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Marketing Managers

Employment Prospects

Employers

There are approximately 389,100 marketing managers employed in the United States. About 25 percent work for professional, scientific, and technical services firms. Virtually every business in the United States has some form of marketing position. The larger the company is, the more managerial positions it is likely to have. Another factor is the geographical territory covered by the business. Companies doing business in larger geographical territories are likely to have more marketing manager positions than those with smaller territories. For instance, computer software and hardware companies, which are part of an industry with global reach and where brand awareness is very important, tend to employ many people in marketing and promotions.

Starting Out

Marketing manager is not an entry-level position. Most companies prefer to hire marketing managers with eight to 10 years of prior experience working on marketing campaigns. You will first need experience in lower level marketing jobs. Ask your school's career services office for assistance with finding employment opportunities in marketing. In addition, a number of firms advertise job listings for entry-level and part-time marketing positions on their own Web sites as well as on career Web sites.

Your first few jobs in marketing should give you experience in working with clients, studying the market, learning more about the analysis and execution of marketing campaigns, and following up on client service. This work will give you a good sense of the rhythm of the job and the type of work required.

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