<p>If most of your WE is marketing, does this present a problem when trying to get into top b-schools? I have yet to graduate but I have completed a few marketing internships and it seems like marketing firms recruit a lot from the communications college in my uni even though marketing is under our business school. I don't want to stereotype but I don't think communications major comes to mind when I think of top b-school candidate. </p>
<p>I am an economics major, however, will my strong interest in working in marketing after I graduate be detrimental to my chances of getting into a b-school? I have a good gpa and I'm really trying to get an internship every semester and other experience so hopefully I can get a job at a top marketing firm when I graduate. I also love economics itself so if there are perhaps any other good job options when I graduate that will help me with b-schools, it would be great.</p>
<p>Well, I am entering as an undergrad next semester. But if I were to base my answer on the thread “What exactly is good ‘work experience’?”, I would say that internships are not work experience.</p>
<p>I think you misunderstood. I am simply stating an observation about who goes into marketing that I noticed from my internships. I am just wondering whether the work experience in marketing I expect to acquire when I graduate will be a disadvantage.</p>
<p>devoted, the short answer is no, you won’t be at a disadvantage applying to b-schools – provided your work experience (in marketing or in anything else) demonstrates leadership potential.</p>
<p>in general, marketing firms have two broad functions: advising clients on what they should do to market their products (e.g. conducting market research, setting marketing strategy) and helping the clients execute on their strategy tactically (e.g. designing ads for a specific campaign, choosing and buying placements for those ads, etc.). many corporations will set their strategy internally, but will outsource the tactical stuff to a marketing firm.</p>
<p>since you are an econ major, you are probably used to overly simplified models. here’s one: marketing majors at a corporation set the strategy, and communication and graphic design majors at a tactical marketing firm execute it.</p>
<p>mba programs generally don’t concern themselves very much with the tactical skills needed to execute a marketing campaign, such as graphic design or copy writing. but that doesn’t mean that experience at a firm that does those things would be “bad” before b-school. what the mba admissions people will want to see is progressively responsible experience on your resume and recommendations from your boss/co-workers indicating that you can think strategically, solve problems creatively, and work well in with other people.</p>
<p>To the OP, if you have an economics degree, you may not want to work for a marketing firm, but to concentrate your job search for consumer packaged goods (CPG)companies in their marketing department. This includes food companies (Kraft, Dole, Pepsico), tech (Apple, Dell, Microsoft, San Disk) pharmaceutical(Johnson and Johnson, Merck) cosmetics(Avon, Estee Lauder), luxury brands etc. </p>
<p>These firms will provide you with a more traditional marketing strategy experience with internal and external groups (finance, operations, consumer research, advertising,) than a more advertising, sales experience with marketing firms.</p>
<p>You have to understand that to get a job with more responsibility (product or brand management) , typically, an MBA is required.</p>