Haworth College of Business

Career Pathway: Marketing

Vital to any successful organization, marketing will give you a comprehensive understanding of core concepts and applications, preparing you for positions in a range of business-to-business and consumer goods and services companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

Hands-on learning is emphasized, which means you will have many opportunities to engage in real-life projects, case studies and internships, which will prepare you for a variety of career areas, ranging from brand marketing, to digital marketing, to marketing research, to sports marketing, to international marketing.

Where do I start for a career pathway in marketing?

Start by making an appointment with the Zhang Career Center, which can assist you in discovering your career interests and values. The marketing industry includes employees who tend to be conventional, enterprising and social. They value achievement, working independence and recognition according to O*Net. Find out if your work preferences match careers in marketing by taking the Focus2 assessment.

What is marketing?

What skills are marketing employers seeking?

Technical skills are part of the proficiencies that are required for a job and may be developed in your major coursework. Marketing-oriented technical skills desired include experience with business intelligence and analytics software, COGNOS software, SAS, Oracle experience, data mining software, ERP software, Microsoft Office Suite, and sales and marketing experience.

Interpersonal skills enable you to succeed and are often developed outside of the classroom. Marketing-oriented interpersonal skills include critical thinking complex problem solving, social perceptiveness, negotiation, systems evaluation and analysis, time management and service orientation.

What careers involve these marketing skills?

How can I obtain an internship?

There are many different ways to acquire an internship, online or in person. Visiting the Internship Catalog and the Career Outcomes Report can help you learn about the companies that have previously employed marketing students.

Handshake is WMU’s employment website. All students should set up an account and publish a resume. Resumes made public by the student are searchable by employers.

Students use their Handshake accounts to view internship and full-time job opportunities posted by employers and sign up for on-campus interviews. For more information, visit the Zhang Career Center.

Student groups and supporting events at WMU Haworth

Marketing student groups include Ad Club, American Marketing Association and Digital Marketing at WMU. Other groups include Business Association of Mentors, DECA at WMU, Delta Sigma Pi, Leadership and Business Strategy, Phi Chi Theta and Women's Business Network.

Events supporting the marketing major include the following:

National marketing competitions
Marketing, Sales and Food Marketing Career Night
Business Career Day

NACE Career Readiness Competencies

The Zhang Career Center at the Haworth College of Business empowers learners to launch successful business careers by engaging them in innovative programming focused on professional readiness, while developing partnerships with global, regional and local leaders who hire students. As pioneers in career readiness programs and experts in customer service, staff members in the career center strive to meet the needs of all students and employers.

Career readiness competencies include:

Career and self-development
Communication
Critical thinking
Equity and inclusion
Leadership
Professionalism
Teamwork
Technology

Visit the NACE competencies online to learn more.

Tasks and processes in marketing:

Account management, brand management, category management, competitive market analysis, consumer affairs, contract management and negotiations, customer retention, customer loyalty, customer service, market analysis, market research, market segmentation, marketing models, marketing plans, needs assessments, point-of-sale, portfolio management, product positioning, relationship building, social media marketing and target marketing.

Careers in marketing:

Marketing managers:

Brand manager
Account supervisor
Business development supervisor
Commercial lines manager
Marketing coordinator
Product manager

Marketing Research Analyst:

Business development specialist
Market analyst
Market research analyst
Market research consultant
Client service and consulting manager
Communications specialist
Product line manager
Project manager

Search marketing strategist:

Channel supervisor
Search marketing strategist
Ecommerce marketing manager
Internet marketing consultant
Internet marketing specialist

Business Externship opportunities

The Business Externship program provides career exploration opportunities that connect students in Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business with mentors, many of whom are WMU alumni. Current marketing externship opportunities include Arbor Financial, Arrive Logistics, Consumers Credit Union, Greenleaf Hospitality and many more. Learn more about the program.

Arbor Financial Credit Union

Arrive Logistics

Consumers Credit Union

Greenleaf Hospitality

Major research tools

Career Development Guide Undergraduate Marketing Major O*Net Online Search Handshake

Book an appointment

To schedule an appointment, book with our online portal or call (269) 387-2711 today.

Book an appointment