Last Updated on 2021-01-03 by ppcguybklyn
In the previous article of this series, I introduced the job search tools and methods commonly used in the United States.After knowing these channels, we can start to discuss how to make it easier for us to stand out in the US job market. In this article, I will sort out the skills and personality traits that I think are necessary to pursue a job in the marketing field in the United States.
Before knowing the necessary skills and characteristics, many people may face this question: " Should I look for a traditional marketing or digital marketing job?" The advantage of traditional marketing work is that there may be more job vacancies. Not every company's digital marketing function is large and needs a specialist. However, at the same time, because traditional marketing has a low entry barrier, it is definitely more competitive than applying for a digital marketing job.
I don't think there is a standard answer to this question. The most important thing is to measure where one's experience and abilities will prevail, and decide which direction to prepare and develop before studying abroad. However, if it is someone who has less practical experience but is interested in marketing, I would still recommend a job in digital marketing. The chance of being accepted will still be higher.
Required skills
Whether looking for a job in traditional marketing or digital marketing, I think the following skills are necessary:
- Data analysis and simple data visualization
I think this skill is the most important, because generally speaking, the advantage of us Asian students over American natives is that we have relatively strong mathematical and analytical skills. So we must make good use of this advantage, especially recently, even in traditional marketing jobs, basic data analysis skills are needed. When studying, you can take statistics or data analysis related courses and train yourself how to organize and interpret the information at hand.
Simple data visualization is also one of the most widely used skills in the marketing field. If the data can be expressed in exquisite graphs when reporting and proposal, it can leave a deep impression on supervisors and customers. Whether this skill is academic or practical experience, as long as it can be placed on the resume, it will definitely make our abilities look more reliable and solid.
- Excellent English writing skills
The biggest difference between marketing work and engineering work is that there are many opportunities to write in English. Whether it is email dealings with customers, proposals and reports, or writing advertising copy, the content and grammar of the writing must be at a certain level. After all, the content of advertising and marketing directly represents the image of the company, so when general companies are looking for marketing talents, they don’t expect the other party’s grammar and writing skills to be poor. Some companies even require writing examples to judge when applying so they can know how well the person can write. Therefore, I would suggest that international students practice English writing a lot during the gap between applying for school and going to the United States. Non-native English speakers have already lost to the Americans. They can only fill this gap by practicing and further stand out when you apply.
- Basic cognition of American culture (phrases, subculture, shopping habits...)
No matter which country you are in, you must have sufficient knowledge of consumer habits to engage in marketing, and the United States is no exception. There is a big gap between the English we learn in school and the English that the advertising audience likes to see in the copy. Product preferences and shopping habits are also different. There are many ways to observe the shopping habits of Americans and the content of advertisements they like to contact. The easiest is to get more exposure to American TV advertisements. American companies' interpretation of popular preferences will be directly reflected in the TV advertisements they produce. Research these advertisements. It is very important to understand the marketing ecology of the United States.
In addition to shopping habits, we have to get used to writing content that is suitable for use in promotional copywriting, which is not something we can know by watching American TV shows every day. Only by getting in touch with a variety of possible different advertising media and observing how American companies use words to promote their products and services can you change your views on the use of English.
- Relevant work experience
As long as it is a company recruiting talents, unless it is an entry-level job, it is generally hoped to find candidates with relevant experience. Therefore, in addition to the above three skills, if you can have relevant experience in the field you are interested in, it is a great bonus to find a job.
Although the work experience in the US is more popular in the US workplace, not everyone has the chance to find an internship in the US when studying. You must go for the second best thing and accumulate enough experience in Taiwan before studying abroad, so that you can at least have directly related work experience on your resume, and you will have a greater chance of receiving an interview. So if you want to develop in the marketing field in the United States, I think you can try to work for two or three years first before studying abroad to accumulate work experience, and at the same time understand your future career path through work, and use this as the basis to face the job search in the United States.
Personality traits that can prevail in marketing
After introducing the necessary skills, the next thing I want to introduce is the personality traits that I think are more dominant in the field of American marketing:
- Able to express their opinions in group discussions in a timely manner
Marketing work requires discussion and communication with colleagues in other departments, so it is important to be able to express your opinions in group discussions. Especially if the colleagues are all Americans, the pace of group discussions will be much faster than the usual English conversations we are accustomed to. Even if I am a very outgoing person, it will be a bit difficult to express opinions in English smoothly. At this time, you still have to practice as much as possible so that you can keep up with the content of the discussion, and tell your colleagues what you think so that you can show a positive working attitude and win the trust of colleagues and supervisors.
- Good at sociability and communication
Similar to the previous point, whether we are with colleagues or clients, we need a lot of opportunities for socialization and communication. Even when looking for a job, having interviews, and networking with recruiters, it is very important to have good communication skills to give each other a good impression. However, the English we learn is usually more life-oriented, and the language habits when communicating with the industry will still be different. So although the personality itself is good at sociable people will be more popular, using English to communicate with Americans still requires practice. After coming to the United States, you still have to make as many American friends as possible and give yourself more opportunities to practice.
- Organized and multitasking
Nowadays, marketing jobs usually require multitasking, and there are not many vacancies for those who are only responsible for a specific task. Therefore, it is very important to deal with different types of work at the same time and to decide the priority of processing according to the priority of the matter. The organizational culture of a company will also affect the pace of handling things. Generally speaking, companies on the east coast are more concerned about efficiency, and things can be resolved as quickly as possible; while companies on the west coast would be slower. But no matter what the pace of the company's culture is, being able to handle various works in an orderly and efficient manner is definitely an important indicator of distinguishing good from the bad.
Conclusion
Unless it is a very rushed decision, I think you should be fully prepared before looking for a job in the United States. Having a certain foundation in both soft and hard power can help you enter the US job market. As I said before, it is difficult for international students to compete with Americans at the same starting point, regardless of language or culture. Especially in the field of marketing, which attaches great importance to language and culture. We must do our homework and let the company know what the benefits of hiring us are, so that we have the opportunity to win over other applicants and find our ideal job.
(Original Post inShelly's Adventure)
