Why new marketing grads aren’t getting hired & what to do about it

Feb 25, 2017 · 6 min read

Marketing degrees are everywhere, but no hire-able ones in sight. Recent grads with marketing degrees are struggling to find work that isn’t sales and isn’t an unpaid internship. Couple this job search with student loan debt, and you have one desperate job seeker willing to take just about anything.

My hypothesis with this whole article is that marketing degrees aren’t necessary anymore, in fact, I think they may actually put you behind.

(Disclaimer: I have a marketing degree. And while I have one, I have never used the topics taught to me. Although I do admit it may have helped me get an unpaid internship. But I have a strong opinion that a portfolio of projects and skills vastly outweighs a marketing degree during a job search.)

Marketing Degrees Aren’t Useful

My argument here is that, not only does a marketing degree not teach you any valuable skills for the job market, it also puts you behind because, for the past 4 years, you thought you were being taught the necessary skills and ideas to use at a job.

Marketing classes are heavily theory based. We all learned the Four Ps, the marketing mix, etc. I never learned anything to do with digital marketing, social media, content, PPC, analytics, SEO, PR, etc. These classes are meant to be general and help lay the foundation for future marketers. But I think they’re sorely lacking in real substance and in teaching tangible skills.

Source Marketing Skills 2016: Are You Qualified to Be Hired?

You spend 4 years going to class, doing projects, writing reports. Then you hit senior year and start applying and applying and applying, only to hear nothing back.

Of course, there are tons of new marketing graduates who land great jobs right out of school.

But I see dozens and dozens of posts each week on Reddit from new marketing graduates trying to find a job and getting nowhere.

Why Aren’t They Getting Jobs?

There are a few reasons for this. Some are out of their control and some can be controlled:

Lack of opportunities in their city
Not everyone can move to a big city, and most of us move back home when we graduate. We’re limited to finding a job in our town, and often that is part of the reason we can’t find anything.
Lack of a portfolio
People think of portfolios as a way for creatives to showcase their work. But tons of other jobs can use portfolios as well including marketers, digital analytics, programming, etc.
Lack of skills & projects for the portfolio
Sorry to say but most hiring managers are not going to consider your 10 page class paper on marketing iPhones in China as a useful piece for your portfolio (unless you’re getting a job marketing iPhones in China). New marketing graduates are not taught useful skills that they can use right away on the job: Google Analytics, AdWords, content marketing, etc. The projects given to students also aren’t often useful for a portfolio for a job. Now they are left applying with a resume and cover letter.
A boring application
This is a big one. I recently went through applications for a fairly entry level position for a marketing job. I put a disclaimer that the applicant had to email me to be considered. Out of nearly 80 people, I would guess around 10 emailed me. The rest just sent a resume through the job site. And of those 10 people, they all sent a boring resume. Have I hired anyone yet? Nope, still waiting for that right candidate.

We Are Taught One Way To Apply

I want to elaborate on my 4th point up top, because it’s a big deal. Not many of us realize just how many people are applying to the same job we are. We woefully under prepare our application and spend so little time, it’s no wonder someone doesn’t hire us.

If you send just a resume and cover letter, you will not stand out. Everyone else is doing the same thing. You may think that your resume is the best because you had an internship and had a 4.0 GPA. The sad thing is that hiring managers receive so many applications, it’s tough to go through each resume with a fine tooth comb. Instead, many are forced to skim through your application.

But if you can stand out, you will be able to get more than just a glance. Your application will also become more memorable.

We are taught to apply with a cover letter and resume. We all go to resume workshops and someone tells us the “right” way to write one. And we don’t question it. We send out application after application and wonder why we don’t get a call back.

Start spending more time on your applications. How many hours did you spend on your college application and essay? Probably 4–5 hours at least and had multiple people read and revise it. How long do you spend on applications? 1–2 hours, maybe? This is a job you want to have for the next five years or so, put more effort into it!

First thing, create a project for the company. This is where you get to be creative. Do a good deal of research on this company, make sure it’s a company you really want to work with. Identify where you can help them.

Nina wanted to work at AirBnB, so she created a website for her application. She made a report on how AirBnB has tons of opportunity in the middle east.

It’s easy to get noticed if you send in something like this.

Second, have your own online portfolio. You should be actively collecting and displaying any projects you’re working on, and showcasing your skills on your own website. If you don’t have job experience, make your own opportunities! Create a website on your own around something you enjoy and learn how to market it. Not sure what side project to make, here’s a collection of some that I’ve found to give you inspiration.

You can also reach out to businesses and offer to freelance for a nominal fee. Be specific about your offering, don’t just say you’ll do their marketing, say you’ll help optimize their PPC ads.

It’s scary to offer to freelance and help out a business, so learn on your own first. There are thousands of articles, blogs, videos, free courses online for you to learn every aspect of marketing. Now you just need to put it into action with your own project or with your first client.

Question The Defaults

My key takeaway is not “don’t get a marketing degree”. I don’t want to tell you what to do, you need to make your own choices. But what I do want to say is that we should also start questioning the defaults.

We go from middle school to high school then straight to college without a blink. I didn’t even question not going to school, it was a given. But with the knowledge I have now, I probably would have questioned it.

When applying for jobs, question the default. Your career counselor says to send a resume and cover letter, ask, “Why?”. There’s no right way or wrong way to apply for a job. You should even apply to companies without job openings, but do many of us do it? No! We look on job boards and have to compete with hundreds of other applicants.

Don’t think the status quo of getting a marketing degree and sending out cover letters and resumes will automatically land you a job. Rethink it and find out ways you can become the best person for the job.