Career Planning and Placement

Your marketing concentration should prepare you for a wide variety of careers following graduation. Because marketing has become the dominant management philosophy over the past three decades, the entry-level, executive-track position in many companies is in the marketing department. Therefore, marketing graduates are recruited by many firms from many diverse industries.

Your career planning should begin at a very early stage in your college education. Students who have focused career and employment objectives can develop an effective professional development strategy to meet their objectives and therefore are far more likely to obtain the employment they truly desire. For example, many (but certainly not all) companies demand that a candidate meet the following criteria:

A reasonable grade point average (usually 3.0 or above). Demonstration of leadership skills. Honors and awards demonstrating outstanding performance and recognition by others. Activities in several community, social, and academic organizations. Work experience with responsibility as closely related to the position as possible.

A student who is aware of such demands made by desired employers can take steps early in his/her education to meet or exceed these standards.

Students should counsel with their advisors, family, friends and acquaintances for input on career decisions. Other important sources of career information include business periodicals and participation in student organizations. Students can greatly enhance their educational experience in general and career planning specifically by regularly reading such practitioner periodicals as Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Inc., Fortune and Advertising Age. These publications are readily available in the library, and students can subscribe directly to many of them at a very low student rates.

As your graduation approaches, you must isolate companies who have a need for your services and can fulfill your career goals. This process generally takes much time and energy in your final academic term and designing a program of study with a "light" final term is generally advised. The Marketing Department places great importance on assisting students' efforts to find employment; however, your success will be determined in large part by your preparation and efforts. Several methods are generally used by students in combination to obtain employment. Each of these are discussed next.

Do not wait until after graduation to begin your employment search. The placement process generally takes many months, and those students who begin the process late and do not use the University facilities find the placement process much more challenging.