How my Advertising Degree Translated Perfectly into a Consumer Research Role
Julia Marks
An Advertising degree on paper looks like a 4-year lesson plan on how to create ads (at least that’s what my parents still think). But with anything, there’s so much more to it than meets the eye. Having this degree equips me to be the voice of the consumer in every conversation or waking thought that pops into my head. Brewing not only a strong curiosity of people, but also developing an empathetic understanding of them, is the reason a brand can not only exist, but excel in the long-run. Pursuing an Advertising degree, including the study of consumer behavior, insights and strategy, opened many doors, given my inclination to always lead with the consumer. So as a college graduate, I knocked (yes, t’was this simple!) on door number one which led me to my current role at a market research consultancy (of course, it wasn’t that simple, but given our limited time together, I figured I’d spare you the details).
Hearing the phrase “resume-builder” is like fingernails on a chalkboard to my ears as the word unprecedented has become in the I-can’t-remember-what-day-of-the-week-it-is pandemic our reality has become. Focusing all your energy on getting experience for the sake of your resume will hinder the whole point of building your resume in the first place, which is uh, for professional growth and development, remember? Even though I’ve been in this role for close to three years, I only recently realized that a skill is not defined by something that would fit nicely into your “skills” section of the resume or limited to the drop-down menu in an application, such as “Excel proficiency.” In the course of my four years, I learned to be curious and passionate about understanding people - and it shows. Where is the LinkedIn course for that? It has been invaluable, and a unique asset in my career thus far.
Accountants get certified and lawyers pass their exams, so where does that leave us in our job hunt, huh? Here’s a few skills I use daily that I added to my toolbox from my studies to talk about in lieu of or side-by-side with internships, certifications, tangible skills, etc.:
Effective Communication (for account, client, or project management)
Taking projects and classwork seriously, you learn to communicate with people of all opinions and levels, which is useful for switching gears from talking with your clients to different internal departments to higher-ups.
Learn the best methods to communicate with your teachers to ensure you understand the brief/project.
Test out forms of communication with your research participants to ensure they understand what they need to do.
Discover ways to organize and communicate effectively with group members to ensure everyone is aligned on tasks and meeting deadlines.
Collaboration, in Sickness and in Health (for teamwork, of course, but also if you’re a one-man show then for working with clients or other departments)
This is critical with an innately collaborative degree. You’ll be working with lots of different management and work styles with bosses, clients and team members.
Identify and own what you bring to each group project/team you’re a part of.
Cue effectively communicating with your team your role (remember skill #1?).
Learn and grow from dealing with both ends of the spectrum: the tyrant and the nonexistent.
Strategic/Out of the Box Thinking (practice professionally and personally, you’ll thank me later)
No, you weren’t born with it, this isn’t a Maybelline ad. It’s something you have to exercise to strengthen like a muscle.
Go above and beyond. The project didn’t call for primary research? Talk to your network or use some of the free tools you’re given.
Practice proactivity, not reactivity. One of my professors tasked us to think of a number 1 through 10. Everyone chose nominal #s. Why didn’t anyone choose decimals like 1.25? Or 5.43? As consultants, our clients are paying us for our thinking. We must be able to break barriers and think beyond what is given to us because sometimes or most times, the project or brief will evolve, and you must be able to keep up and be ahead of it.
Distilling Information Coherently (show don’t tell, different than effective communication in which this skill you have to put your money where your mouth is)
Creating decks and writing stories are timeless, so perfect it in your adolescence.
Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, spend the extra time to have a peer review your work and ensure it makes sense from a different perspective.
Sometimes, a deliverable format isn’t specified. Take the opportunity to play around and get creative without losing the essence of the information you’re trying to get across.
If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s to not underestimate yourself and what you’ve learned. Focus less on what you can put on a resume, if it doesn’t serve you in the long run, and focus more on building what sets you apart.