I am a college grad who cannot find a job in marketing. Please give some tips on what I could be doing wrong.?

In 2004, I graduated from USF with a BS degree in Marketing. In 2006, I graduated from AIU with a MBA in Business Management. For some reason, I am still having difficulty finding a job. It seems as though, all companies want every candidate that applies for their openings to have many years of experience. Please explain how do you obtain experience if no one hires you. I have know I will be a successful marketing executive one day. It is just a matter of time when someone will give me a chance to use my strengths to help their company grow. I would like to hear the point of view of experienced professionals, hiring managers, and college graduates who may have experienced the same problem. I live in the Tampa Bay area and hope that someone responding to this situation can help me secure a career with their growing company or give me tips on what I need to change to look more attractive to other employers. Thanks in advance.

Marketing is a broad topic with so many opportunities you really need to focus on an industry or sector. For instance if you really understand the travel industry you need to apply in that industry and have contacts. When you interview I would suggest doing a marketing analysis on the company your interviewing with. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Implementing great ideas is why really good marketing people make really good money.

If you go into a business and can help them identify "NEW' opportunities to drive new customers and business that are cost effective and support the brand you will get a job as long as they can afford you.

If you walk in and just tell them what you learned out of your textbooks or give them a marketing plan they can't afford you won't get the job.

An MBA is great but real experience and business contacts are much more valuable. At the end of the day Companies want to make more money. Can you really help them do that cost effectively? Think about it....

Have you tried an internship? I know a lot of people get started that way.

I suggest you start with companies that put premium on the person's potential and " passion" rather than his credentials. I had the same problem too, so I understand where you're coming from. Believe you me, there are a lot of companies out there that value potential than paper credentials. You can start from there.Another thing you can do is to find something remotely related to marketing, say advertising, which gives you a feel of what marketing does. A lot of people have also successfully transitioned from advertising to marketing. Heck, I know someone who even moved from Business analyst to assistant brand manager in a large mnc. So my advise is if you can't land a marketing job right away, open your options up to fields that inevitably work with marketing. From there, I'm sure you can easily package yourself to move to marketing.

Try Websites www.narms.com and www.dealerscope.com you might have to start out entry level but these 2 Wesbites will show you the doors that are currently open.

I am also a USF student (part time) and work a full time job for TECO. In my experience, my career experience has always been worth more than any degree. My first job was for a real estate investor and paid almost nothing, but it was 3 years of experience for my resume (and a lot of Ramen noodles). To get on with this company, I had to take a job way below me doing manual labor for 1 year. I had to keep my egotism under key and just remember my long-term goal. Now, I have a nice job with full benefits and great pay and I am not even done with my degree. This is because most employers do not care as much about a degree as they do about practical experience. Especially in business where every tom, dick and harry has a degree anymore.

My suggestion, go for the entry level job that you may feel is below you or an internship and work your way up. Marketing exec is several years away, but for now start at the bottom whether it be the mail room or someone's office gopher. There are dues to pay, once you pay them the doors usually open up fairly quickly.

2 ideas:

You may feel that having an MBA that a entry level job is beneath you. Most companies will fast track someone who has impressive skills and is willing to start at the bottom.

Register with some local placement companies in your area. They will help sharpen your resume and, possibly your interviewing skills - and they will be motivated to place you with one of their clients.

The best schooling and resume won't be effective if your presentation skills are weak. A recruiter can help you with this.