Marketing Career: 4 questions every marketer should answer (and what you need to know to start asking them)
Very few of us, especially marketers, know what next year or the year after will look like. Things are constantly changing and progressing with new approaches, better analytics and a greater level of sophistication in our industry.
The good news, while those aspects continually evolve, there are a few things you as an individual can do to ensure a productive and prosperous marketing career. They may seem obvious, but consider them carefully because your choice will mean the difference between a rewarding and frustrating career.
First and foremost, according to research I conducted for the 2012 Executive Guide to MarketingSherpa Marketing Personnel, 80% of marketers take assessments to identify key competencies and personality traits. (An assessment is an examination, test and/or survey(s) that measures specific behaviors, values and/or skills that provide insight into an individual’s abilities and capacities.)
However, what comes next is disappointing … our study also showed that less than half of the assessments were actually used (by companies) to help ensure you are in the right marketing position. So, if you work for one of the companies not using assessments, your career satisfaction and success is entirely in your hands.
“People don’t pay for average.” — John C. Maxwell
And neither do marketing departments.
While you may enjoy multiple aspects of the marketing process, if you really want to excel in your career, you must ask yourself: “Which aspects do I enjoy the most and which am I best suited for?”
The reality is that you may be fairly competent in several areas, but no one is good at all of them — plus, each area is growing in the level of sophistication so rapidly that it is easy to quickly fall behind the learning curve. So what do you do?
- Obtain a copy of your assessments and make an appointment with your manager or HR specialist who had those tests run. Identify what you want to learn about your behaviors, strengths and weaknesses before the appointment that apply to the field of marketing you most enjoy.
- Have the individual go through the results with you thoroughly. Ask questions during the process. Yes, you will hear a lot of things you already know, but it is essential you see your competencies from another’s paradigm, not just your own. Let them identify your strengths and weaknesses based on the data.
- Use the comments you obtain from the debrief session to help you develop a plan.The plan should consist of:
- How to use your strengths in your present position
- How to reduce the weaknesses that might inhibit your professional growth and development
- Try to codify what developmental resources you will need to obtain, either through or outside of company resources
- Assign priorities and time frames, then implement your developmental process. Do not wait on a manager or HR to do this for you. You may have to wait a long time for other’s help.
