Name: Ciara McCallister
Job: Marketing
I’m employed in the marketing department of a large consultancy firm in Dublin. The analytical aspects of marketing initially attracted me. The fundamentals of marketing are centred on the evaluation of consumers (trends, patterns, consumption analysis and related psychological factors), investigation of market conditions, and study of your market offering and its relative position in the wider market place. Ample opportunity to deal extensively with people within event marketing and marketing communications through sponsorship, event management and other below the line activities also attracted me to this particular field of business.
I completed a BA in Marketing and Media in DBS, which cemented my interest in the field. In order to be successful in this sector superior communication skills, both written and oral, are needed. You should be organised, proactive rather than reactive, personable, confident and creative. Marketing is a great career path as it will offer exposure to a range of different business principles and procedures and each role will be entirely different depending on what the company’s product or service is. A further benefit is that most marketing roles will entail a certain percentage of client/customer facing time for those who wish to pursue a career with diminished desk time. A negative point is that in certain fields of business, marketing and communications is the area which is liable for cut backs when there is a down turn or shift in budget allocation. It is often (foolishly) the first area to be subject to budget restrictions during this period.
Plenty of research into the intended product/service area is key for anyone pursuing a marketing career. I would advise anyone of this intention to ensure that they are confident in dealing with people, are comfortable in multi-tasking and adhering to tight deadlines. Be certain that you are prepared to be the voice/face of the company, as that will often be the case.
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