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Critical Skills for Marketing Employment

Published: January 3, 2013 Author: Clearpoint Tags: Job Hunting

The marketing landscape is changing. While this may be concerning for current marketing executives and firms, the changes create real opportunity for those who develop the right skill sets. A grounding in traditional marketing principles will always be important, but building strong capabilities in the following areas will help give you a competitive edge during your job search.

1. Understanding Technology

Marketing software isn't necessarily the province of the technocracy. Too often, people separate understanding technology from understanding marketing or any other business field. We live in a technical age, and the tools are no longer separate from the message. Learn to understand how the tools help shape your messages, and use that to your advantage.

2. Foresight

In today's high-tech world, information appears and disappears almost instantly. Potential customers consume and digest information, and then demand more. In the marketing world, it's not enough to know what might be hot in the moment. The key is knowing what will be hot, and creating content that stays just far enough ahead to catch--or create--the next wave.

No one can tell the future. Instead, this skill comes from understanding people and trends. Learn not only what trends catch on, but why they do so. This will give you a leg up in creating the next big thing.

3. Flexibility

With constantly changing trends and lightning-fast information, you need to be ready to shift focus immediately. Customer feedback comes not in six-month surveys, but in social media, online reviews, and instant responses to every message you create. You never have the luxury of not knowing.

Your response to what you know must be proactive. Some messages, however well crafted, simply don't work. Some products, however well-conceived, fail to inspire on their own. By absorbing feedback, truly listening, and making the appropriate adjustments, you can tailor your message to be as effective as possible.

Demonstrating These Skills

So, how to demonstrate these skills, particularly when you're seeking to enter the marketing world? Fortunately, you have an opportunity to use them in almost every facet of life. Your job in marketing is to sell a product or idea, so you need to start by selling yourself. We all have tasks that change midway through, and success depends on adjusting as needed. We have all learned to use technology to work better and smarter. Weave these capabilities and experiences into your resume. By making your skills stand out, you'll show a company how you can do the same for its clients.

For marketing jobs in Houston, TX, please contact Clearpoint Today!

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