Veterans in Marketing - A Perfect Match?
Have you ever watched an advert and gone out and bought the item on ? Chances are your experience was initially managed by a marketer. One of the highest paying jobs in the country, marketers can earn up to $114k according to USA Today. You might believe marketing is exclusively confined to high-flying businessmen in New York and LA - however, the truth is actually a lot more achievable than you think.
Veterans with savvy technical skills can stand to make a lot from a digital marketing role. The key soft skills required to make a success of yourself in the marketing arena are commonly identified in veterans. It could be the ideal role for you.
Why Perseverance, Not Qualifications, is Key
Marketing is a saturated job environment. Ideally, applicants will have a bachelor's degree, which can be funded by the GI Bill and other benefits. However, it is isn't entirely necessary to have a degree - especially in the age of the internet. Soft skills are much heralded by marketing managers, and one of the most important is determination.
A good sense of perseverance manifests as being willing to follow a plan through to the end. Tying into this is leadership, which Econsultancy say is a key aspect for marketers and is something that every veteran will be well acquainted with. The good news is that modern technology makes the basics easy. It’s simple to promote via social media and often free; email is another easy medium, and it means you can get out and about in the community and meet with businesses and clients and simultaneously conduct research online.
Emotional Intelligence and Flexibility
Military service throws together diverse people from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities and experience levels. The result is that veterans emerge from the services emotionally intelligent, according to Procedia Manufacturing. This helps, both in civilian life and when serving and dealing with locals in the countries many military professionals find themselves in. This is another soft skill that makes a soldier a good prospect for marketing. That versatility required to deal with colleagues from varied backgrounds, and native people from entirely alien cultures, is a rarely found nuance that’s crucial to finding the right audience. In terms of experience, this can be expressed through any great examples of leadership you've shown, or experience gained in key overseas markets - if you've ever found yourself on duty in South-East Asia, that's a big plus, and will help you to establish yourself to managers.
Working Under Pressure
A good marketing plan that is well implemented will lead to sales, plaudits, and further work with clients and businesses. Poorly implemented can mean the reverse. The result is that every scheme can be crucial to business success, and making the right decision is absolutely crucial. Dealing well with pressure is crucial to a marketer’s success, especially during all-important crunch periods. This is another area that veterans are intimately familiar with, and employers will be hard-pressed to find more hardy or willing professionals to rise to the challenge.
Marketing might seem like the last job option for veterans to enter. However, the soft skills you need to be successful are similar to those gained during active military service. Have a look, check out the qualifications, and see if you could turn your strength of character into a well paying and highly esteemed new career.
Visit our job board regularly to find companies that have positions available for veterans in marketing, and follow our blog and social media profiles to get news of job fairs in your area.
