Haworth College of Business

Black-eyed Susans are blooming outside the Haworth College of Business

Career Pathway: Marketing

Vital to any successful organization, marketing will give you a comprehensive understanding of core concepts and applications, preparing you for positions in a range of business-to-business and consumer goods and services companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

Hands-on learning is emphasized, which means you will have many Â鶹´«Ã½ to engage in real-life projects, case studies and internships, which will prepare you for a variety of career areas, ranging from brand marketing, to digital marketing, to marketing research, to sports marketing, to international marketing. 

Haworth College of Business
Â鶹´«Ã½
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5457 USA
Main office: (269) 387-5050
Advising office: (269) 387-5075

Start by making an appointment with the Zhang Career Center, which can assist you in discovering your career interests and values. The marketing industry includes employees who tend to be conventional, enterprising and social. They value achievement, working independence and recognition according to  Find out if your work preferences match careers in marketing by taking the Focus2 assessment.

What is marketing?

Technical skills are part of the proficiencies that are required for a job and may be developed in your major coursework. Marketing-oriented technical skills desired include experience with business intelligence and analytics software, COGNOS software, SAS, Oracle experience, data mining software, ERP software, Microsoft Office Suite, and sales and marketing experience. 

Interpersonal skills enable you to succeed and are often developed outside of the classroom. Marketing-oriented interpersonal skills include critical thinking complex problem solving, social perceptiveness, negotiation, systems evaluation and analysis, time management and service orientation.

What careers involve these marketing skills?

There are many different ways to acquire an internship, online or in person. Visiting the Internship Catalog and the Career Outcomes Report can help you learn about the companies that have previously employed marketing Â鶹´«Ã½s.

 is WMU’s employment website. All Â鶹´«Ã½s should set up an account and publish a resume. Resumes made public by the Â鶹´«Ã½ are searchable by employers.

Students use their Handshake accounts to view internship and full-time job Â鶹´«Ã½ posted by employers and sign up for on-campus interviews. For more information, visit the Zhang Career Center.

Marketing Â鶹´«Ã½ groups include Ad Club, American Marketing Association and Digital Marketing at WMU. Other groups include Business Association of Mentors, DECA at WMU, Delta Sigma Pi, Leadership and Business Strategy, Phi Chi Theta and Women's Business Network.

Events supporting the marketing major include the following:

  • National marketing competitions
  • Marketing, Sales and Food Marketing Career Night
  • Business Career Day

The Zhang Career Center at the Haworth College of Business empowers learners to launch successful business careers by engaging them in innovative programming focused on professional readiness, while developing partnerships with global, regional and local leaders who hire Â鶹´«Ã½s. As pioneers in career readiness programs and experts in customer service, staff members in the career center strive to meet the needs of all Â鶹´«Ã½s and employers.

Career readiness competencies include:

  • Career and self-development
  • Communication
  • Critical thinking
  • Equity and inclusion
  • Leadership
  • Professionalism
  • Teamwork
  • Technology

Visit the  to learn more.

Tasks and processes in marketing:

Account management, brand management, category management, competitive market analysis, consumer affairs, contract management and negotiations, customer retention, customer loyalty, customer service, market analysis, market research, market segmentation, marketing models, marketing plans, needs assessments, point-of-sale, portfolio management, product positioning, relationship building, social media marketing and target marketing. 

Careers in marketing:

Marketing managers:

  • Brand manager
  • Account supervisor
  • Business development supervisor
  • Commercial lines manager
  • Marketing coordinator
  • Product manager

Marketing Research Analyst:

  • Business development specialist
  • Market analyst
  • Market research analyst
  • Market research consultant
  • Client service and consulting manager
  • Communications specialist
  • Product line manager
  • Project manager

Search marketing strategist:

  • Channel supervisor
  • Search marketing strategist 
  • Ecommerce marketing manager
  • Internet marketing consultant
  • Internet marketing specialist

Business Externship Â鶹´«Ã½

The Business Externship program provides career exploration Â鶹´«Ã½ that connect Â鶹´«Ã½s in Â鶹´«Ã½'s Haworth College of Business with mentors, many of whom are WMU alumni. Current marketing externship Â鶹´«Ã½ include Arbor Financial, Arrive Logistics, Consumers Credit Union, Greenleaf Hospitality and many more. Learn more about the program.

The Arbor Financial Credit Union logo is green with a leaf shape extended from the letter A.
Image
Consumers Credit Union logo in grey and blue.
Greenleaf Hospitality logo in black and green.

Book an appointment

To schedule an appointment, book with our online portal or call (269) 387-2711 today.