Entry-level Positions For Aspiring Product Marketers
Direct entry-level product marketing roles are rare; Stephanie, a Group Manager of Product Marketing at Cisco, advises undergraduates to seek any entry-level marketing role or internship to build a foundation in marketing channels and strategy, stating that "if you understand generally a marketing channel...you'll be able to be successful in product marketing."
Marketing, Entry-Level Jobs, Career Paths, Job Search Strategies, Marketing Channels
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Stephanie Sosa
Group Manager, Product Marketing
Cisco
UCLA
N/A
Anthropology, Sociology
Technology
Communication and Marketing
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Focus on entry-level marketing roles to gain foundational skills.
2. Understanding core marketing principles (audience, targeting, messaging, resonance) is key and transferable.
3. Transitioning from generalist marketing or channel marketing roles into product marketing is possible with the right experience base.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
This is a great question, and I get asked this all the time. My answer has always been that getting into product marketing by just doing an entry-level product marketing job is very difficult.
It's one of those weird career paths that doesn't always exist. So, I think my advice is to look for any entry-level marketing job or marketing internship.
I fundamentally believe that if you understand generally a marketing channel, whether it's email, social, demand generation, or any other marketing channel, and that's the job you get early on, you'll be able to be successful in product marketing.
Product marketing just takes bits and pieces of a channel, but the strategy remains the same. No matter what type of marketer you are, you care about the same things: who your audience is, your targeting, your messaging, and whether or not it's resonating.
That is true no matter what marketing team you're on. If you can get that really well, you'll be successful in product marketing and be able to transition from a generalist marketing role or a marketing channel role into a product marketing role.