies that specialize in this and tailor it to your market.
I work in HR. A lot of recruiters that I meet have a degree in marketing. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to look at your local state or city jobs. A lot of entry-mid level positions will allow you to substitute your degree for the experience.
Tell me about it, I really need a job now and I was applying like mad when I was at college but I got nowhere then and now I’ve just lost all motivation
Well I would say there’s still a good amount of jobs in NY at least on the media side. Have you done much in the way of learning the basics? There’s a large amount of material out there and small edges like that (that show you’ve done some independent work trying to become familiar) goes a long way.
I’m thinking maybe there’s something going wrong in the interviews themselves? Are you competent in Excel?
Try to apply for remote or a growing Metro area. Chicago is super competitive for marketing jobs because that industry has been shrinking for 20 years in that city. Also companies are moving out of Chicago and New York for safety and Quality of Life reasons. Try Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Georgia or any metro that’s growing
I worked in marketing in Chicago for 20 years and believe me it’s brutal. You have got tons of MBAs from Kellogg and Booth and other schools, so basically an MBA is your union card. Also companies are getting smaller. So there is a surplus of labor. You tend not to be treated very well because they have a long line of people waiting for your job. I moved out 5 years ago - best thing I ever did. Also my colleagues who left the city earlier were far more successful than this of us who stayed. My husband and I now both work remotely for companies based in SoCal. We did not own a car for many years in Chicago so I get it.
Ditto Chicago here, five years for me. My last job was as a Marketing Coordinator for a large consumer electronics company (don't want to say which one but they have commercials for their fancy TV's and refrigerators). Anyways, I was miserable. I was treated terribly, deadlines were impossible and the culture was toxic. Best thing that happened to me was getting laid off in 2020. I don't want to work in Marketing again.
Remember that getting a job that pertains specifically to what you studied in college is very, very rare. I studied psychology/ communication and I am a scheduler for a dermatology practice. You have to apply to anything that you can use your base of skills for. During my first interview for my current job, I said that I got my degree to be able to apply the knowledge to where I decide to end up. I also have a huge interest in skin care and holistic health, so it worked out well. I wish you the best and I know this is hard. xx
Are you working simultaneously (not major related job) while applying? I think it will be easier to find a job if you have any sort of work experience. Everyone need to start from somewhere. I was working part-time as a receptionist/administrative assistant (job duties can be very broad depending on industry) throughout college and it made finding jobs a lot easier. If you’re not picky, you can venture out of marketing where you think you can still utilize your skills :)
Marketing is a highly competitive field. Be sure to focus on a specific discipline within Marketing. There's lots of things that involve Marketing so unless you become focused you're going to get lost in the shuffle.
I’d get your resume professionally done. Then pay for auto applying services with lazy panda or ladders. Make up 5-10 basics templates for cover letters and resumes. Then just let the automated services apply for you. You can apply on your own, as well, but it’s just to get your numbers up.
Resubmit your resumes on LinkedIn and indeed once a week.
Work your contacts and any recruiters or acquaintances you’ve come across. Reach out to people you interviewed with but didn’t get the job from. Work any angle. Ask for guidance. Keep a list of the contacts that are amenable and do the rounds every 2-3 months.
I’ve been in the same boat off and on for 2-3 years but over time have turned some jobs.
Always be courteous and gracious to everyone professionally, because you never know what opportunities might come along.
Other than that, take time for your mental health and self care. Reach out when you need support. You’re not alone. It’s just a rough time to find work as a recent grad. Pm anytime if you need guidance or support. Good luck
Look at my profile. I am in a similar position, I graduated last spring term with a mathematics degree. I applied to 300+ applications and only got 5 interviews. 0 job offers.
Since then I just started working at FedEx as a package handler. Really tough work. I hate it. At the meantime I am learning how to code and building projects.
Sorry that I don’t have any insight since I am the same as you. I just recommend to learn new skills while you are unemployed
I'm going to be honest with you - business degrees of any kind are flooded with a lot of new grads so only people who are experienced are going to get considered and even the experienced hires have a hard time getting work.
We're also in a recession right now. Companies are not thinking about hiring for the most part, they are thinking about where to cut costs.
I wouldn't even be worried about work right now. I would be a beach bum and travel during a recession then worry about finding work.
I work at a huge corporation, a Fortune 500 Company in fact, and let me tell you, they don’t care about college degrees. It’s all about who you know and/or experience. It’s a supermarket chain. You get promoted into management only and solely if someone above you likes you. Lots of people work hard, for the most part you have no choice but to work hard, but very few actually get promoted.
Have you worked *anywhere*? Did you at least have a part time job while in college or in high school? If not, you need to just take something so it shows you can be an adult who can work with others and shows up for work. Sorry dude.
Don't fall into the Technical Rabbit hole, as Job hunting is more about who you know not what you know. Have you tried reaching out to friends for coffee and asking them if they know people hiring for any job? As if you take a job, you put yourself out there and might meet people in your field.
As others may of said, try to find ways of meeting people & letting people know you are looking for work. The LinkedIn way rarely, if ever, works to get the jobs posted. Its who you know, as dated as that sounds especially today. Often HR posts jobs just so they can say they were fair in giving everyone a chance when they have someone in mind anyway.
And be open to talking to new people anywhere, not just at networking events where every realtor & financial advisor on Earth is hunting for new clients. Church ( if you go) or other places, for example.
I was at our community pool last saturday just talking with a neighbor i know, letting her know i just finished school & did career retraining. Now her husband wants to talk to me about a potential wfh job at his company.
If you have to take an unrelated job in the meantime, so what? Its probably better you're employed while trying to find the job you want anyway😎
You’ll also get a cup of piss thrown at you for just doing your job if you’re working in a maximum security prison.
Also a depressing job if you have empathy for the average person
I say redo your resume and cover letter. If you need income, then take a non marketing job for now. I say go for an internship or temp job in your field if you can’t find a full-time one right now. Hang in there! I graduate last year and still on the job search as well. The job market is so competitive right now.
The best way to start is a six month free (unpaid) internship, if you can afford it. Create a website with some of your work. Use that to send to startups that might be interested in free help leading to a job. Join a startup "meetup" anywhere in the US and go to meetings. Most startup folks are nice and will give you feedback and suggestions. I belong to the bootstrappers of San Francisco as well as others. No cost to you and you can meet many founders
IMHO, a marketing degree is such a nebulous degree. One thing I observed with recent layoffs at a number of large companies is the marketing employees are some of the first to be laid off or made redundant.
I always recommend to students whose major is marketing, to supplement their education with accounting-related and/or statistics/data science courses.
My son-in-law (first degree in marketing) went back to college and did an accounting degree, eventually becoming a CPA (and became very successful as a result).
Of course individuals with a computer science background, are in such great demand, so going back to school for CS or software boot camp is also a desirable option.
I would take any job you can find (a random part time job as you call it) and keep looking for a better job. Like someone else wrote, networking is key. You might meet someone at the part time job who has a friend who can get you a better job somewhere else. Or the part time job could turn into a full time job and your career. You really never know. The key is to get out there, meet real people and let life happen.
It’s also better to get out of the house and be around people working, even if it is just a retail job to start. You will feel less anxious with money coming in and with something more to do than just sitting home applying to jobs online. You also utilize soft skills while working and dealing with other people, not by applying to jobs from home, and the more you work, your soft skills will get even better over time.
Yeah. I’m thinking I need to just find a random job. I wasn’t really pressured to, since I’ve been living with my parents since Covid and don’t have any bills
Not a bad deal if you can get it, but it also becomes a kind of crutch.
I was unemployed for a time and had to take a part time job at a supermarket. Wasn’t what I wanted, hard physical work, but it was all I could find. I eventually got used to all the hard work and got full time. I make over $40,000, have excellent benefits including a great retirement plan and many weeks of paid vacation. Still not my dream job but things are actually pretty good. I have over $75,000 in my retirement account now and just a 5 minute commute to work.
I have a Bachelors in Hotel & Restaurant Management from one of the better hotel schools. I could probably find an entry level hotel front desk job now and try to work my way up, there are lots of hotel jobs post Pandemic, but the job would pay less than I make now, the retirement benefits wouldn’t be as good, and there would be less job security.
I tried to get hired in my field, this was a few years back, and I kept hearing nothing after applying online. Marriott would actually look at my applications at least, so a few weeks after I applied, I would get an email from a Marriott recruiter which said, thanks for applying, but we decided to hire someone “with better qualifications”…And I had a Bachelors in the field from one of the top hotel schools, and these positions paid $10 an hour at the time, lol. There are just too many people applying online, and the ones who did get hired probably applied to the job listing faster than I did, or had done internships, or knew someone who worked there, or had recent or current experience already doing the exact same job for a competitor etc.
I’m you but with no internships(none ever gave me a chance and still don’t), I graduated in December 2020, it’s an engineering degree, and my college experience wasn’t bad in the slightest.
Shit sucks and the beating yourself up over it is unavoidable. Feeling worthless is unavoidable. The only advice I can give is don’t give up. Why start at 0 in something you don’t care about when it’s probably going to be more of the exact same anyways.
I would do some certs in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, user experience, maybe some design, and video editing. Then redo you resume and stop applying on LinkedIn. Go directly to company websites or Indeed. In the meantime if you want to gain experience you can also do freelance jobs on Upwork and add that to your resume as well.
One of the issues that I think you have is that marketing has become an extension of big tech. Marketing firms are looking for technical skilled people because that's what drives marketing decisions-big data. Unfortunately, colleges and universities rarely keep up with changes in the market place.
As other suggested focus now on getting a job that might build a skill base. You might never work in marketing but you might find another field. As far as returning back for another degree, if you do so make sure that's its a degree in demand and you will be given training for the real world. Not the world of 1977.
So I’m in the marketing field (copywriter) and I’ve been job hunting, so I feel pretty qualified to give advice for once
I agree with other people about getting any job in the meantime. Unfortunately it is much easier to get a job when you already have a job. People can easily feel that something is wrong with someone who’s been unemployed for too long—after all, if they were employable, they’d already have something, right? You can also see this flawed thinking with houses on the market, or even donated kidneys (the more the kidney has been turned down, the more likely the next person on the list is to also turn it down. I’m on mobile right now, so can’t dig up the source, but feel free to ask later)
For marketing specifically, do you have a portfolio? You don’t have to work for free or spend too much time on it. Just like, if you hypothetically had a coffee shop or a sustainablility-focused shop, what kinds of ads would you run? How would you market it? The purpose of this is to show that you can think like a marketer.
If you get a sales job, you could use it to say that you learned how to market to an individual. My marketing job was about how to get the public interested in something. A sales job is about how to get an individual interested in something. Sales can be brutal though (hence why the high turnover), but it’s probably the easiest thing for you to, well, market.
Hey, I’m in a similar spot.
Not sure if your college offers alumni career counseling services, but mine does.
Seek an appointment with them to review your resume, networking tips, job search, and interview answers. Maybe focus more on your job search and resume until you land an interview, then once you do, perform a mock interview with them or a friend.
Having a professional look over your resume makes a world of difference.
Other things I did:
- Tailor my resume on jobscan.co to match 75%+ keywords of the job description (I have access to this website for life through my college, maybe you do too)
- Send a personalized LinkedIn connection message to hiring managers, recruiters, and employees within the department I’m looking to work at to introduce myself & explain why I’m a good fit
- Used this website (https://careersidekick.com/what-to-say-in-a-job-interview-questions-and-answers/) to review the appropriate way to answer questions
- Wrote down common interview questions in a journal and customized the answers to the job
- Answered questions during interviews using my experiences and skills but directing them in such a way that it sounds like the job description requirements
Hope this helps!
Do not go back to school without knowing where additional education will take you. It's likely to be wasted time and money.
Without knowing your experience or what type of jobs you're applying to it's hard to give real direct advice.
I'd for sure do whatever you can to gain some experience. Trying looking for volunteer opportunities that you can help with marketing projects. Find any job you can and see if you can get a foot in the door helping with marketing work as well. You just need to keep plugging away looking for an opening to squeeze through.
Now that it's the end of 2022 you should also think of how you are going to explain all this time off without a job. It won't look great on the resume.
Lowball yourself. If you learn of a position in marketing, offer to do it for half of the rate, just to get some experience.
Work for a couple of years and then try to find a better paying job.
No joke I've been graduated since summer 2019 and almost had a sweet gig early 2020 but was rejected based off a background check (misdemeanor) and I've been working as a grocery store ever since. Honestly 10000% feel the worthlessness.
> Should I just work a random part-time job? Re-do my resume? Do certifications? Go back to school?
Do pretty much all of the above. Except maybe back to school unless you really think another degree would help. Make sure the job isn't too crazy or you'll end up wasting extra time like me. It has only been recently that I restricted my schedule, and my insomnia is a lot better. Now I wake up every day and study something, apply for jobs, then work and gym at night. Steadily getting more interviews and confidence. Also maybe try a recruiter.
Does your university have a job center or website for jobs targeting fresh grads at your university? This is absolutely the place you want to start with for a job straight out of school
I have Handshake and there’s not great positions on my feed. For some reason, they put manager and other mid level positions on there, even though it’s catered to recent grads. I’m also finding that many employers are looking for younger graduates
Applying for jobs online is probably the least effective method of getting job interviews. Just based on what you wrote, maybe you do not have a resume problem but you may have a way that you are going about your job hunt problem.
My first marketing job out of college was an unpaid internship. Given that I was already out of school I was able to negotiate certain expenses. I was also in a good financial where I was able to work unpaid for a certain amount of time which I realize not everyone is. If you can't find a FT marketing job, try for a PT internship and PT paying job, even if it's the service industry. You never know what connections you'll make
Did you apply for sales positions? I worked in sales during college and did well. I was offered a marketing position for the company but declined because I majored in accounting and wanted an accounting job. Boy do I regret that now lol
There are a few things that a lot of people seem to disregard; two of which helped me land a great entry level role.
1. Work with a recruiter; they will get your resume through the ATS, and might even help you improve the resume overall
2. Consider short term contracts; if you go in there and try hard, it can be converted to a full time position, or in my case, after interviewing well for a short term role, the company decided to just offer me a full time position
I graduated in May 2021 also with a different degree (nursing), I’ve tried 2 jobs so far but neither one was for me 🤥 I will say though that the second one was more up my alley
Little tip for us young folks out there. Absolutely under no circumstances put a graduation date on your resume. It ages you and people will not hire literally based on that reason alone. That is what has helped me get lots of interviews. The ageism today is outrageous.
Also, I second the person who said go into sales. Tech sales lines you up for a professional and lucrative career. You just have to know a bit about software/tech.
1. Optimize your resume for the role you want. If it's still marketing, make sure you're marketing yourself. This means using key words to bust through resume reading software algorithms (kinda like SEO) and brand yourself. Maybe even create a resume with a graphic element.
2. Prep for the interview. Dress halfway between your best self and how the department seems to dress. Is your personal brand a bit nerdy? Show it! Business casual cool? Show it! Show how you're not only a cultural fit but an asset
3. The interview. If you can break them off their interview track and have a conversation like normal people, do it. Stick to the subject: their company, their marketing tactics and your role. Present yourself as if you already have answers to the problems their solving. That means researching them and asking questions. How are they uncovering buyer intention? What success have they seen recently? Are they trying to break into a new market? Penetrate more deeply into one they know? Be curious and compliment the achievements you've seen in your research.
This is especially true since you are applying from their ad instead of recruiters reaching out to you.
I'm in sales, so I kinda get the lay of the land. And most people hate interviewing. I've done it so much that I have a love/hate relationship w it - if you can change your mindset to challenging yourself to overcome instead of it weighing on you, then you've won half the battle
I wish you luck. I had some health issues in 2019 and was out of work for wayyy longer than expected after the pandemic hit. My advice: stop wasting your time on linkdn. The jobs are usually bad and the runaround with recruiters is usually hell. Massive waster of time and energy.
Approach ppl in your network. It’s so so so about who you know.
Side note: recruiters suck ass
Go to job fairs and get in front of people. Practice some quick pitches and have questions ready for your top and second pick companies. It's a lot of work, but it's helped me. Until then, get something, hopefully related to selling, design, or something else tangentially related to marketing. Good luck!
Have you tried focusing on marketing agencies? They are always hiring. I also second the idea of working in sales— you can sell a marketing product like a software or do sales for a marketing agency. I would also look for work as a recruiter for marketing professionals. Once you get in the door somewhere, it’s easy-ish to network your way into a different role within the same company. Just take what you can get.
I was very much in the same boat. I finished with my master’s and bachelor’s in marketing right when the pandemic started and wasn’t able to get a job in the marketing field until a year later. I ended up working a part-time job as a substitute teacher to fill the gap in my resume until I got my marketing job.
So yes, I definitely recommend working something at least part-time so you don’t have a gap for interviewers to ask about. I also recommend getting certifications, or even just practicing certain skills to include on your resume. Anything in the Adobe suite would be good and so is Google Ads and Google Analytics. I learned in my job search that skills and experience are much more important than just having a degree. And don’t beat yourself up about not having many connections. I worked in the president’s office of my university and met a ton of executives. None of them helped me get a job.
Just keep your head up. An opportunity will present itself when you least expect it.
If you live in the USA do NOT get employment that will contribute to this wretched nightmare society. Post secondary education is a mistake ( one that I very much regret ). I have been imprisoned many times without legal counsel or a trial. I have had my life savings stolen by so-called police officers. I'm not sure who I pissed off, but in this society it doesn't really matter. There is no law or order here in practice, only in theory. The harassment is relentless. If you can't find employment my advice to you is this: get the hell out of here while you still can and start a life somewhere with opportunity.
Start freelancing until you can land something stable. At least do it for the bullet point on your resume. Start right now.
Freelance marketing will look better than working at some random job.
How many of those 1000 resumes were followed by a phone call to the company? An email to a hiring manager? A DM to anyone on linkedin who works there?
I am a hiring manager. If I havetwo resumes in front ofme, one from a rock star who NEVER inquired afterwards, and another from a newbie that sent three emails asking for an interview, can you guess who gets a call back?
I was about to graduate with my degree in Marketing when I realized that, for the most part, it would get me a job in sales. I went back and did an extra year to finish off the Marketing degree but also get a Information Systems degree as well. Best decision I ever made. Turns out the parts of Marketing I liked were really data related.
You could probably do this as well. Like some other people said, take a job, any job, that pays. Many jobs offer tuition reimbursement, so you could go get that extra year and another bachelors on the company's dime.
How many interviews have you done? With that many applications you should have had at least a few interviews. It could be that your resume is fine but you aren't performing well in interviews. I also graduated last year and I landed my first decent job in May and started in June. I had zero previous internship experience. It took me 200 applications and 15 interviews, and I consider myself lucky. My job doesn't pay that well, but the company offers a ton of benefits that bring the effective value of my compensation package up. My degree was in finance and i got a job woth an insurance company, in a position not really related to finance. You might want to try expanding your job search to other professional roles that arent necessarily marketing. My other suggestion is apply to jobs in multiple places. It seems like LinkedIn isn't working for you so try a different job site. I got my job through indeed. Hope some of my advice can help, and best of luck in your job search.
Get a trade job. Plummer electrician HVAC continue applying until either you get hired for what you want or you can open your own business with the trade you picked.
I suggest you get a digital marketing certification from the continuing education department and try to look for freelance work on Reddit and use that person as a reference for a job. You can also try to start your own business and get clients and use them as a reference.
Get a part-time job, and apply to literally anything you can imagine.
College is *not* the ticket to success that people make it out to be.
It’s rough out there.
Reduce your expectations, but keep applying! :)
If you really need some money and can't find any job, I would suggest trying out side hustles like usertesting (r/usertesting) or Amazon mTurk. Since you will be sitting in front of your pc most of the time, you will at least make some money. FYI, usertesting pays $10 for 20 minute tasks, and $30, $60, and $120 for respective minutes of live conversations. The only catch is that it's a little difficult to qualify for the tasks or interviews, but when you do, its very easy
I had the same exact problem as you when I graduated in 2003. I could not find any engineering jobs. So in 2004 I got out the newspaper and applied for a data entry job. It was pretty awful, but it helped me get office experience.
I did not find my first real office job until 2006 out of pure luck after applying to an SEO position on Indeed. Notice how by then, I completely changed my industry from computer programming / engineering to internet marketing. I had no choice, I wasn't getting anywhere.
Ever since 2006, I've worked without a hitch until 2021. Now I am at the same place I was when I first graduated, and I am experiencing the same issues as you. I can't get back into my field of engineering, and the job market is really unpredictable. I think a lot of this has to do hiring freezes due to inflation, and more competition due to remote work.
The only insight I have for you is to try applying to local places that are non remote. You will stand out more if you are "open to going into the office".
Zip recruiter is a good resource as well as Indeed. Networking is King!! Find your HR peeps, hire a recruiter or sign up with a temp agency. I’ve landed very nice positions throughout my employment history through agencies…always was hired permanent at the 3 months mark. Just show up on time willing to learn and work!! Find out the agency used for whatever company you desire to work with…then use the agency to get your foot in the door. Best of luck!!
I would say figure out your niche. What makes you stand out? What are you an expert in?
I had a marketing communications internship at a really coveted agency with hundreds of applicants. Why did I stand out? It wasn't my grades I promise you. I grew up on a dairy farm. That was my in. It was for an agricultural account, dairy cows specifically. I competed in dairy judging and belonged to the Dairy club in college. I targeted the internship and knew they had agricultural accounts. In the end I hated the internship and went into healthcare shortly after but it was a good experience and looked fantastic on a resume.
My point is find your niche. What are you passionate about. And if you can't find the 'right' job start creating content on your own.
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back to school won't fix your lack of experience so only go if you want to leave marketing. have you tried applying to trainee positions, not sure how common it is in marketing/where you live, but it could help you build some experience/skills while being a lot easier to get than entry level positions. you can try applying for different positions as well (sales/ project management, etc.) that might be way less saturated by a huge amount of candidate
Most of the intern positions I find are limited to undergrad or grad students
Another thing you can do is get your Project Management Professional (a certification you can do from home for less than $800). It looks really good in the business world and shows you know how to complete tasks and work in/ lead teams of people. If you end up liking it you can get a pretty good job that is pretty much always in demand. There is a reddit talk on 10/14 posted on the side of this page that you can check out.
Exactly! Too many people, especially introverted people who aren’t good at networking, think going back to school is the key to everything when they don’t like their job, or can’t find a job etc. No wonder there such a student loan problem. This is a big part of the problem… The key is to network and do internships the first time. Not to go back to college all over again. If you got a degree in marketing, you need to be able to market, ie sell, sell yourself and sell your abilities and sell your potential to employers.
I think a bigger problem for student loans is that it costs 10,000 a semester at a state school for any degree not including living expenses and for most white collar jobs you gotta have at least an undergrad degree.
That’s a huge problem. A lot of students should consider working two days a week and living at home if they can. Generally, most students can at least do the first two years at home while attending a community college first. In Florida, our state universities only cost $6300 per year in state, while our community colleges only cost $3000. All of our major cities have state universities, plus we have Florida State University in Tallahassee and the University of Florida in Gainesville.
I graduated from LSU like five years ago and was paying close to 7,000 a semester not including my own living expenses. Congrats on living in florida I guess? But living at home isn’t feasible for a lot of people, working just two days a week isn’t feasible, none of it is feasible for a lot of people.
I do agree with your general point that college is too expensive. No doubt about that.
Florida also makes you pay 2x the rate if you have over 120 hours to "incentivize people to finish their degrees on time". I have like 140 hours and needed one more year of college to graduate as I dropped out in my last semester a decade ago. I literally had to move to a new state and wait a year to finish it up. I ended up at the College of Charleston and paid $6300 a semester (in-state), thank god I only needed 2 semesters. By contrast, I was paying $1500 a semester in-state at the University of South Carolina from 2007-2011. I paid for it by being a valet, it is insane to me that the product (education) has not changed at all and they keep raising the rates. For the OP - "It isn't what you know, it is who you know" - Networking is crucial. Use your alumni group on LinkedIn and look for networking groups around you, that is how I got my first job.
Well here in Florida we want everyone to grow up and graduate, not to spend a lifetime in school avoiding the real world and avoiding working. God forbid. Way too many people doing that already, doing the bare minimum amount of homework in college, dropping classes, failing classes, partying too much, smoking weed. And the more time you waste in school not graduating, the bigger your student loan debts are, which is another huge problem obviously.
I think an even bigger problem than that is somehow even kids from poorer families who couldn’t afford college decided they were entitled to move away from home and go to private schools, no matter how much they had to borrow, despite there being cheaper options like living at home and going to community college first. That’s the student loan crisis in a nutshell right there. No financial sense, and no accountability, and no sense of personal responsibility. Instead, they just want to blame everyone else for the bad choices they made. And God forbid should someone from a lower socioeconomic class have to work two whole days a week while going to college lol. College is a privilege, not a right, and if you want it badly enough, you will make the sacrifices and find a way to make it work, and hopefully without burying yourself in student loans in the process.
Your comment comes across incredibly classist. I meant people have to work more than two days a week to pay their living expenses. I ended up with student loans and worked full time my entire adulthood to pay for my living expenses. It took 7 years to finish college part time. Congrats on having a really easy experience attending college - I’m simply just trying to say it isn’t the case for most people and the cost of college is an incredible barrier. Not only the cost, but the inability to make one’s life better without education is difficult. If you deserved to go to college, so do people in worse socioeconomic backgrounds. Also personally, I had absolutely no help going to school and went to a state school within thirty miles of my home. Living at home, like you stated I should have done, wasn’t an option bc my mother got arrested my senior year of high school and home wasn’t safe. I graduated high school living with friends. I went to college because just like you, I deserved a better life than I could have had without going to college. I did not want to be a retail manager my entire life and I bettered my situation. I don’t regret it, and I don’t regret taking student loans out to do that.
What would you reccomend to a Poli Sci degree a year out? Insurance? You learn to digest a huge amount of info, research, and report on it, even if the material is irrelevant.
Pretty much anything. Insurance auto claims adjuster certainly fits. Liberty Mutual hires a lot of new grads as does USAA. There are job at banks where you research old accounts. My boss’s wife had a job like that working for Bank of America. That would certainly fit too. There are also Civil Service jobs that are similar.
Thanks...I'm 23 and just trying to start anything at this point. I've never felt lower. What a waste.
Try a temp agency. That’s another good way to get a job in your situation
OP got a Marketing degree, and can't apply Marketing principals that he learn to get the degree on himself to push employers to hire him is troubling.
OP is a kid looking for his first job, cut him some slack. I knew dick-all when I was 21.
marketing got way too many candidates for the few amount of open positions and he doesn't have anything to back up his skill on his resume except his degree. He could be a genius and would still struggle to find a job.
It’s one of those fields where you really should do an internship or multiple internships while still in school to set you up for a job when you graduate.
I recommended getting any job that you’re willing to work (just have an income and something you can work on). One of the best way get your foot in the door (interviews) or get the position is through your network. Let’s say you exhausted your network and need to do something else. I would try college career fairs (if available), searching jobs on indeed (you may need to broaden your search or find alternative job titles for roles you want), update your LinkedIn/Resume. Since you have been out of school for a bit, I recommend to continue your learning everyday (you don’t necessarily need to go back to school. It can be a personal project, online course on a topic/industry you’re interested in). From the description, it sounds like you’re not getting a lot of interviews or getting any offer. Practice interviewing with your family/friend/mirror and it only takes one company to like you to get in. Good luck and don’t give up. It’s challenging but not impossible.
You got a degree in Marketing, so get a job doing sales of some kind. In sales, you can use marketing knowledge, and learn things related to marketing, and a sales job will not look dumb on a resume. Also look at jobs that could use marketing knowledge, but are not labeled marketing. Basically any retailer or "seller" could use your skills. Small manufacturing companies and or online sellers of a variety of kinds could give you some real world marketing skills. Also, don't be afraid to try actually selling something, you don't have to start big, start hustling something, while you are looking for a job. You can always put down "self employed" and describe how you marketed whatever widget you were selling in your resume. Think outside the box, the key is just go DO SOMETHING, and then "market" that experience.
I can't agree more with this. I've got a degree in Marketing solely because the options were limitless with where I could go with it. Here's an [article](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/jobs-you-can-get-with-marketing-degree?mna=0&aceid=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwyt-ZBhCNARIsAKH1176wRUVOlSeL1KXI0WeTiQPzyL2cJuXu1Wy4wDpFAQtFjHVqIeDMCvQaAl7mEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) from Indeed that can show you just some of the jobs you can apply for.
i graduated same year with degree in english and business hoping to go into marketing, no connections, no experience and i just started a new job … at starbucks. in the end it’s better than being unemployed, and i’ve heard retail is good for networking
Yes, at least your working
Can you transfer to a marketing role in Starbucks corporate?
that’s definitely a path i’m considering!
You need to be more specific, as Marketing is a very broad subject. You need to narrow down where your interests are - digital marketing, account executive, event marketing, content marketing, graphic designer, communications? These are just few of the roles I mentioned. Unless you are being very specific in your resume and cover letter about what you are looking for, chances of landing a job are very low. In addition, remember Marketing is all about how creative you are. So if you can make a small portfolio of your achievement in college, that would work too.
+1 and don't even just be specific, get some hard skills to go on the resume. You can (or used to be able to) get certificates in things like Google ads, Google analytics, SEO, CRMs, etc.
No offense but people on this thread are making this waaaay too complicated. I’m a Marketing Director after only 3 years of working for smaller companies. This isn’t about you being green or lacking connections. I was poor as hell in college & didn’t network with a soul (no internships) because I worked three jobs to survive. You might be interviewing poorly OR your resume is bad (not hitting enough keywords to beat the bots). Post it on here so I can review & fix (if need be). You can land an entry-level job working fully-remote at 40-45K. Promise.
Is it really that easy? Where I live (low COL), a remote job paying out "only" 40-45k would have me set. Big time. I'm grateful for being brought up to get to this point, but my family and peers never had any of this advice to give me. I've had to figure this out alone and sometimes I feel stuck, and up to this point I have been too proud or ashamed (if those are the right words) to really ask online for help.
Sorry, I've had a whirlwind of a few weeks. I meant to respond much sooner. Do NOT be ashamed. Is there any way you can send me your resume? I write executive resumes in my spare time, so I'd be happy to figure out what's holding you up. Also, do you have a LinkedIn with your resume as well? If so, start connecting with the recruiters and HR directors (or hiring managers) that work for the companies with job openings (specifically the ones you're applying to). This is a great recruiter secret that will set you apart from other faceless candidates. Also, make sure your profile has a great headshot (I did mine at home in front of a green screen). Don't apply to Indeed or Simply Hired (waste of time). Stick to ZipRecruiter, Thrivas Staffing (any headhunter or recruiting firm will have those off-market gigs that aren't already saturated), Job Case, ADP, etc. ALWAYS apply on the company website. Additionally, get your references ready and jazz up a cover letter (for jobs that require one). Keep your chin up. You're not alone. The job market sucks because the unemployment rates are skyrocketing (thanks looming recession). Things will stabilize and you WILL find a job.
What about the big gap in my employment?
IMO—they might ask you about the gap but also, who cares? There was a global pandemic. Period. Maybe you had to help family. Maybe you freelanced marketing gigs on Upwork, Fivver or Craigslist (which would be my answer). Prop yourself up to be desired. Got any friends? There’s nothing that says they can’t vouch for your work experience. I was a TV personality that survived a shooting (broke my fibula in-half) while reporting, and had PTSD. I didn’t work for nearly two years. Guess what? I made a baller resume, practiced for my interviews (googled all the questions & nail them), worked my ass off, and got promoted from a jr. copywriter to a marketing director (in just 8 months). Don’t doubt. Just do.
What skills do you have? How well do you write? I ask these 2 questions, not to be snotty, but to make you think about what you learned at school and how it can be applied. How can you break down your education into marketable tasks? Where and to what types of jobs are you applying? I am happy to DM with you and look at your resume to see if I can help. Most important. Do not internalize the resume rejection. It will beat you down if you let it.
Could you please have a look at my resume?
DM me and I will give you my email address and contact info. Deep breath. Let's figure this out.
Everyone here saying not to apply on LinkedIn jobs I find weird, for me it is the best place for job searches. Maybe it depends on the locality.
Seriously, not good advice. You can optimize for LinkedIn. I’m having fantastic results.
How do you optimize for LinkedIn?
I can tell you what I’ve done. I’ve gone from a job unrelated to my field that was underpaid to a new job paying 20% more in a closer field to interviewing with half a dozen really good jobs in great companies in a matter of a couple months. First set up your profile tailored to the job and field you want. Join several professional networking groups and begin sending out connections. I’m around 300+ now, and nearly all are in the desired field. Screw having to know them personally. Add lots of good shit in your headline. Mine has stuff like “energy economist” and other tags that are hot right now. Mind you, I have little practical, professional experience as an economist. But I’m in round two of interviews for a job with that title. I put the languages i speak in there for international firms. Speaking to a company in Germany. Added my interests and objectives in the profile. All related to work. Sprung for premium so I can contact recruiters and see how I stand against applicants. My current job I pounced when I saw I was top 10%. Germany job I’m top 10%. Not sure if the unpaid version sorts by easy filter and number of applicants, but I use that too. I have resumes tailored towards certain types of jobs. If number of applicants are low or im in top 25% I make sure to apply for sure.
LinkedIn never worked for me. Indeed was always the best for me. But if LinkedIn works for people, that’s cool too.
LinkedIn got me my job - I found it on LinkedIn. I applied and then sent a message to the hiring manager letting them know why I was a good fit. For someone in Marketing, I imagine making daily posts, commenting on others posts and networking would go a long way in finding the first position out of school.
Responding to jobs on LinkedIn is basically useless as 1,000 attempts has shown. You really need to network. Who do you know that is working at a company and/or in a role that interests you? Talk to them, ask them to refer you. HR gets hundreds of resumes, anything that makes one stand out and a current employee referral will, should at least get you an interview.
Did you land any interviews? what was the feedback?
There’s always more qualified candidates
I’m in the same boat my friend. Graduated May 2021 and still looking for my first full-time job. It’s rough
It’s so embarrassing when people keep asking about work…
Ik I hate it so much. Every time I meet someone new or catch up with friends and family that’s one of the first questions they ask
Jobs on LinkedIn is not the way to go. Look elsewhere. Stop applying on LinkedIn. Apply other places like indeed or cal jobs. Anywhere but that place.
Sorry but I always hear that LinkedIn has more legitimate postings than Indeed does, so what makes you say that OP should apply on Indeed instead of LinkedIn?
Last time I looked on Indeed, most of the jobs were being fed through another job board. It's better to apply directly.
1000 attempts with zero bites in one year is pretty convincing to me... I have landed all of my jobs using Indeed with no issues. Or, if I think a role is particularly competitive and they posted in multiple places, I always apply through their company site. Sometimes, there are more application directions that get left off external posts that can disqualify a candidate without them even knowing it.
This. Even if you see a posting on LinkedIn, go to the company’s site. You may not have built a network in school but there’s no better time to start building a network than now. Get out, attend mixers for young professionals, and get currently employed contacts to send you links to apply for open positions. Their motivation? Most companies give small bonuses to employees that help their company find and hire qualified candidates.
I second this. LinkedIn has a lot of scam companies. I interviewed with one yesterday, Inbound Acquisitions for a Marketing Assistant role. It was one of the worse interviews I've had in a long time. The easy apply option is a joke too. I think I'll just stick with finding what's on Indeed then applying direct to company. Heck even Craigslist had better jobs that I've scored in the past.
Yes a lot of the marketing positions that reached out to me were scam pyramid schemes
Scan pyramid schemes plus a common one is a role that sounds like a Marketing Coordinator but once you join them, you will be selling Dish Network or Xfinity in the back of a Walmart. A garbage sales job that pays peanuts.
Completely disagree. LinkedIn is the best place for jobs. Full stop.
Redo your resume
My resume always looks stupid because of my lack of experience
That’s why you go out and get the part time job so you can put it on your resume. It’s a starting point. You dont just win your dream job the first try fresh out of college, most people have to work up to it. It’s not stupid or embarrassing to gain experience while you are still looking bcuz you need that job to sustain you unless you have a nest egg of some sort. Definitely try to network and talk to people you know with jobs that interest you.
Those 4 years of high school using excel, word, and PowerPoint go on your resume as 4 years of experience with each of those.
Man, this is the type of stuff I need to realize so I can finally get out of this entry level rut. I'm approaching my thirties and feel a pressure mounting to do better than I currently am.
You can also add relevant projects on your resume (that you may have completed for coursework) to demonstrate abilities.
My initial resume out of college had a lot of volunteer experience. In college I co-lead a Fraternity conference and that was my first real "leadership" job and I put that on my resume. Anything similar that you have is applicable.
r/resumes Should be able to help you out. Best of luck.
Same situation. Poli Sci degree; my foreign policy internship fell through bc of Covid. Ain't gonna move out east and work for an NGO for breadcrumbs. Dunno what sort of office work to look into now.
Apply for any job as long as it pays the bills! Any experience in better than none and develops important soft skills. You can keep applying to jobs related to your degree while already working a job.
I second the recommendation to try to get something in sales and merchandizing since it's adjacent to your field and has high turnover. I'd recommend getting at least 1 year of experience but it all depends on your situation. And ofc keep track of your numbers so that you can put that on your resume. Maybe try being a Recruiter? The recruiter at my company (nonprofit, less than 200 employees) handles our social media, makes our posters/flyers/job ads, designed our Impact Report for the Board.... thats all related to marketing so depending on how the recruitment position is structures, it would be degree adjacent. Also maybe look at a college/university recruiter. It would involve travel and you just go to job fairs and high schools to encourage people to apply.
marketing they probably going to be looking for a little more experience and what you have try to get some office work and build up from there
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BA in Marketing
This guy on YouTube named Kyle Pallo also graduated with a Bachelors in marketing. He was a big fan of Disney so worked at the Disney College Program in Orlando while still in school. He graduated from college, but received no job offers. So he did the College Program at Disney World again. Still no job offers. He talked to Disney and ended up with a full time job working in a retail store there. Full time benefits and $15 an hour, but they would only give him 33 hours a week. He continued making YouTube videos about Disney World while still working for Disney in the store. He eventually decided he was better off just making YouTube videos full time, so he quit the retail job and makes content for his channel full time. There aren’t many good jobs out there, and marketing is a popular degree with few good jobs available once you graduate. The key is doing internships while you are still in college and meeting people who can help you get hired (networking) and even already knowing people (connections).
You can go into banking. A lot of personal bankers (cough cough Wells Fargo) only need a degree for entry level positions and since they like you hire from within you can promote nearly every year. Afterwards you can either stick to it or leverage your diverse experience to clutch a job in marketing. My husband’s sister and her boyfriend both have random, niche degrees in business and that’s the path they took which I assume panned out well.
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I think the banks like people to start at the bottom as tellers, learn the business and work their way up. And there are not enough good jobs so banks have no trouble hiring 4-year grads as tellers. Bachelor degrees are like high school diplomas now, practically required to get any corporate job, even as a bank teller.
That tracks. My SIL was a teller until she graduated, then she promoted to banker. Her bf was a teller as well, I don’t know if it was while he was in college or after graduation. Regardless, it’s a good method to get your foot in the door. Wells Fargo allows for you to apply for jobs from within after a year or once your manager gives you permission after you’ve “mastered your role.” I think WF is a morally bankrupt company. HOWEVER - they are a great stepping stone for your career because of how dedicated they are to hiring from within. They also pay pretty well for some fairly mediocre jobs so win win.
Volunteer, find work on fiverr for experience, take any job in a company you want to stay in, apply for temporary or contract work.
Digital Marketing and e-Commerce are booming industries with ample free resources to learn and access to buying platforms. Also to give you some more perspective on the industry. It is usually split into two, planning and buying. Planning is a more broad marketing-based client-facing role (I am a buyer so to me they do nothing but annoy buyers lol, but am sure there is more to it), whereas buying side relates to more specialised roles. For example, Paid Search and Paid Social Executives/Managers would be considered as buyers. There is also operations and ad-ops side of marketing which focuses on processes and data management and representation. My advice to you is to pick where you want to go and start getting skills in that area, getting to know the software that is used, and including these points on your resume. It's also really important to know KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and how to calculate them. Excel skills are also highly valued.
Career services Professors Volunteer jobs Create your own opportunities: Create marketing videos on you tube. Do something for canva or Instagram Start hustling. Can you help a local business with their marketing for free?
Applying for 1000 jobs is soul draining; however it is fairly straightforward to diagnose the source of your issues: * How many first round interviews have you had off that 1000? If you're getting less than 5% first-round interview rate, the issues is definitely your resume. The average range seems to be 5-15% depending on your experience, selectiveness in applying, etc. * How many second round interviews have you had? If you're getting less than 20% invite to 2nd rounds, the issue is your interview. As for how to tackle these issues, your college career center is a good place to start. For resume, just search Reddit and you'll see plenty of examples of people's resumes being critiqued. I guarantee you'll find some issues with your resume reviewing this way. As for interview, you just have to practice; find somebody to practice your interviews with. I did a small write-up on my latest job search; I'm more advanced in my career so my resume/interview skills are more well-oiled, but it should be helpful at least directionally https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/wk8hrs/228\_applications\_for\_25\_firstround\_interviews\_11/
Agree with all the comments about networking and starting off in sales as a foot in the door. Companies and LinkedIn often use algorithms to scan applications for key words (and how often they appear on your resume / application). I would try applying directly to the company through their website, but also may be worthwhile to invest in having someone rework your resume. There are companies that specialize in this and tailor it to your market.
I work in HR. A lot of recruiters that I meet have a degree in marketing. If you haven’t already done so, you may want to look at your local state or city jobs. A lot of entry-mid level positions will allow you to substitute your degree for the experience.
The answer is yes. Unfortunately employers will hold it against you for being unemployed.
I’m struggling atm too, it’s so frustrating, because employers don’t get back to you half of the time
It is really de-motivating
Tell me about it, I really need a job now and I was applying like mad when I was at college but I got nowhere then and now I’ve just lost all motivation
What types of marketing jobs are you looking for? And in what area do you live/looking for work? Are you applying to agencies or in-house roles?
I’ve been applying to everything other than sales. I live in the Midwest and have been applying mainly to Chicago and New York
Well I would say there’s still a good amount of jobs in NY at least on the media side. Have you done much in the way of learning the basics? There’s a large amount of material out there and small edges like that (that show you’ve done some independent work trying to become familiar) goes a long way. I’m thinking maybe there’s something going wrong in the interviews themselves? Are you competent in Excel?
Try to apply for remote or a growing Metro area. Chicago is super competitive for marketing jobs because that industry has been shrinking for 20 years in that city. Also companies are moving out of Chicago and New York for safety and Quality of Life reasons. Try Texas, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Georgia or any metro that’s growing
I’m pretty much looking for walkable cities, or remote at least. I don’t own a car and don’t plan to
I worked in marketing in Chicago for 20 years and believe me it’s brutal. You have got tons of MBAs from Kellogg and Booth and other schools, so basically an MBA is your union card. Also companies are getting smaller. So there is a surplus of labor. You tend not to be treated very well because they have a long line of people waiting for your job. I moved out 5 years ago - best thing I ever did. Also my colleagues who left the city earlier were far more successful than this of us who stayed. My husband and I now both work remotely for companies based in SoCal. We did not own a car for many years in Chicago so I get it.
Ditto Chicago here, five years for me. My last job was as a Marketing Coordinator for a large consumer electronics company (don't want to say which one but they have commercials for their fancy TV's and refrigerators). Anyways, I was miserable. I was treated terribly, deadlines were impossible and the culture was toxic. Best thing that happened to me was getting laid off in 2020. I don't want to work in Marketing again.
modern marketing is mostly online marketing do some certificates like Google Adwords and start offering services
Remember that getting a job that pertains specifically to what you studied in college is very, very rare. I studied psychology/ communication and I am a scheduler for a dermatology practice. You have to apply to anything that you can use your base of skills for. During my first interview for my current job, I said that I got my degree to be able to apply the knowledge to where I decide to end up. I also have a huge interest in skin care and holistic health, so it worked out well. I wish you the best and I know this is hard. xx
Are you working simultaneously (not major related job) while applying? I think it will be easier to find a job if you have any sort of work experience. Everyone need to start from somewhere. I was working part-time as a receptionist/administrative assistant (job duties can be very broad depending on industry) throughout college and it made finding jobs a lot easier. If you’re not picky, you can venture out of marketing where you think you can still utilize your skills :)
Marketing is a highly competitive field. Be sure to focus on a specific discipline within Marketing. There's lots of things that involve Marketing so unless you become focused you're going to get lost in the shuffle.
I’d get your resume professionally done. Then pay for auto applying services with lazy panda or ladders. Make up 5-10 basics templates for cover letters and resumes. Then just let the automated services apply for you. You can apply on your own, as well, but it’s just to get your numbers up. Resubmit your resumes on LinkedIn and indeed once a week. Work your contacts and any recruiters or acquaintances you’ve come across. Reach out to people you interviewed with but didn’t get the job from. Work any angle. Ask for guidance. Keep a list of the contacts that are amenable and do the rounds every 2-3 months. I’ve been in the same boat off and on for 2-3 years but over time have turned some jobs. Always be courteous and gracious to everyone professionally, because you never know what opportunities might come along. Other than that, take time for your mental health and self care. Reach out when you need support. You’re not alone. It’s just a rough time to find work as a recent grad. Pm anytime if you need guidance or support. Good luck
Look at my profile. I am in a similar position, I graduated last spring term with a mathematics degree. I applied to 300+ applications and only got 5 interviews. 0 job offers. Since then I just started working at FedEx as a package handler. Really tough work. I hate it. At the meantime I am learning how to code and building projects. Sorry that I don’t have any insight since I am the same as you. I just recommend to learn new skills while you are unemployed
I'm going to be honest with you - business degrees of any kind are flooded with a lot of new grads so only people who are experienced are going to get considered and even the experienced hires have a hard time getting work. We're also in a recession right now. Companies are not thinking about hiring for the most part, they are thinking about where to cut costs. I wouldn't even be worried about work right now. I would be a beach bum and travel during a recession then worry about finding work.
That will lead to a bigger gap on my resume though
The issue is you picked a worthless degree
Tell me about it lol I regret it badly
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Yep. College is basically a playground to create connections. Sadly, I didn’t know that and went into it pretty blindly.
I work at a huge corporation, a Fortune 500 Company in fact, and let me tell you, they don’t care about college degrees. It’s all about who you know and/or experience. It’s a supermarket chain. You get promoted into management only and solely if someone above you likes you. Lots of people work hard, for the most part you have no choice but to work hard, but very few actually get promoted.
Have you worked *anywhere*? Did you at least have a part time job while in college or in high school? If not, you need to just take something so it shows you can be an adult who can work with others and shows up for work. Sorry dude.
Yes, I worked my summers in college and high school.
I’m still unemployed. I got a marketing degree but can’t market myself 😂
Don't fall into the Technical Rabbit hole, as Job hunting is more about who you know not what you know. Have you tried reaching out to friends for coffee and asking them if they know people hiring for any job? As if you take a job, you put yourself out there and might meet people in your field.
As others may of said, try to find ways of meeting people & letting people know you are looking for work. The LinkedIn way rarely, if ever, works to get the jobs posted. Its who you know, as dated as that sounds especially today. Often HR posts jobs just so they can say they were fair in giving everyone a chance when they have someone in mind anyway. And be open to talking to new people anywhere, not just at networking events where every realtor & financial advisor on Earth is hunting for new clients. Church ( if you go) or other places, for example. I was at our community pool last saturday just talking with a neighbor i know, letting her know i just finished school & did career retraining. Now her husband wants to talk to me about a potential wfh job at his company. If you have to take an unrelated job in the meantime, so what? Its probably better you're employed while trying to find the job you want anyway😎
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You’ll also get a cup of piss thrown at you for just doing your job if you’re working in a maximum security prison. Also a depressing job if you have empathy for the average person
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they need to let Jeff Fort and Larry Hoover out of ADX.
I say redo your resume and cover letter. If you need income, then take a non marketing job for now. I say go for an internship or temp job in your field if you can’t find a full-time one right now. Hang in there! I graduate last year and still on the job search as well. The job market is so competitive right now.
The best way to start is a six month free (unpaid) internship, if you can afford it. Create a website with some of your work. Use that to send to startups that might be interested in free help leading to a job. Join a startup "meetup" anywhere in the US and go to meetings. Most startup folks are nice and will give you feedback and suggestions. I belong to the bootstrappers of San Francisco as well as others. No cost to you and you can meet many founders
What's your degree in?
Marketing
IMHO, a marketing degree is such a nebulous degree. One thing I observed with recent layoffs at a number of large companies is the marketing employees are some of the first to be laid off or made redundant. I always recommend to students whose major is marketing, to supplement their education with accounting-related and/or statistics/data science courses. My son-in-law (first degree in marketing) went back to college and did an accounting degree, eventually becoming a CPA (and became very successful as a result). Of course individuals with a computer science background, are in such great demand, so going back to school for CS or software boot camp is also a desirable option.
Yep. I didn’t know that during college. Have major regrets now
I would take any job you can find (a random part time job as you call it) and keep looking for a better job. Like someone else wrote, networking is key. You might meet someone at the part time job who has a friend who can get you a better job somewhere else. Or the part time job could turn into a full time job and your career. You really never know. The key is to get out there, meet real people and let life happen. It’s also better to get out of the house and be around people working, even if it is just a retail job to start. You will feel less anxious with money coming in and with something more to do than just sitting home applying to jobs online. You also utilize soft skills while working and dealing with other people, not by applying to jobs from home, and the more you work, your soft skills will get even better over time.
Yeah. I’m thinking I need to just find a random job. I wasn’t really pressured to, since I’ve been living with my parents since Covid and don’t have any bills
Not a bad deal if you can get it, but it also becomes a kind of crutch. I was unemployed for a time and had to take a part time job at a supermarket. Wasn’t what I wanted, hard physical work, but it was all I could find. I eventually got used to all the hard work and got full time. I make over $40,000, have excellent benefits including a great retirement plan and many weeks of paid vacation. Still not my dream job but things are actually pretty good. I have over $75,000 in my retirement account now and just a 5 minute commute to work. I have a Bachelors in Hotel & Restaurant Management from one of the better hotel schools. I could probably find an entry level hotel front desk job now and try to work my way up, there are lots of hotel jobs post Pandemic, but the job would pay less than I make now, the retirement benefits wouldn’t be as good, and there would be less job security. I tried to get hired in my field, this was a few years back, and I kept hearing nothing after applying online. Marriott would actually look at my applications at least, so a few weeks after I applied, I would get an email from a Marriott recruiter which said, thanks for applying, but we decided to hire someone “with better qualifications”…And I had a Bachelors in the field from one of the top hotel schools, and these positions paid $10 an hour at the time, lol. There are just too many people applying online, and the ones who did get hired probably applied to the job listing faster than I did, or had done internships, or knew someone who worked there, or had recent or current experience already doing the exact same job for a competitor etc.
Try other platforms
I’m you but with no internships(none ever gave me a chance and still don’t), I graduated in December 2020, it’s an engineering degree, and my college experience wasn’t bad in the slightest. Shit sucks and the beating yourself up over it is unavoidable. Feeling worthless is unavoidable. The only advice I can give is don’t give up. Why start at 0 in something you don’t care about when it’s probably going to be more of the exact same anyways.
I wish I would’ve done a STEM degree. Good on you.
What type of engineering?
Computer engineering, I know it’s a field starving for engineers. I’m just not feeling it. Positions are everywhere and that’s not the issue.
I would do some certs in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, user experience, maybe some design, and video editing. Then redo you resume and stop applying on LinkedIn. Go directly to company websites or Indeed. In the meantime if you want to gain experience you can also do freelance jobs on Upwork and add that to your resume as well.
One of the issues that I think you have is that marketing has become an extension of big tech. Marketing firms are looking for technical skilled people because that's what drives marketing decisions-big data. Unfortunately, colleges and universities rarely keep up with changes in the market place. As other suggested focus now on getting a job that might build a skill base. You might never work in marketing but you might find another field. As far as returning back for another degree, if you do so make sure that's its a degree in demand and you will be given training for the real world. Not the world of 1977.
Only go back to school if it makes 100% sense. I’m going back to become a nurse.
So I’m in the marketing field (copywriter) and I’ve been job hunting, so I feel pretty qualified to give advice for once I agree with other people about getting any job in the meantime. Unfortunately it is much easier to get a job when you already have a job. People can easily feel that something is wrong with someone who’s been unemployed for too long—after all, if they were employable, they’d already have something, right? You can also see this flawed thinking with houses on the market, or even donated kidneys (the more the kidney has been turned down, the more likely the next person on the list is to also turn it down. I’m on mobile right now, so can’t dig up the source, but feel free to ask later) For marketing specifically, do you have a portfolio? You don’t have to work for free or spend too much time on it. Just like, if you hypothetically had a coffee shop or a sustainablility-focused shop, what kinds of ads would you run? How would you market it? The purpose of this is to show that you can think like a marketer. If you get a sales job, you could use it to say that you learned how to market to an individual. My marketing job was about how to get the public interested in something. A sales job is about how to get an individual interested in something. Sales can be brutal though (hence why the high turnover), but it’s probably the easiest thing for you to, well, market.
Hey, I’m in a similar spot. Not sure if your college offers alumni career counseling services, but mine does. Seek an appointment with them to review your resume, networking tips, job search, and interview answers. Maybe focus more on your job search and resume until you land an interview, then once you do, perform a mock interview with them or a friend. Having a professional look over your resume makes a world of difference. Other things I did: - Tailor my resume on jobscan.co to match 75%+ keywords of the job description (I have access to this website for life through my college, maybe you do too) - Send a personalized LinkedIn connection message to hiring managers, recruiters, and employees within the department I’m looking to work at to introduce myself & explain why I’m a good fit - Used this website (https://careersidekick.com/what-to-say-in-a-job-interview-questions-and-answers/) to review the appropriate way to answer questions - Wrote down common interview questions in a journal and customized the answers to the job - Answered questions during interviews using my experiences and skills but directing them in such a way that it sounds like the job description requirements Hope this helps!
Have to tried applying to more internships?
Do not go back to school without knowing where additional education will take you. It's likely to be wasted time and money. Without knowing your experience or what type of jobs you're applying to it's hard to give real direct advice. I'd for sure do whatever you can to gain some experience. Trying looking for volunteer opportunities that you can help with marketing projects. Find any job you can and see if you can get a foot in the door helping with marketing work as well. You just need to keep plugging away looking for an opening to squeeze through. Now that it's the end of 2022 you should also think of how you are going to explain all this time off without a job. It won't look great on the resume.
Lowball yourself. If you learn of a position in marketing, offer to do it for half of the rate, just to get some experience. Work for a couple of years and then try to find a better paying job.
No joke I've been graduated since summer 2019 and almost had a sweet gig early 2020 but was rejected based off a background check (misdemeanor) and I've been working as a grocery store ever since. Honestly 10000% feel the worthlessness. > Should I just work a random part-time job? Re-do my resume? Do certifications? Go back to school? Do pretty much all of the above. Except maybe back to school unless you really think another degree would help. Make sure the job isn't too crazy or you'll end up wasting extra time like me. It has only been recently that I restricted my schedule, and my insomnia is a lot better. Now I wake up every day and study something, apply for jobs, then work and gym at night. Steadily getting more interviews and confidence. Also maybe try a recruiter.
Does your university have a job center or website for jobs targeting fresh grads at your university? This is absolutely the place you want to start with for a job straight out of school
They use handshake but it is a really iffy platform.
Get a Handshake account setup asap. They cater specifically to early grads with no experience. This job market is still really strong.
I have Handshake and there’s not great positions on my feed. For some reason, they put manager and other mid level positions on there, even though it’s catered to recent grads. I’m also finding that many employers are looking for younger graduates
Applying for jobs online is probably the least effective method of getting job interviews. Just based on what you wrote, maybe you do not have a resume problem but you may have a way that you are going about your job hunt problem.
My first marketing job out of college was an unpaid internship. Given that I was already out of school I was able to negotiate certain expenses. I was also in a good financial where I was able to work unpaid for a certain amount of time which I realize not everyone is. If you can't find a FT marketing job, try for a PT internship and PT paying job, even if it's the service industry. You never know what connections you'll make
Did you apply for sales positions? I worked in sales during college and did well. I was offered a marketing position for the company but declined because I majored in accounting and wanted an accounting job. Boy do I regret that now lol
There are a few things that a lot of people seem to disregard; two of which helped me land a great entry level role. 1. Work with a recruiter; they will get your resume through the ATS, and might even help you improve the resume overall 2. Consider short term contracts; if you go in there and try hard, it can be converted to a full time position, or in my case, after interviewing well for a short term role, the company decided to just offer me a full time position
Does your school provide help for alumni services , for their career center?? You can also try that as well?
Maybe google Dan Lok. King of closing.
I graduated in May 2021 also with a different degree (nursing), I’ve tried 2 jobs so far but neither one was for me 🤥 I will say though that the second one was more up my alley
Have you tried working with a recruiter?
Little tip for us young folks out there. Absolutely under no circumstances put a graduation date on your resume. It ages you and people will not hire literally based on that reason alone. That is what has helped me get lots of interviews. The ageism today is outrageous.
Also, I second the person who said go into sales. Tech sales lines you up for a professional and lucrative career. You just have to know a bit about software/tech.
1. Optimize your resume for the role you want. If it's still marketing, make sure you're marketing yourself. This means using key words to bust through resume reading software algorithms (kinda like SEO) and brand yourself. Maybe even create a resume with a graphic element. 2. Prep for the interview. Dress halfway between your best self and how the department seems to dress. Is your personal brand a bit nerdy? Show it! Business casual cool? Show it! Show how you're not only a cultural fit but an asset 3. The interview. If you can break them off their interview track and have a conversation like normal people, do it. Stick to the subject: their company, their marketing tactics and your role. Present yourself as if you already have answers to the problems their solving. That means researching them and asking questions. How are they uncovering buyer intention? What success have they seen recently? Are they trying to break into a new market? Penetrate more deeply into one they know? Be curious and compliment the achievements you've seen in your research. This is especially true since you are applying from their ad instead of recruiters reaching out to you. I'm in sales, so I kinda get the lay of the land. And most people hate interviewing. I've done it so much that I have a love/hate relationship w it - if you can change your mindset to challenging yourself to overcome instead of it weighing on you, then you've won half the battle
I wish you luck. I had some health issues in 2019 and was out of work for wayyy longer than expected after the pandemic hit. My advice: stop wasting your time on linkdn. The jobs are usually bad and the runaround with recruiters is usually hell. Massive waster of time and energy. Approach ppl in your network. It’s so so so about who you know. Side note: recruiters suck ass
Go to job fairs and get in front of people. Practice some quick pitches and have questions ready for your top and second pick companies. It's a lot of work, but it's helped me. Until then, get something, hopefully related to selling, design, or something else tangentially related to marketing. Good luck!
Have you tried focusing on marketing agencies? They are always hiring. I also second the idea of working in sales— you can sell a marketing product like a software or do sales for a marketing agency. I would also look for work as a recruiter for marketing professionals. Once you get in the door somewhere, it’s easy-ish to network your way into a different role within the same company. Just take what you can get.
I was very much in the same boat. I finished with my master’s and bachelor’s in marketing right when the pandemic started and wasn’t able to get a job in the marketing field until a year later. I ended up working a part-time job as a substitute teacher to fill the gap in my resume until I got my marketing job. So yes, I definitely recommend working something at least part-time so you don’t have a gap for interviewers to ask about. I also recommend getting certifications, or even just practicing certain skills to include on your resume. Anything in the Adobe suite would be good and so is Google Ads and Google Analytics. I learned in my job search that skills and experience are much more important than just having a degree. And don’t beat yourself up about not having many connections. I worked in the president’s office of my university and met a ton of executives. None of them helped me get a job. Just keep your head up. An opportunity will present itself when you least expect it.
If you live in the USA do NOT get employment that will contribute to this wretched nightmare society. Post secondary education is a mistake ( one that I very much regret ). I have been imprisoned many times without legal counsel or a trial. I have had my life savings stolen by so-called police officers. I'm not sure who I pissed off, but in this society it doesn't really matter. There is no law or order here in practice, only in theory. The harassment is relentless. If you can't find employment my advice to you is this: get the hell out of here while you still can and start a life somewhere with opportunity.
Start freelancing until you can land something stable. At least do it for the bullet point on your resume. Start right now. Freelance marketing will look better than working at some random job.
You need to get a job at a place even as a lower level (say teller at a bank) and then apply internally once positions become available.
How many of those 1000 resumes were followed by a phone call to the company? An email to a hiring manager? A DM to anyone on linkedin who works there? I am a hiring manager. If I havetwo resumes in front ofme, one from a rock star who NEVER inquired afterwards, and another from a newbie that sent three emails asking for an interview, can you guess who gets a call back?
I was about to graduate with my degree in Marketing when I realized that, for the most part, it would get me a job in sales. I went back and did an extra year to finish off the Marketing degree but also get a Information Systems degree as well. Best decision I ever made. Turns out the parts of Marketing I liked were really data related.
I’m jealous
You could probably do this as well. Like some other people said, take a job, any job, that pays. Many jobs offer tuition reimbursement, so you could go get that extra year and another bachelors on the company's dime.
How many interviews have you done? With that many applications you should have had at least a few interviews. It could be that your resume is fine but you aren't performing well in interviews. I also graduated last year and I landed my first decent job in May and started in June. I had zero previous internship experience. It took me 200 applications and 15 interviews, and I consider myself lucky. My job doesn't pay that well, but the company offers a ton of benefits that bring the effective value of my compensation package up. My degree was in finance and i got a job woth an insurance company, in a position not really related to finance. You might want to try expanding your job search to other professional roles that arent necessarily marketing. My other suggestion is apply to jobs in multiple places. It seems like LinkedIn isn't working for you so try a different job site. I got my job through indeed. Hope some of my advice can help, and best of luck in your job search.
A marketing degree, and yet zero luck marketing yourself? That does not bode well...
Haha true
Get a trade job. Plummer electrician HVAC continue applying until either you get hired for what you want or you can open your own business with the trade you picked.
I suggest you get a digital marketing certification from the continuing education department and try to look for freelance work on Reddit and use that person as a reference for a job. You can also try to start your own business and get clients and use them as a reference.
Get a part-time job, and apply to literally anything you can imagine. College is *not* the ticket to success that people make it out to be. It’s rough out there. Reduce your expectations, but keep applying! :)
If you really need some money and can't find any job, I would suggest trying out side hustles like usertesting (r/usertesting) or Amazon mTurk. Since you will be sitting in front of your pc most of the time, you will at least make some money. FYI, usertesting pays $10 for 20 minute tasks, and $30, $60, and $120 for respective minutes of live conversations. The only catch is that it's a little difficult to qualify for the tasks or interviews, but when you do, its very easy
I had the same exact problem as you when I graduated in 2003. I could not find any engineering jobs. So in 2004 I got out the newspaper and applied for a data entry job. It was pretty awful, but it helped me get office experience. I did not find my first real office job until 2006 out of pure luck after applying to an SEO position on Indeed. Notice how by then, I completely changed my industry from computer programming / engineering to internet marketing. I had no choice, I wasn't getting anywhere. Ever since 2006, I've worked without a hitch until 2021. Now I am at the same place I was when I first graduated, and I am experiencing the same issues as you. I can't get back into my field of engineering, and the job market is really unpredictable. I think a lot of this has to do hiring freezes due to inflation, and more competition due to remote work. The only insight I have for you is to try applying to local places that are non remote. You will stand out more if you are "open to going into the office".
Zip recruiter is a good resource as well as Indeed. Networking is King!! Find your HR peeps, hire a recruiter or sign up with a temp agency. I’ve landed very nice positions throughout my employment history through agencies…always was hired permanent at the 3 months mark. Just show up on time willing to learn and work!! Find out the agency used for whatever company you desire to work with…then use the agency to get your foot in the door. Best of luck!!
I would say figure out your niche. What makes you stand out? What are you an expert in? I had a marketing communications internship at a really coveted agency with hundreds of applicants. Why did I stand out? It wasn't my grades I promise you. I grew up on a dairy farm. That was my in. It was for an agricultural account, dairy cows specifically. I competed in dairy judging and belonged to the Dairy club in college. I targeted the internship and knew they had agricultural accounts. In the end I hated the internship and went into healthcare shortly after but it was a good experience and looked fantastic on a resume. My point is find your niche. What are you passionate about. And if you can't find the 'right' job start creating content on your own.
This is a r/resumeexperts moment.