Perreault−McCarthy: Basic
Marketing: A
Global−Managerial
Approach, 14/e
Back Matter Appendix C: Career
Planning Marketing© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2002Career Planning in Marketing 691marketing graduates who have quantitative skills. These people work as assistants to
higher-level executives and collect and analyze information about competitors’ prices
and costs, as well as the firm’s own costs. Thus, being able to work with accounting
numbers and computer spreadsheets is often important in these jobs. However, some-
times the route to these jobs is through experience in marketing research or product
management.Credit management opportunities
Specialists in credit have a continuing need for employees who are interested in
evaluating customers’ credit ratings and ensuring that money gets collected. Both
people skills and thing skills can be useful here. Entry-level positions normally
involve a training program and then working under the supervision of others until
your judgment and abilities are tested.International marketing opportunities
Many marketing students are intrigued with the adventure and foreign travel
promised by careers in international marketing. Some firms hire recent college grad-
uates for positions in international marketing, but more often these positions go to
MBA graduates. However, that is changing as more and more firms are pursuing
international markets. It’s an advantage in seeking an international marketing job
to know a second language and to know about the culture of countries where you
would like to work. Your college may have courses or international exchange pro-
grams that would help in these areas. Graduates aiming for a career in international
marketing usually must spend time mastering the firm’s domestic marketing opera-
tions before being sent abroad. So a good way to start is to focus on firms that are
already involved in international marketing, or who are planning to move in that
direction soon. On the other hand, there are many websites with listings of inter-
national jobs. For example, you might want to visit http://www.overseasjobs.com.Customer relations/consumer affairs opportunities (Chapters 14 and 22)
Most firms are becoming more concerned about their relations with customers
and the general public. Employees in this kind of work, however, usually have held
various positions with the firm before doing customer relations.A strategy planner should always be evaluating the future because it’s easier to
go along with trends than to buck them. This means you should watch for politi-
cal, technical, or economic changes that might open, or close, career opportunities.
If you can spot a trend early, you may be able to prepare yourself to take advan-
tage of it as part of your long-run strategy planning. Other trends might mean you
should avoid certain career options. For example, rapid technological changes in
computers and communications, including the Internet, are leading to major
changes in retailing and advertising, as well as in personal selling. Cable television,
telephone selling, and direct-mail selling may reduce the need for routine order
takers—while increasing the need for higher-level order getters. More targeted and
imaginative sales presentations for delivery by mail, e-mail, phone, or even by Inter-
net websites may be needed. The retailers who survive may need a better
understanding of their target markets. And they may need to be supported by whole-
salers and manufacturers who can plan targeted promotions that make economic
sense. This will require a better understanding of the production and physical
distribution side of business, as well as the financial side. And this means better
training in accounting, finance, inventory control, and so on. So plan your personal
strategy with such trends in mind.
One good way to get more detailed analysis is to go to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics website at http://stats.bls.gov and use the search procedure to look for theStudy trends that
may affect your
opportunities