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What’s it like at Verizon?
Mentor
Hello guys
Please help me get 11 likes.
Likes to Open DM please ❤️
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Mentor
I really hope brand-side isn’t so archaic that they’d require an MBA from you.
After almost 20 years in the business you know far more than any MBA program could teach.
Wishing you luck
And thank you!
Following because I am in similar boat. Want to get to brand side but not within current industry (right now I am in pharma). I’ve been getting so many rejections it’s a daily cry situation..
Same to you!
Hi, I am brand side 22 years and no MBA. I talked to a former colleague today who said I should get my MBA but at 45 I just don’t have it in me to go back to school. You really don’t need an MBA but it won’t hurt you and will open more doors for you. CPG brands love an MBA. Brands would be more open to hiring you if you had an MBA even if you don’t have XX years of brand experience (basically the MBA would make up for lack of brand marketing experience). I’ve seen people with no experience but have an MBA get directors roles but they have generally no idea what they are doing. Experience counts so get that. Your skills are transferable for sure but as someone in the job market for the last 20 months I will warn you it is extremely competitive right now. I am full time job searching and can barely get interviews and I have good brands on my resume. Try and aim for lower level positions to prove you’re willing to learn the fundamentals. The other option is to network your way in, talk to past colleagues who moved client side or former clients. Be patient, it might take time. Don’t quit your current job.
To put it in marketing terms, an MBA is never a point of difference, it is at most a reason to believe. They can be helpful to an extent, and I’m glad I went to grad school (for odd, circumstantial reasons, I have an MS in Finance and an MA in management, rather than an MBA), but I don’t really feel it makes a daily impact. I struggle with hiring in agency to brand marketing roles at a more senior level because I do not feel there is the same level of long term ownership and stakeholder management that sits on the client side compared to the project based efforts from agencies. I’ve had a couple of absolute busts when hiring at director level there - that said, I’ve worked with a couple of killer strategy people from agencies, so I don’t believe it’s redundant.
And just for a side rant on the subject, I cannot stand seeing MBA on people’s LinkedIn profiles and resume headers. It’s not a requirement to do your job, like MD/DO/DDS or similar, and it comes across like it’s the most important thing someone wants me to know about them… which it absolutely shouldn’t be.
Just my $0.02
Yea, no one on this side cares about an MBA, so don't waste your time.
The easiest way in is to know someone. Did you have any good client relationships? Reach out to them and tell them you're on the lookout or if you see a role you're interested in at their company, let them know.
I've poached and referred a ton of people over the years I've been on this side. People want to work with people they already know and trust. It's way less of a gamble than choosing a random candidate through a regular interview process.
Agency side for 20 years, so, you're making what? $60k/yr lol. Agencies suck for anyone not in their 20s or in a director role. You'll love it on the brand side.
Yeah, sorry about that. Just bitter from my own experiences.
I am brand side but worked with lots of agency folks in the past. I would need more info on your background to advise more accurately but generally speaking showing a track record of successful strategies and campaigns you lead is a good place to start. Develop case studies to prove it, with client testimonials and metrics mapping to KPIs established from onset of the campaign, etc. Also, you may need to be open to non-executive titles for the same job. Never worked with an EVP of marketing in the last 12 years but have worked for CMOs and SVPs in marketing which are more common.