After you come home from your graduation dinner, take a moment to appreciate all you have achieved by getting your marketing degree. The hours of studying, the stress of tests and the lost sleep completing projects are all done and now you can put into practice the principles you have mastered. So, you just got a degree in marketing – now what? The possibilities depend on your goals and ambitions, as well as your vision and connections. 

Get Finances in Order

Sit down with your current bills including your private student loans and work out a budget that shows you how much you will need for a salary to live comfortably. You have worked too hard to settle for a paycheck that will only provide scrambled eggs and ramen for you, so download a template that you can insert all your numbers in and set the lowest acceptable wage. This way, you will not apply for positions that will not support your lifestyle. Your lowest salary is not what you are aiming for, it merely gives you a bottom line to not go under. 

Get Priorities in Order

If you have not decided what type of marketing you want to do, now is the time to do some real soul-searching. You need to decide what your dreams and ambitions are and what success looks like to you. No one can decide your priorities for you, but they are important for you to define and be able to act upon. If money is important to you, then you should look for a company that offers leadership opportunities to become an executive, because those are the positions that make the most money. If social activism is your priority, there are many ways to flourish in this branch of marketing through fundraising and public relations. Because marketing is so useful, diverse and ever-present in our society, it is not a matter of who needs you, because every company needs a great marketer. What you need to decide is who you want to work with.

Get Resume in Order

Once you know what kind of work you want to do, it is time to tailor your resume for those positions. Describing your education, experience and achievements are standard and are the heart of this important document. Listing the skills and abilities that show you are qualified for your dream job or dream company is critical to landing interviews. Being able to market yourself informs future employers you understand what captures attention, draws readers in and calls them to action. If you have multiple branches in this field you enjoy, be sure to write a couple of different versions of your resume to have on hand when you see openings that fit what you are looking for. Write a generic cover letter about your experience and achievements so that when you need to submit one, you only have to personalize the name of the company and a few details that concern the specific opening, instead of writing a new one each time. 

Get Out there

You know how to market so get out there and market yourself. Let the world and the companies you want to work for know that you understand their problems, want to help them and have the education and experience to do just that. Attend networking events to meet people in person and if possible, print business cards to hand out. Post on social media that you are now available for work and specify what you want to do and when. Using professional sites like LinkedIn will increase your exposure to employers and help you build relationships that could lead to opportunities.

Now that you have your marketing degree it is time to conquer the world and become the highly trained professional you have always wanted to be. Keep looking till you find the right fit that will help you build those skill sets, relationships and memories along the way.