Labels: ,

Marketing Roles - What Companies Look For in MBA Candidates

Posted by Unknown on November 20, 2016
Marketing is one of those functions, that if done successfully, requires a little bit of everything. In other words, it is highly cross-functional and requires a lot of different skills. In Kathryn Ullrich’s Book, Getting to the Top, Strategies for Career Success, she states that close to a third of CEOs have a sales/marketing background, which also turns out to be the biggest bucket for CEO background functions.

Being somewhat new to business, this was something I did not know before or during my MBA at Duke. I think my biggest misconception back then, which many other non-MBAs also had, was that marketing equated to advertising – the kind that went on cereal boxes at the supermarket.

Advertising, while a tactic that results from the development of marketing strategy, is only a very small portion of a marketer’s role, and probably the one that is the least impactful from a value-add perspective.

Where marketers add more value is in developing the strategy of a brand and deciding how to position it in the marketplace. This is the strategic side – after this marketers rely on leadership and operational skills to align teams and ultimately execute the plan. As you may imagine, the newer the brand, and the more brands that compete in a market segment, the bigger the challenge to marketers. Here's my experience taking the Marketing Strategy course at Duke Fuqua.

Here’s what hiring managers and commercial leaders look for in MBA candidates recruiting for marketing roles. Before you read on, here's a backgrounder on commercial/marketing roles in the pharma industry. 

Strategic thinking

MBA candidates should position themselves (if not already by their company) as future senior leaders. Strong executional skills, while critical to success, are considered basic and don't differentiate MBAs from each other or from non-MBA employees. Furthermore, the ones with the best executional skills are often not MBAs, but those that have stayed at the junior level for many years – even decades – in the company or industry.

The ability to “get” strategy and understand how it applies to tactics is thus a key trait to have. It’s actually quite hard to build alignment among multiple teams in a matrix environment without a strong understanding of strategy. In addition, strategic skills are ultimately what senior marketers rely on when making decisions ahead of market changes or when trying to innovate and defeat the competition. 

Therefore, MBAs should demonstrate their ability to think strategically early on in their careers, and continue to strengthen this skill as they build additional expertise in the respective industries they are in.

Analytical skills

Analytical skills are what makes strategic thinking possible in today’s business environment. Business for virtually every industry is evolving so quickly that assumptions are changing every few months, making anecdotal evidence less of a factor in marketing decision making. 

Don’t get me wrong – qualitative evidence from years of experience is still important – it’s just that empirical, objective evidence is much less costly to obtain nowadays. In addition, the evolution of market trends is accelerating to the point that subjective experience may not be enough to build confidence behind a marketing decision.

The challenge for most hiring managers in marketing is that folks in functions that build strong analytical skills often lack the other traits that make someone a great marketer, such as strategic thinking (discussed earlier) or leadership potential (discussed next). On the flip side, people with great leadership or customer-facing communication skills may not be great analytically.

If you don’t have great analytical skills, learn how to work closely with those that do in your company. This is also what John Beeson recommends in his book, the Unwritten Rules, the 6 Skills You Need to Get Promoted to the Executive Level (to be reviewed soon). In addition, identify opportunities to work cross functionally with market research, competitive intelligence or other groups that focus on generating insights from data.

Leadership potential

As many folks who know me in real life and who read my blog may already know – leadership is my most favorite topic to discuss. This is demonstrated early on in a marketing career by how you manage teams of external vendor and agencies, your relationship with others in your matrix teams, and how you perform in large, multi-team meetings.

Virtually all marketing tactics (advertisements, brochures, etc) are actually built by agencies – this creates a great opportunity for those who are new to marketing to demonstrate their ability to lead. If you’re transitioning into marketing, this is an important transferable skill to show that you have had success with in a previous role.

Marketing also requires a lot of collaboration with other teams, such as finance, operations, analytics, and other industry-specific functions. However, marketers are usually the ones accountable for business performance (as in senior marketers own the profit-and-loss of a brand), and thus naturally assume a leadership role among peers and is ultimately responsible for holding everyone accountable. 

It is therefore important to demonstrate, first, a desire to lead – and secondly – the potential to do so effectively.

Summary

Hopefully this post creates a clear picture of what hiring managers look for in potential candidates for marketing. 

Look, there are so many traits there that out there that can make someone successful, and everyone has their own individual styles. However, I see the above three skills as the most fundamental building blocks of a marketing career.

Read this post if you're interested in a commercial/marketing career in the pharmaceutical industry.




33 comments :

  1. Muhammad RafeySeptember 30, 2018 at 8:24 AM

    Excellent post. I was reviewing this blog continuously, and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information especially this page. Thank you and good luck. Octopus

    ReplyDelete
  2. Royal ServiceJanuary 5, 2019 at 12:16 PM

    In the hierarchy of the business food chain, sales and marketing should not be seen as rivals or equals, but counterparts. One truly cannot exist without the other, but their skill sets are not the same - especially today, where advances in technology require the modern marketer to have a very specific, honed, and competitive set of skills that most sales people simply do not need to have.Socialener

    ReplyDelete
  3. DFC SEOMarch 24, 2019 at 7:26 AM

    What a thrilling post. It is extremely chock-full of useful information. Thanks for such a great info. Spanish transcription services

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jerry BarkerMay 19, 2019 at 8:07 PM

    I recently noticed your website back i are generally looking through which on a daily basis. You’ve got a loads of information at this site so i actually like your look to the web a tad too. Maintain the best show results! Michael Rayburn SEO

    ReplyDelete
  5. Muhammad RafeyJuly 4, 2019 at 3:02 PM

    Awesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! I simply began in this and I'm becoming more acquainted with it better! Cheers, keep doing awesome! smm panels list

    ReplyDelete
  6. John DoeOctober 10, 2019 at 6:33 AM

    Thank you because you have been willing to share information with us. we will always appreciate all you have done here because I know you are very concerned with our. first reseller panel

    ReplyDelete
  7. Muhammad RafeyNovember 12, 2019 at 1:14 PM

    Awesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! I simply began in this and I'm becoming more acquainted with it better! Cheers, keep doing awesome! OR Marketing

    ReplyDelete
  8. Faiza JeeJanuary 3, 2020 at 7:02 AM

    Hello, this weekend is good for me, since this time i am reading this enormous informative article here at my home. postal mail advertising

    ReplyDelete
  9. Muhammad HassanJanuary 17, 2020 at 12:08 PM

    Excellent website! I adore how it is easy on my eyes it is. I am questioning how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. Looking for more new updates. Have a great day! Startup

    ReplyDelete
  10. MASUD FASHION HOUSEJanuary 19, 2020 at 11:52 AM

    I can set up my new idea from this post. It gives in depth information. Thanks for this valuable information for all.
    Forgotten Disney

    ReplyDelete
  11. BestMarch 12, 2020 at 1:48 PM

    Wow, What a Excellent post. I really found this to much informatics. It is what i was searching for.I would like to suggest you that please keep sharing such type of info.Thanks smm panel

    ReplyDelete
  12. GhaziMay 3, 2020 at 2:47 PM

    The website is looking bit flashy and it catches the visitors eyes. Design is pretty simple and a good user friendly interface. imarketslive sign in

    ReplyDelete
  13. BestMay 7, 2020 at 8:34 AM

    I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post. LuLu Offers UAE

    ReplyDelete
  14. BestMay 10, 2020 at 4:34 PM

    Superbly written article, if only all bloggers offered the same content as you, the internet would be a far better place.. what is content marketing

    ReplyDelete
  15. BestMay 15, 2020 at 8:09 AM

    I am impressed. I don't think Ive met anyone who knows as much about this subject as you do. You are truly well informed and very intelligent. You wrote something that people could understand and made the subject intriguing for everyone. Really, great blog you have got here. smm panel

    ReplyDelete
  16. Fazil SeoMay 17, 2020 at 8:43 AM

    I high appreciate this post. It’s hard to find the good from the bad sometimes, but I think you’ve nailed it! would you mind updating your blog with more information? marketing funnel with examples

    ReplyDelete
  17. BestMay 23, 2020 at 8:14 AM

    You know your projects stand out of the herd. There is something special about them. It seems to me all of them are really brilliant! imarketslive sign

    ReplyDelete
  18. BestJune 28, 2020 at 7:38 AM

    If you are looking for more information about flat rate locksmith Las Vegas check that right away. Jasa Import Barang Dari China Door to Door

    ReplyDelete
  19. rafayJune 30, 2020 at 6:37 AM

    I am very enjoyed for this blog. Its an informative topic. It help me very much to solve some problems. Its opportunity are so fantastic and working style so speedy. im academy trading scam

    ReplyDelete
  20. Muhammad RafeyJuly 4, 2020 at 7:16 AM

    Awesome article, it was exceptionally helpful! I simply began in this and I'm becoming more acquainted with it better! Cheers, keep doing awesome! set up a business in dubai

    ReplyDelete
  21. BestJuly 9, 2020 at 7:56 AM

    Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way I'll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon. Big thanks for the useful info. best leather portfolio

    ReplyDelete
  22. Jar BinksJuly 12, 2020 at 2:27 AM

    Too many Internet marketers waste valuable dollars trying to rank high for the most popular keywords. The most popular keywords often contain the most competition and are the most difficult to rank for. For example, using search engine marketing to rank for the phrase "make money online" would be a fruitless endeavor. Free Website Seo Analysis

    ReplyDelete
  23. Muhammad HassanJuly 12, 2020 at 3:54 AM

    The tipping point in my own decision to upgrade-other than the truth that I consider myself a brandname ambassador of LinkedIn to the nth degree, and wish to speak from the viewpoint of the paid subscriber-is the expanded Who's Viewed My Profile (WVMP) capability. WVMP is becoming one of the very frequently discussed aspects of LinkedIn , as both a crucial metric and a proper touchpoint in social selling. Kennected LinkedIn Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  24. Saqib KhatriJuly 12, 2020 at 11:28 AM

    Build content by utilizing functions on WordPress and Twitter and others to automatically repost your content to LinkedIn. If you have additional content - as an example a contact newsletter then you can certainly post links to those outside sites with a catchy title to grab attention (when posting links use to produce shorter links rather than using long cumbersome urls that continue for half of a page). Kennected Reviews

    ReplyDelete
  25. Muhammad RafeyJuly 21, 2020 at 10:29 AM

    Wow, What a Excellent post. I really found this to much informatics. It is what i was searching for.I would like to suggest you that please keep sharing such type of info.Thanks forsage

    ReplyDelete
  26. Muhammad HassanAugust 17, 2020 at 3:19 AM

    Hello I am so delighted I located your blog, I really located you by mistake, while I was watching on google for something else, Anyways I am here now and could just like to say thank for a tremendous post and a all round entertaining website. Please do keep up the great work. ClickFunnels Alternative

    ReplyDelete
  27. Muhammad HassanAugust 17, 2020 at 3:56 AM

    That is really nice to hear. thank you for the update and good luck. ClickFunnels Review 2020

    ReplyDelete
  28. bill.woodSeptember 19, 2020 at 5:57 PM

    The Marketing Automation Software are looking at the people's profiles, habits, nature and collective psychographic data to understand if he will be interested in your product or not. What is a sales funnel?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Muhammad HassanSeptember 20, 2020 at 4:47 AM

    Awesome article! I want people to know just how good this information is in your article. It’s interesting, compelling content. Your views are much like my own concerning this subject. Mark Lutchman

    ReplyDelete
  30. powerOctober 28, 2020 at 2:04 PM

    There are a few reasons you don't want to focus on the things you don't bring to the table. The most obvious is that you will only be hired for the things that you do bring to the table, so everything else is just a negative distraction. Salesforce interview questions and answers

    ReplyDelete
  31. Muhammad HassanNovember 9, 2020 at 12:20 PM

    Yes, I am entirely agreed with this article, and I just want say that this article is very helpful and enlightening. I also have some precious piece of concerned info !!!!!!Thanks. gmail blast email

    ReplyDelete
  32. jackJanuary 7, 2021 at 7:32 AM

    Thank you for the update, very nice site.. SASE

    ReplyDelete
  33. charlos johnJanuary 16, 2021 at 2:11 PM

    I heard about the 5 qualities that make a name awesome from this product naming agency? I heard a lot of people were able to come up with various creative names because of this. business people

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )