Amy Butterworth
Media manager, Tesco
I have been in the marketing industry for six years but it was never an industry I knew I was going to work in. I didn’t know I wanted to work in marketing, because I wasn’t aware of the different roles that existed and I didn’t think I had the relevant skill set.
It wasn’t until I spoke to a recruiter after leaving university, explaining that I was interested in using my analytical skills but for brands I knew and loved, that she suggested media planning as a relevant job within marketing. I’ve had several different positions during my six years in the industry and all have required different skill sets and challenged me to perform different tasks.
There needs to be more awareness raised about the number of different jobs within marketing and the different skill sets required if you want more young people to consider a career in marketing. If you enjoy maths and computers your default career choice is unlikely to be in a marketing department, however they are actually some of the perfect skills required to thrive in certain roles in a marketing team. It’s also about making marketing more relatable and showing how it applies to the real world – not just the boardroom-style nature shown in TV shows like Mad Men and The Apprentice.
