Your Guide to Landing an Entry-Level Marketing Job

A marketing career offers many options and specializations, from content marketing and digital marketing to advertising. With no set pathway to enter the profession, it’s common to start in a junior—or entry-level position to gain experience and transition to a more senior role. 

Learn more about the different types of entry-level marketing jobs, how to prepare to enter the industry, and how to expand your qualifications once you're there.

What is marketing?

Marketing is how companies attract customers by promoting and selling their products and services. The term is broad and includes market research and analysis, advertising, and delivering a message through digital means, wording, and branding. Marketing can be further broken down into types or strategies:

• Social media marketing: Using social media to promote and introduce products and services

• Influencer marketing: Collaborating with credible individuals who endorse products through social media, links, and online content

• Content marketing: Creating and sharing material online with blogs, videos, articles, and social media posts to promote products and services

• Affiliate marketing: Collaborating with and compensating a third party to promote products and services

• Email marketing: Promoting products and services via email by creating a mailing list 

• Telemarketing: Marketing products and services via the telephone, either with warm leads or cold calling

• Public relations marketing: Building a company’s public image to facilitate marketing activities 

How to prepare for an entry-level role in marketing

Entering the marketing industry involves gaining some experience and qualifications. You can start by choosing from many entry-level marketing roles and later transition to more senior positions. To maximize your chances of being awarded an entry-level position, consider working on the following:

Get qualified

Entry-level marketing positions are competitive, and even though they are an entry point into a profession, they typically still require a certain level of education. Some companies may accept someone without a post-secondary degree or diploma, but having one is usually a minimum requirement. A master’s degree is often necessary if you’re looking to progress to senior roles.

Most marketing professionals have a post-secondary degree or diploma in either marketing, public relations, communication, or a similar field. While pursuing a degree or diploma, students often have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through internships that allow them to work alongside experienced professionals in the field. Internships are a great way to explore different marketing areas to determine which interests you the most.

Since marketing positions tend to be specialized roles, it may be a good idea to pursue a certificate in a specific area, such as digital marketing or marketing management, which are offered by many public and private colleges and institutes. 

Additionally, several beginner courses are available online to help you enhance your skills in certain areas, like the Meta Marketing Analytics Professional Certificate and Northwestern University's Social Media Marketing Specialization.

Network

Networking is very valuable for building professional connections in the marketing industry. Knowing someone in the field could help you obtain an internship, a volunteer role, or even your first entry-level marketing job. You can network with people you already know, sign up for networking events, network online using websites like LinkedIn, or join social media business groups.

6 entry-level marketing jobs

Now that you’ve learned how to prepare for a marketing role, it’s time to think about the types of roles that interest you. Consider the following entry-level marketing jobs that span various aspects of the field:

1. Marketing assistant

Annual base salary: $41,351 CAD [1]

A marketing assistant monitors the success of marketing campaigns. Generally, you will support the team by identifying ways to improve campaign results and assisting with marketing projects. This role will allow you to try some of everything, so it’s often an advantageous experience if you’re looking to progress to more senior roles. 

2. Social media assistant

Annual base salary: $40,256 CAD [2] 

As a social media assistant, you support your team in delivering marketing campaigns across social media platforms. Your job will involve tracking advertising results, interacting with followers, and working with content creators to grow a company’s audience.

3. Copywriter

Annual base salary: $58,496 CAD [3]

A copywriter can be an entry-level position, though this role can progress with experience and a great portfolio. An entry-level copywriter usually works in-house for a media agency or company and is responsible for writing content across blogs, social media, ads, and websites. 

4. Public relations (PR) assistant

Annual base salary: $58,810 CAD [4] 

A PR assistant will assist in writing media releases, researching relevant media outlets to pitch, monitoring a company’s reputation with the public, and ensuring the media portrays the facts accurately. 

5. Media assistant

Annual base salary: $36,096 CAD [5] 

A media assistant typically processes advertising and media contracts, manages advertising budgets, tracks advertising outcomes, and researches related data. In this role, you may work with various people, help create media campaigns, and determine budgets. 

6. Sales associate

Annual base salary: $56,911 CAD [6]

A sales associate takes responsibility for direct sales, which means you approach companies or customers to see if they’re interested in your products and services. This may be in person, over the phone, online, or a combination. While a sales associate is an entry-level role, there is the potential to earn more through bonuses. 

Qualifications to help advance your marketing career

Once you’ve started your marketing career, you may be looking to progress further. Gaining extra qualifications is an effective way to do this. You can look to earn a degree, diploma, certification, or certificate in marketing, or you can specialize in an area that complements your experience. Progression in the industry is mainly based on experience, so in-house training and a willingness to undertake professional development will often be beneficial. 

Professional certificates

Earning marketing certificates and digital badges can enhance your ability to qualify for promotions or change jobs as you progress in your field. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) offers internationally recognized certificates, including its entry-level Foundation Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing and executive-level Certificate in Professional and Digital Marketing.

Other notable options include Social Media Marketing by Meta and Digital Marketing and E-Commerce by Google.

Certifications

Several other certifications are available that can add weight to your resume and demonstrate your skills in a particular area. Great examples include:

• Digital Marketing Pro (DMI x AMA Dual Certification)

• Google Analytics Individual Qualification 

• OMCP Digital Marketing Certification

• Hootsuite Social Media Marketing Certification

• Google Ads Certification

• HubSpot Content Marketing Certification 

• Canadian Marketing Association’s Chartered Marketer Program

• Canadian Public Relations Society’s Accredited in Public Relations (APR) Designation

Degree-level training

A degree in marketing, communications, or a related field is often useful and may be essential for some roles if you want to advance in your career. To accommodate your schedule as you pursue your career, consider the flexibility of an online degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of London.

You could also consider degree-level training, which may take less time than earning a bachelor's or master's but exposes you to graduate-level learning. The AI in Marketing from the University of Virginia is an excellent option.

The CIM also offers degree-level diplomas in marketing, including diplomas in professional marketing, sustainable marketing, and digital marketing at the post-secondary level and a diploma in professional marketing at the master's level.

Get started in marketing on Coursera

Marketers work to establish a positive public image for a business and ensure its products or services gain visibility. As you consider which entry-level marketing jobs to pursue, consider the roles that interest you and whether you enjoy writing, designing, advertising, or analytics. Choose from the number of ways to start your marketing career, from gaining experience to taking a course to getting a degree or diploma. 

Consider taking a general marketing course, such as Introduction to Marketing offered by Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania, on Coursera.