Jobs in business marketing can be exciting and challenging. There are marketing job opportunities worldwide, and you'll find business marketing positions in nearly every company. Marketing jobs include business marketing, advertising, public relations, and sales positions. They encompass everything from art directors and copy writers to sales managers and market researchers.

If you are considering marketing careers, you have several options in training for marketing jobs. To decide what training options are best for you, first complete these important steps.

1. Narrow the business marketing jobs you are interested in down to one discipline, such as Marketing, Advertising, or Public Relations.

2. Ask yourself how much time and money you are willing to invest in training.

3. Review your past job experience and consider how it may be applied to jobs in marketing.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Earn a college degree applicable to marketing employment

The best place to get training for marketing jobs is at a university. Colleges offer the most thorough, in-depth training you can find and most will even help you find marketing jobs upon graduation. It's never too late to go back to school, either, and graduate school should be considered by those with an undergraduate degree.

I recommend: MyPlan.com boasts a comprehensive list of colleges offering marketing degrees. West Virginia University is on top of the online education trend with one of the only all-online Integrated Marketing Communications graduate programs available.

Work for free for experience in marketing jobs

Often, the most valuable training comes from hands-on experience. If you are able to work as an intern while in college, you'll gain real life training in your field while building up your resume. Plus, many companies consider interns first when paid marketing job openings are available.

I recommend: Most popular job sites will allow you to narrow your search for internship opportunities in your area. Or better yet, click over to a website focused solely on internships, such as InternshipPrograms.com or the international internship website StudyAbroad.com, and search for Marketing internships.

Take seminars or certification classes geared toward business marketing jobs

Certification programs and seminars are an excellent training source for the busy professional who wants to explore or advance in marketing job opportunities. Certification programs or seminars are usually condensed in time but rich in information and are sometimes focused on a specific area of interest.

I recommend: The American Marketing Association is a well-known and respected provider of marketing workshops and boot camps. Those interested in public relations should explore the Public Relations Society of America seminar and conference listings.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Ask your current boss or other professional in the marketing industry for suggestions on further training for marketing jobs. They may have insight on what would work best for you.

If you're trying to get a full-time professional to run your marketing campaign, you're in luck! Competition for marketing employment is tough. So lots of professionals are looking for upper-level marketing job opportunities.

The competition for marketing jobs is intense. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, the number of marketing jobs is increasing by only 12% each year, while there may be more than 20% increase in graduates with marketing-related degrees. Currently marketing employment requires more than 3 years of relevant experience, and often times several over qualified applicants seek lower-level jobs in business marketing.

Here are important things to consider when you search for candidates for your marketing job opportunities.

1. Experience pays. Don't ask for more than 5 years of marketing job experience, if you're not ready to pay the price of a qualified or over-qualified individual.
   
2. Post your business marketing jobs in the right place to attract the right kind of professional.
3. Keep in mind the size of the website you post your marketing jobs on. The larger the site, the larger and more variable the responses.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Try courting less-experienced marketing professionals to save money

The more experience you ask for, the larger the salary. In a field as highly competitive as marketing, advertising your marketing position as an internship or as a contract job in marketing can still get you qualified candidates. After you try out the talent, you can always offer her a full time business marketing job.

I recommend: the American Marketing Association's website for internship postings. You can post marketing jobs a local job board. Craigslist is another popular resources that is accessed by people searching for a way to start their marketing careers.

Post your marketing jobs on large job boards to get an array of experience levels

More than 75% of marketing jobs posted on job boards are management related and require a few years of managerial experience. Yet there are plenty of younger, less-experienced marketing professionals on these sites too.

I recommend: Careerbuilder and Monster have large pools of individuals looking for jobs in marketing. Posting a business marketing position on these sites will surely get plenty of responses.

Fill marketing job openings with experienced professionals

To get the experienced marketing professional, try a marketing specific site. More than 75% of marketing jobs posted on job boards are management related and require a few years of managerial experience.

I recommend: posting your marketing jobs on the Direct Marketing Association's data bank of jobs or the American Marketing Association. These are the largest databases of marketing jobs and marketing job placement services for members. Smaller websites, such as Marketing Pilgrim Jobs, specialize in internet marketing. If you're willing to pay a fee, you can post on Marketing Crossing. The well respected Marketing Sherpa also lists marketing/advertising jobs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Save money on recruiting by developing an internship program. You can then hire from your intern pool.

You may be just out of college or embarking on an exciting new career change and looking for those dream marketing job opportunities. As with most industries, marketing careers have their own jargon. When you are applying for jobs and preparing for interviews, make certain you've brushed up on marketing jobs key terms.

Knowing key marketing terms can put you ahead of the competition. With a little bit of research and studying, you'll impress potential employers looking to fill jobs in business marketing. The following resources are all good starting points for learning key terms used in business marketing positions.

1. Start with the Internet. It's a treasure trove of websites containing key terms for jobs in marketing.

2. Libraries and bookstores have entire sections devoted to marketing books, most of which have key word glossaries.

3. Most colleges have career resource centers that can help you find marketing jobs and usually have a wealth of career information, including industry jargon you should know.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know how to define 'marketing' if you want to be considered for business marketing jobs

Before applying for marketing job openings, know the basics. The website, Dictionary.com, defines marketing as, 'The activities of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling, and delivering products to people.'

I recommend: Of course, any dictionary will define marketing for you but for a comprehensive overview, go to KnowThis and read Principles of Marketing. The well-respected American Marketing Association reviews it's definition of marketing routinely and changes it as needed, which can be found on the association's website.

Show your knowledge of the four 'P' words that apply to marketing jobs

While there may be some debate on this, it's generally agreed that the core of marketing centers on the four 'P's' - product, place, price, and promotion. Product and price are fairly self-explanatory, while promotion refers to the method of communication used to sell the product. Place, or placement, refers to distribution, or the means of getting the product to the customer.

I recommend: Go to Quintessential Careers' website for easy-to-understand definitions of the most important marketing jobs key terms you should know, including the four P's. Stamats also has a concise glossary of key marketing terms.

Understand marketing jobs key terms for your marketing niche

So, you've decided you want to do email marketing but think SEO is a job title. No matter what specific area you're interested in, it's a good idea to know the industry terms, whether it's Internet marketing or public relations. For the curious, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which are methods of getting your website to appear high on the list of search engine results.

I recommend: If you're destined for Internet marketing, visit Marketing Terms.com and check out the Internet Marketing Dictionary. Taming the Beast is also a good source for website marketing terms and definitions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Invest in a good 'Introduction to Marketing' college course book or business handbook. You'll find it useful to refer to throughout your marketing employment.

Professionals looking for business marketing jobs, direct marketing jobs or online marketing work can turn to a number of resources geared to marketing professionals. When looking for a job, you should have a good idea of how your education and professional experience stack up against the competition. You should also have a good handle on the precise type of marketing job best suits your skills.

These days, marketing is a highly fragmented field with any number of niches. More than ever, advertisers need to seek out consumers to reach them on their home turf. This means advertising through social networks and clever product placement, in addition to traditional outlets like print ads and television. In addition to job postings, marketing jobs news and trends include:

1. News headlines that affect the marketing and advertising jobs outlook.

2. Salary surveys that outline compensation for comparable jobs in business marketing.

3. Surveys that collect information on typical marketing industry practices that you can use as a benchmark against your own skills and experience.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research precisely what marketing employment entails

When reading a job listing and tailoring your resume and cover letter, it helps to know what specific types of tasks different marketing jobs involve. For instance, how much of the job requires writing? Product development? Training? Jobs in marketing can vary greatly, depending on an organization's structure and culture.

I recommend: The Bureau of Labor Statistics annual report on marketing outlines the qualifications and experience necessary to obtain a job in the industry, the types of jobs assigned to marketing professionals, and a growth outlook. The CMO Council publishes its annual survey of marketing practices and priorities. Pragmatic Marketing also puts out yearly statistics on the average marketing professional and marketing job responsibilities.

Read industry news while you browse for marketing jobs

There are a number of websites for marketing professionals that combine job postings with news, training opportunities, benchmarking and salary information, and more. As you look for a job, it's more important than ever to follow marketing trends. Often, news items point to which sectors of the marketing industry are likely to grow.

I recommend: MarketingCrossing has job search advice in addition to listing marketing job openings. Marketing Pilgrim has a job board, and also has a team of bloggers who follow Internet marketing news and trends at companies like Yahoo! and Google. You can find marketing jobs at MarketingSherpa, and read the site's blog.

Find out what marketing job opportunities are likely to pay

When looking for a job, navigating the salary question is tricky. Luckily, you can find out what your peers are making by researching a number of marketing salary surveys.

I recommend: AdvertisingAge publishes an annual survey of what employees make at advertising and marketing firms, and tracks marketing executive pay. Folio breaks down average base pay, and suggests which segments of the industry are down and which are robust.