Comments on: College Students should start on their 10,000 hours of practice to get ahead

By: College Grants

College Grants — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:05:01 +0000

Your blog is great! Everything that you have shared here is so true. Anyone who stumbles upon your blog can really learned a lot.

By: V.A. Kraushaar

V.A. Kraushaar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:45:10 +0000

It is great to see a marketer offer advice to students in today's tough marketplace. As a recent CNBC report on Harvard Business School showed, many graduates today wonder if they have spent wisely on a higher degree when a payout seems so distant. Kudos for helping this group understand the importance of proper positioning so early on in their lives and career!

By: Ginna

Ginna — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:51:26 +0000

Your advice is completely true and any college student who is smart enough to apply it, would certainly be ahead of their peers in this competitive job market. I graduated from college three months ago, and for the next two months after graduating, I used to spend an average of 7 hours a day searching job postings online. Basically, that was my only job hunting tool, but after seeing how ineffective this method is. I decided to invest my time, instead, making a list of my targeted companies and using my research tools to find main contacts within those companies to inquire about possible job openings. If you are still in college, you can use this approach to ask for informational interviews instead. That's a great way to expand your network. The secret is to be PROACTIVE, that's the only way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

By: What type of Marketer are you? Reviewing the Marketing & Strategy relationship

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:03:50 +0000

[...] are starting to cut your teeth in the marketing world & you are charting a plan to put in your 10,000 hours of practice (see Gladwells Outliers) don’t forget about those other “Ps”. Mastering all 4 [...]

By: DKnoxMU

DKnoxMU — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:05:06 +0000

Nadeem – A Brand Manager is not an entry level position. You need to look for an Assistant Brand Manager role if you are interested in Brand Management

By: Nadeem

Nadeem — Sun, 24 May 2009 22:50:11 +0000

I stumbled across your blog as I was searching further information on brand management. I recently finished a market research internship and graduated from college. As I am looking for jobs and seem to come up with the same problem, every position is for a brand manager with experience. What exactly is the entry level or 1-2 year experience position I should be searching for?

By: afhill

afhill — Sat, 23 May 2009 22:57:40 +0000

4. Do what you want to get paid to do.

In my last year of college, people asked what I wanted to do with my French/Spanish degree, and I replied that I wanted to be a web developer. A friend (who wanted to be a magazine editor) and I started an online magazine. We recruited volunteer authors and got books, movie passes and products to review, I built the site, we did some grassroots marketing, and we were off! The site was named a "Yahoo! Canada Site of the Week" within a month of launch (March, 2000), and within 6 months I had a web job, and she had an editor job.

Great experience? Yeah. Demonstrated initiative? Sure. Proven passion? Definitely.

By: Constance

Constance — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:48:53 +0000

Hi Dave,

Thanks for this advice! Although I graduated a year ago, I'm still laying foundation for a successful career in Marketing so this was really good to read. I too am an alumnus of Pi Sigma Epsilon. I feel very fortunate to say that because I was able to gain SO much from my experience- including training and mentoring from people in Marketing/ Sales. Thanks again.

By: Dustin Heap

Dustin Heap — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:31:02 +0000

Dave-
Thanks for the great post, it confirmed a lot of what I am trying to do. As a Marketing student set to graduate in a year and wanting to go into brand management I've set out to do some of these things and then came across your post today. I don't have the formal work experience and it's uncanny how much my list of things I had planned on doing to enhance my resume matches your list. Thanks for the great post and blog.
@Alex– I have one blog already and I'm starting a blog on marketing as we speak as well so great minds must think alike! I'll post the URL once I get it set up and running.

By: Alex Peerenboom

Alex Peerenboom — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:55:58 +0000

I agree with everything you have said here, and I have done most of them. I was a member of a sports business club and the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi in college. I cleaned up my facebook account. The only thing I haven't done as much as I would like is develop my LinkedIn profile. It's at like 90%, and I don't use the Questions feature that often. I'm trying though.

I would also recommend that students start a blog. It's a great way to display writing ability, critical thinking, and some creativity. If they are focused on a particular subject, they can display whatever level of expertise they have.