Want to work in marketing? Here are 5 traits you need to nail down.
So, you want to work in marketing? You’ve got more ideas than Don Draper. You fancy a slice of the free networking canapes. And you could definitely do better than the clowns on the Apprentice in ‘marketing’ week. Awesome. But marketing is about more than light bulb moments and vol u vents, here are the 5 traits you’ll need in your locker to succeed:
Hunger
Despite the occasional canape and office doughnuts, great marketers are hungry. You need to be driven and tenacious, with a sense of adventure that leads you to seek out challenges, not run away from them. As well as this will to win, you’ll need the tenacity to stick every idea you have in the interrogation chair and test the hell out of it. Sometimes your gut is right, but you need the data to back up every great campaign and every strategy – test everything and assume nothing.
Creativity
Ideas, ideas, ideas. As a marketing professional, there’s no coasting – you need to bring it. It’s not just coming up with new ways to grab people's attention but thinking creatively to analyse trends and solve problems. That's how to stand out from the crowd. Show you understand the bigger picture and have the confidence to develop innovative ideas that capitalise on it.
Curiosity
Marketers are the curtain twitchers of the business world. Always keeping an eye on people, looking at how they react to different scenarios and asking lots and lots of questions. To be a hotshot marketer you need to be interested in what makes people tick and how they get their buzz. And every day is a school day. As the world changes and tech moves on, it’s your job to keep pace with the latest trends – so you’ll need to learn new tricks to stay on top of your game.
Team mentality
Disclaimer: we’re going to have to burst your bubble. Marketing isn’t a place where solo visionaries sit in a wood-panelled office waiting for a world-changing idea. It’s a place to roll your sleeves up, get stuck in and work with all kinds of people. The great thing is that means more camaraderie, more banter and more fun. Most of the time. You’ll also need a good dose of diplomacy to get ahead and the ability to collaborate and respect other views. But when you take on a challenge together the celebrations are always that bit sweeter.
Flexibility
Think of a great idea, send it out into the world, game, set, match – right? Not always. Even with the best plans in place the market can change, new opportunities can arise, and Facebook can change their algorithms, again. You need to be flexible and agile enough to adapt when you need to – and still hit that winner. If you can take this on the chin, you’ll get a fast-paced career where there’s never a dull moment and the unbelievable highs will make the little bumps along the way a distant memory.
Think you’ve got what it takes to ace a career in marketing? At Entain we’re looking for people to join our team.
We're assembling a team that's changing the industry. With exciting locations, brands and opportunities, there's plenty here to keep you motivated. The pace is fast, the environment dynamic and the culture is as real as it gets. We work together to take on the challenges, for the good of entertainment.
Are you in? Apply now.
