The first step in beginning your career journey is to assess your interests, skills, strengths, goals, values, and self to better understand your story and give you career direction.  Then, we can help you reflect on your story and create career exploration goals.

Interests: Know your interests, as they may help to align you with organizations and possible job titles representing a match based on your likes/dislikes. Use these tools below to clarify your interests and possible career ideas based on interests.

• MyNextMove - Explore career options and interests by keyword or industry, or take their short assessment to find potential career matches based on interests.
• Strong Interest Inventory (SII) - The SII is a widely respected career interest inventory designed to help people find a fit between their personalities and work. It compares your interests and preferences to people in general and to people who have been happy and satisfied in their careers. The results from the SII identify careers that best fit a person’s interests.

Values: Know your values, as they may help to align you with potential work environments and organizations that match your passion(s) and core belief(s).

Skills/Strengths: Know your skills and strengths, as they may help to align you with well suited job titles, work tasks and work environments. Use these tools below to clarify your skills/strengths and possible career ideas based on your talents and skills.

• Career Onestop - Take this short skills assessment to learn more about your skills and how they match up to potential career ideas.
• Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) - The MBTI is a self-report questionnaire designed to make Jung’s theory of psychological types understandable and useful in everyday life. It is one of the most widely used instruments for understanding personality differences and is widely used to understand people in terms of their decision-making styles, preferences for communication and work environments, and for career development and exploration.
• CliftonStrengths - The CS helps you to discover your top talent themes. By becoming aware of these talents, you can grow them into strengths. Strengths can be utilized in all aspects of your life, including career planning and during the career search process. The assessment is all about focusing on your natural talents to maximize your potential.

Want some coaching on where to begin?  Not sure which Career Track is right for you?  Make an appointment on Handshake for “Exploring Options”. We’ll be happy to talk more about your Career Track options and explore your interests and skills together, in a coaching relationship.

• Before Your Appointment: Explore the tools on our Assess Your Skills and Interests page; Create a LinkedIn account; Create a profile on Handshake.

Skills needed for these positions vary by job and field, but some of the most important are:

• Attention to detail and organizational skills
• Experience/skills in project management
• Written & verbal communication skills
• Self-motivated and results-driven
• Customer service and client relations skills
• Ability to project confidence and competence to clients
• Knowledge of/Engagement with current trends in media/popular culture
• Excellent time management skills and ability to adhere to a schedule/deadline
• Design Experience and a Portfolio (Creative jobs)
• Depending on the job:
  • Technical Skills: Proficient with Adobe Acrobat Professional, MS Excel, PowerPoint, MS Word, and MS Outlook, Photoshop, and Cision (for PR)
  • Research and data analysis skills (for market research positions)
  • Social Media experience

While there are common titles for entry-level positions, it’s important to note that it can vary greatly by company. You can use these titles as a starting place, but don’t assume that titles mean the same thing in every organization. Exploring job boards, LinkedIn profiles, and connecting with professionals in organizations of interest are great ways to understand entry pathways for your target organizations.

Many of our students interested in advertising start in the account services departments of advertising agencies. Many start as assistant account managers or junior account managers. In this role, you will be the liaison between the creative team of the advertising agency and the client. For those interested in strategy, a common job title is assistant media planner. For those on the creative side, common job titles are junior art director or junior copywriter. For those who have not had agency experience before graduation, many companies will hire you as a paid intern with the hope of converting you into a full-time employee after your intern contract ends. 

If you are interested in marketing more broadly, some of the most common job titles for entry-level positions include assistant brand manager, marketing assistant, market analyst/researcher, marketing/sales representative, marketing account executive, social media assistant, and junior copywriter/content developer.

In public relations, entry-level jobs are often titled public relations assistant, public relations manager, or media relations. Many of these positions are joint roles with other responsibilities such as “PR Assistant/Social Media” or “Public Relations Assistant/Event Marketing”. Many students interested in PR consider taking internship positions (generally paid) before a full-time role if they have not yet had experience at a PR agency

Need to Knows:

• In these fields, having work experience in your field of interest or related field is very important. Obtaining a related internship during your undergraduate years is the most common way to break into the marketing umbrella.
• To be a great candidate, you need to be on top of trends. You should pick a few sources that you read every week. Potential sites are:
  • AdWeek
  • PRWeek
  • Mashable
  • Ad Age
  • Digiday
  • iMedia Connection
  • MediaPost
  • Follow Social media influencers on Twitter (a few examples)
• You are also expected to stay on top of social media trends and platforms. Make sure you are an engaged social media user!

Know the field:

To be a good candidate, it is important to do your research to know the field. Here are a few go-to resources to start with:

• McKinley Marketing Partners 2019 Marketing Hiring Trends Report
• Vault's Career Insider - See the Guides tab and search for Career Guides, such as for Advertising, Marketing & Brand Management
• Articles and webinars from the American Marketing Association

Armed with some background information and ideas, connecting with professionals can offer next-level insights and answer more specific questions.

• Networking Resources on the University Career Center website
• UCAN (University Career Alumni Network)- Find U-M alumni who have volunteered to connect with current students about their jobs!
• How to network on LinkedIn
• Campus Resources 
  • The U-M Community is an excellent place to begin exploring and preparing yourself for a career in Marketing, Advertising, or Public Relations.
    • Join a student organization focused on marketing/advertising, for example:
      • Michigan Communication and Media Professional (MCMP)
      • Michigan Advertising and Marketing Club (MAM)
      • American Advertising Federation (AAF)
    • Join a student organization that you love (explore on Maize Pages) and take on roles that allow you to build the “necessary skills” found above. For example:
      • Publications and Entertainment organizations like SHEI, NOiR, and Spoon all have marketing divisions.
      • Most clubs have an officer in charge of marketing efforts across campus/community. Find a club that matches your interests/hobbies and explore opportunities within the group!
    • Curricular Preparation- Talk with your academic advisor to explore courses such as:
      • Marketing Courses available through the Ross School of Business
      • Courses through the Communications Studies Department
      • Courses through the Center for Entrepreneurship such as “Entrepreneurial Marketing"
      • Other curricular options that help build skills that are found in the “necessary skills” section above
• LinkedIn Groups
  • Beyond just joining LinkedIn, groups are a great way to expand one's network, contribute to a community, and get questions answered.  Check out these groups geared toward Marketing/Advertising.  See what the members are doing, participate in discussions, uncover resources, and even ask your questions. A few examples of relevant groups are:
    • Public Relations Professionals
    • Advertising Professionals
    • Social Media Marketing
    • Market Research Professionals
    • Don’t see the subset of marketing that you are interested in? Simply log into LinkedIn.com, type your keyword in the search bar, and filter your results by “groups” found on the left toolbar.
• Professional Associations
  • Professional Associations can be excellent ways to learn about the field, find opportunities, and connect with professionals. Many professional associations have “student” or “careers in…” sections- check them out! A few of the important ones for this field are:
    • American Advertising Federation
    • Public Relations Society of America
    • American Marketing Association
    • American Association of Advertising Agencies

Get Help

Want some coaching around navigating your Career Track?  Interested in talking with a Career Coach about your exploration of a Career Track?

• Attend a University Career Center Program/Workshop to learn more about your Career Track in group formats.
• Make an appointment on Handshake for “Exploring Options”.

Before Your Appointment: Explore and engage with the tools and links in Explore Your Career Track; Complete the 3,2,1 reflection exercise; Attend an event related to your Career Track.

3,2,1 

You have been exploring your Career Track, and may be wondering “What Next?”  This short exercise will help you clarify your question(s) and identify strategies to answer your career exploration questions.

3   -  What are three takeaways from your exploration of this Career Track?

2   -  What are two questions that you have/ what are you questioning now?

1   -  What is 1 specific action step you plan to take, to answer your 2 questions?

Hiring Timelines:

While some advertising, marketing and PR firms may participate in on-campus recruiting in the fall, many agencies do not because they hire based on anticipated openings (so they are unlikely to know in the fall what is available for a May start date). Because of this, it is common for many of these firms to do their hiring in the spring. With that being said, marketing/ad/PR jobs are found in all types of organizations (not just marketing agencies), so large organizations may hire in the fall. In sum, the cycle is not structured, and you are likely to find opportunities at all points of the year. To stay up to date on openings in firms of interest, check out job boards (see below), connect with individuals in the organizations, and make a habit of checking the website of organizations you are interested in regularly.

A referral from a contact goes a long way when looking for a job. Check out UCAN- an online platform of U-M alumni who have volunteered to talk with students about their jobs and breaking into their industries!

You should also utilize the groups you have been contributing to on LinkedIn as one valuable referral source.

• Using LinkedIn to Find a Job or Internship
• LinkedIn Groups
  • Public Relations Professionals
  • Advertising Professional
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Market Research Professionals

Don’t see the subset of marketing that you are interested in? Simply log into LinkedIn.com, type your keyword in the search bar, and filter your results by “groups” found on the left toolbar.

Job/Internship posting sites are not a primary recruiting tool for organizations and should be a small part of your job search efforts; however, many students begin their job search on job search boards. Some of the popular ones are:

• Search on Handshake by “Job Function”. Some of the relevant boxes to check are:
  • Advertising, Media, & PR, Marketing- General, Marketing- Brand Management, Design/Art
• MediaBistro
• Indeed.com
• Simplyhired
• American Marketing Association Job Board

While job searches are a great place to start, online search engines are not the most effective tool for most of our students. We recommend focusing on specific companies of interest, doing your research about those companies, and connecting with real professionals in those companies. A great place to get started might be the “Advertising Redbooks” Database (available free to UM students-- when you “sign in” click Library/University users and it will direct you to your UM sign-in) to compile a list of Advertising Agencies. For other fields, LinkedIn can be a great place to start finding specific groups (search “public relations” in the main search bar and then filter by “companies” and whatever other filters are important to you).

In the end, you want to talk with the people who work in your field as networking is incredibly important in this job search. We recommend starting on UCAN or on LinkedIn. For LinkedIn, our favorite tool is the “Find Alumni” feature (under the “connections” tab) to find professionals in your intended field to reach out to. You could also consider finding LinkedIn groups for your industry, your intended location, etc to find people to connect with. Of course, don’t forget about the wonderful alumni clubs as well! Find the alumni club for your target areas and reach out!

• For the basics of a great resume, check out our resume resources page.
• The AMA (American Marketing Association) offers a free download with suggestions on marketing resumes. 
• The Muse gives great tips for marketing resumes with a sample resume at the bottom. (Note: the sample is for a more experienced hire. For a student, your education will be at the top and you can include clubs, internships, jobs, etc).
• PRSA’s (Public Relations Society of America) Career Resource Manual includes tips for resumes and cover letters.

For interview basics, check out our interviewing resources page.

To prepare specifically for interviews in this field, remember to research the organizations of interest and the field broadly. You will be expected to demonstrate knowledge and interest through your own preparation and research. In addition, think through the specific skills you will need to do the job and thus will likely be asked about!’

Below are a few articles to start with as you think about questions specific to your interest areas:

"How to Prepare for a Marketing Job Interview"

Public Relations Interview Questions

Advertising Interview Questions

Visit the University Career Center website for more information on resumes, interviewing, and networking.

Get Help

Want some coaching around launching your Career Track?  Interested in gaining experience including securing Internships or looking for Jobs?  

• Attend a University Career Center Program/Workshop  to connect with employers and organizations that represent opportunities in your Career Track.
• Make an appointment on Handshake for “Internship Search”, or “Job Search”

Before Your Appointment: Explore and engage with the tools and links in Launch Your Career Track; Complete the 3,2,1 reflection exercise; Attend an event related to your Career Track.

3,2,1

You have been launching your job/internship search, and may be wondering “What Next?”  This short exercise will help you clarify your question(s) and identify strategies to answer your job/internship search questions.

3   -  What are three take-aways from exploring the resources in "Launching Your Job/Internship Search"?

2   -  What are two questions that you still have/what are you questioning now?

1   -  What is 1 specific action step to help answer your 2 questions?