Ask the Expert: Refine Your Job Search Criteria
Published
Author: Matthew T. Grant, PhD
Matthew T. Grant, PhD
Minister of Enlightenment
A Q U E N T
I am in my mid 40s, and my career has been spent in media research (tv, newspapers), including analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, creation of presentations, providing insight and recommendations, and more. I've been job searching, often looking at marketing positions because many of those duties and requirements sound a lot like what I've had in research. I've not gotten any calls for interviews in marketing. I'm sure I don't have everything needed for a marketing job, but am I wrong to apply for "true" marketing jobs?
Answer
Since data collection and analysis is so central to marketing, I don’t think that you are misguided to apply for “true” marketing jobs, but you may need to refine both your search criteria and the way you portray your skills. For example, many data analytics jobs related to marketing require that you be familiar various statistical modeling and analytical methodologies. If you scan these jobs, you will discover what sort of expertise they are most interested in. If you are familiar with things like multi-variant analysis or statistical regression, then, even if you haven’t applied this to marketing per se, try to demonstrate that you understand how they can be applied in this realm and that you are capable of doing so.
At the same time, I would consider getting involved with web analytics specifically. You say that you have been involved in media research but did not mention the web. As more companies take their marketing and even their whole business models online, the need for testing and analysis of user behavior and website performance continues to increase. There is an ongoing demand for people who know how to apply quantitative analysis to the web and to translate the data gathered by monitoring web traffic, etc. into actionable business insights. If there is any way that you can translate your experience with broadcast media into the online sphere, you will separate yourself from the pack.