How to Kickstart your Marketing Career within Professional

Marketing is a very broad subject to study at university. Typically, you would have covered a number of modules ranging from Business Analytics, Market Research, Digital Marketing, Strategic Marketing Management and Marketing Communications.

This broad overview is an excellent way to start a career in marketing but to successfully gain the opportunity to work at a leading Professional Services firm, you need to stand out!

Here are three key points to improve your chances of employability.

Commercial awareness

One of the best ways to prove your eligibility of working in the Professional Services space is to know your market.

Employers are not expecting you to know the ins and outs of, for example, Law or Finance, but the overall awareness of the commercial landscape will demonstrate commitment and suitability.

The opening line of one of the Big 4 accountancy firms’ website page for graduates states this ‘is a place where the curious come together’.

By keeping up with the business news and having an understanding of industry developments you will demonstrate a level of curiosity that will help you stand out front the crowd.

Previous work experience

Internships are a fantastic way to boost your CV.

A graduate with as little as two weeks’ worth of experience in a relevant industry is likely to be a stronger candidate than someone who has come straight from university.

The Professional Services industry has a range of different sectors and so an internship at either a Legal, Accountancy, Property, Architecture or Consultancy company could go a long way.

Knowledge that you have had experience of working in a corporate environment is a great indicator of suitability for employers.

Knowledge of the role and company you’re applying for

Do your research!

With every interview that you attend it is vital that you read up on the firm you are hoping to join. Merely saying that ‘you’ve always been interested’ or ‘you’ve heard great things’ will not be strong enough points to demonstrate your full commitment and dedication to the firm.

A good way of doing this is by visiting the company’s news section on their websites. Rebrands, relaunches and market focuses will be found embedded in blogs on their website and these will be relevant, knowledgeable points that will establish your credibility.

The market in professional services is currently very candidate short, however, it is not uncommon to hear that there are more graduates available than there are jobs.

It could be argued that this is due to the fact that graduates are relying so much on their qualifications to succeed that the vital ingredients of commercial awareness, previous experience and understanding of the firms they are applying to work at, are being neglected.

In this graduate heavy market, these three main points should help you to stand out from the crowd and secure a fantastic opportunity within a professional services firm!