Applying for jobs that fall broadly into the Marketing, PR & Communications field, and need a quick reality check on the issue of qualifications and experience.
I have read
elsewhere on AskMe that employers will usually have higher regard for a broad liberal arts education than a specific Marketing degree. Is this the case in Australia too? If so, it doesn't seem to be reflected in job advertisements.
I'm finding nearly every role in this area that I've been looking at has criteria such as 'Tertiary qualification in marketing or communications or similar' PLUS 'Solid experience in a communications role' or something along those lines.
I have a liberal arts honours degree with an English major. Would this be the kind of 'similar degree' they're referring to, or am I being naive? It seems so common for the specific Marketing degree to be mentioned that I'm starting to wonder if I'm wasting my time by applying.
I also have a few years' experience in roles that have included lots of PR/comms sorts of activities (writing, editing, events management, design, producing web content, public speaking, promoting my organisation in various ways). So I know that I have all the necessary transferable skills, but as marketing was not the central function of the job, it was not really expressed in the position title. It would be misleading to describe these roles as a 'Marketing job' - rather they are 'Jobs that include marketing'.
In your opinion, Hive Mind, am I wasting my time applying for these non-entry-level jobs when the first two criteria seem to specifically exclude me? I am just mostly applying and trying my luck anyway (which I have been doing) but I my motivation is fading and I would welcome a little reality check - should I consider getting a Grad Dip or something to get my foot in the door?
In case it's relevant - my dream job would be marketing a nonprofit organisation of some sort, by doing a diverse range of duties from writing to designing newsletters to public speaking to event management etc.
1) Would this be the kind of 'similar degree' they're referring to, or am I being naive?
Broadly, that is a fine degree. There will obviously be exceptions (often from people with a comms degree themselves; they are rare but growing more common every day). I may have lost jobs because of the lack of degree, but nonetheless I have had no trouble finding them; experience trumps degree unless you're a Doctor or something.
2. It would be misleading to describe these roles as a 'Marketing job' - rather they are 'Jobs that include marketing'..
This is a problem. You need to portray to these employers that - sans formal experience - you have much informal experience to call on. I do hope you're rewriting your resume to address each job you're applying for, at least a little. Part of this process means rewriting job titles to align to the role you want and ensuring your references will back you up. I mean, what kind of percentage was the marketing? If it was like 10% you may be shit out of luck, if it's >25% change the title, and be sure you have concrete examples relating to the work when they ask you about it in interviews.
3.should I consider getting a Grad Dip or something to get my foot in the door?
No! In my current role at a large multinational this would be regarded as little more than an indication of your interest, vocational experience will trump this every time. Very small organisations with little experience in the Communications field may give some more weight to this (I have also worked for very small orgs), but vocational experience is where it's at if you're over 25. A grad dip generally won't be considered a foot in the door - hands-on experience - even if it's volunteering - is far more a foot in the door.
Appendix: 4. In case it's relevant - my dream job would be marketing a nonprofit organisation of some sort, by doing a diverse range of duties from writing to designing newsletters to public speaking to event management etc..
That's a great - and definitely achievable - goal to have in mind. Going forward with your career, do remember that Communications is different from Marketing, is different from PR, think of them as overlapping circles, and in small organisation those circles may all rest with one person. Indeed, small organisations (I'm talking less than 20 'strategy'/non-labour employees) may be the only places where you get these kind of responsibilities in one role.
Non-profit/charity sector is very hard to break into without solid experience + history of volunteering. I would - if you can - focus on smaller NGOs that aren't necessarily non-profit or charity, or industry/peak bodies. You could also try City Councils and the like but be aware with government jobs choice of degree may carry more weight because they tend to have stricter guidelines around selection criteria and less autonomy in choosing candidates. There is also a lot of contract communications roles out there, but - just reading in between the lines of your question - I think they may be just one or two tiers out of your league at the moment. Still, it never hurts to try, approach some recruitment agencies.
More generally, remember that your cv is like a preview, and the interview is the movie. No one excepts a preview to contain everything a movie does, but it should whet the appetite and make you want more. Ensure when you're in interview situations that you can give real, detailed examples of times when you've executed the specific duties of roles you're applying for, and times when there were challenges in those duties and how you overcame those. Rehearse many times with housemate/partner until you can tell these stories down pat. Communications has a huge focus in general on this kind of interview. Example: "Weng, can you tell me about a time you managed an external event with members of the press in attendance?" (or whatever). You need to give a detailed reply to these questions, starting right from the beginning and going through right to the end, and how you measured success and how it was a success.
Hope this all helps. If you told us your age, and some of your experience it might help tailor the responses a little. But broadly, those degrees aren't necessary (I am thirty, have had a totally sweet job for several years now, and in just a couple of weeks I'm heading off to UTS to lecture Communications students [irony! ha!] about how to do communications for the second guest lecture. It is no barrier to a career in comms.
posted by smoke at 10:22 PM on August 10, 2011