A step by step guide to landing your first marketing role in a tech company
You are not alone. You aren’t the first nor will you be the last person to consider switching careers into marketing without a degree from a traditional institution or even work experience. Many marketers have gone through diverse routes before breaking into the field.
In this article, I will share a step-by-step guide to making headway in the marketing industry and getting an entry-level job (or your first job).
Table of content
1. Skills to develop before you get your first marketing role
2. Free resources to learn marketing skills
3. How to build your marketing portfolio with no experience
4. Finding the right entry-level marketing positions
5. Success stories of how others got their first marketing job
Skills to develop before you get your first marketing role
According to Ben Leavitt, Founder, Podcast Packaging, “the more diverse your experience before starting marketing, the higher your likelihood of getting a role you want because things change so fast and you’ll have to wear so many different hats”.
With this in mind, here are some technical and soft skills you need to land your first role.
Technical skills you should start building
These skills are part of the core stack of any marketer. For a newbie, they’re non-negotiable, and you would do well to learn them.
1. Communication and writing
Writing is a core skill in marketing, and there is almost no role you’ll take on that won’t require you to write in some manner or form. So, hone your communications skills—learn how best to say what you mean and present it to the key stakeholders you work with or your target audience.
2. Proficiency with digital marketing tools
You should also start getting familiar with digital marketing fundamentals and learning how to use tools to carry out tasks. The branch of marketing you feel most aligned with will determine which tools you should give more attention to.
3. Content creation
Having content creation expertise as a marketer is a big plus for you. Being able to come up with ideas and execute them for a brand will always serve to make you stand out from the crowd.
Learning how to create basic videos, graphics design, etc., will come in handy as you apply for your first role in the marketing industry.
4. Simple data analysis
Data is a major part of every marketer's life. Understanding how to monitor, analyze, and extract information from data will guide your actions and decision-making. So, this is a skill you should ensure that you develop. Taking courses (hyperlink Smarketers course) can be a sure way to learn this skill.
💡 Pro tip: Want to level up your marketing analytics skills? Get the Smarketers Hub marketing analytics masterclass video.
Soft skills that will set you apart
As a newbie marketer, your transferable and soft skills can be the difference between unemployment and getting your dream job. So you need to develop these skills or highlight them in your portfolio.
1. Proactiveness and taking initiative
Highlight instances whereinprevious roles or capacities, you have demonstrated proactiveness. If you have, you can share a personal project you have worked on or anything to show that you do not simply wait around to be told what to do.
As mentioned earlier, the tech industry is dynamic and fast-paced. You need to show that you can get with the program.
2. Efficiency with time management
Marketers always have a variety of tasks or things demanding their attention at all times. You need to be able to manage your time properly and prove that to potential employers.
If you do not know how to effectively prioritise all the tasks demanding your attention, you are bound to make and repeat mistakes in a new role.
3. Adaptability and interest in learning
Showing that you are an ardent learner will also serve to distinguish you from the crowd. A practical way of doing this is by highlighting your research skills or your transitioning journey from a non-marketing background into marketing.
4. Team collaboration
The culture of collaboration in part and parcel of the tech industry. While you need to be proactive and self-motivated, you also need to show that if need be, you are a team player and ready to get busy with the team. Draw on your experiences working in a group for this.
5. Customer empathy
Aside from a passion for marketing, another thing that seals the deal for many early stage marketers in their first roles is empathy for the target customer of the brand they work for. This can show in your desire to interact with them, your personal research, product feedback, etc.
Free resources to learn marketing skills
If you have identified some gaps in your skill set from the list above, here are some free resources that can help you develop them:
1. YouTube channels and podcasts
YouTube is a treasure cove of knowledge with channels where you can learn different types of marketing step by step. There are also channels that invite more experienced marketers that teach beyond what a structured course can.
The same applies to podcasts. If you’re a visual learner, YouTube works greatly for you. If you don’t care either way, I recommend podcasts.
2. Online courses and certifications
From Google Digital Garage to Udemy and Coursera, the internet is replete with certified courses that can help you build or brush up your marketing skills. Online courses are not the easiest to complete, but with time management, focus, and accountability, you will see it through.
3. Books and blogs for beginners
Blogs like HubSpot, Neil Patel, MarketingProfs, and Smarketers Hub offer a wealth of free articles and resources on several marketing topics.
Some highly recommended books include “All Marketers Are Liars Tell Stories” by Seth Godin and “Contagious: How to Build Word of Mouth in the Digital Age” by Jonah Berger. Reading books and checking out acclaimed blogs helps you to learn more in-depth from people with experience.
4. Join marketing communities
There are numerous marketing communities available to marketers.
Some cater to early-stage marketers, while others cater to marketers at various stages in their career. Communities are perfect to network, ask questions you normally wouldn’t know whom to direct them to and connect with other people with similar interests.
One of such communities to join is Smarketers Hub, where you’ll connect with marketers from different career stages and enjoy access to career-shifting resources. Join us on Slack.
How to build your marketing portfolio with no experience
A marketing portfolio is your brag document. As a newbie marketer, it is possible that you do not have workplace experience that you can document. I’ll discuss how you can go about preparing a marketing portfolio regardless of that.
1. Create personal projects to showcase your skills
Creating mock projects help to demonstrate your skills to potential employers. It shows them what you can do practically.
Some examples of mock projects that you can work on for your portfolio include: creating a mock campaign for your favorite brand, working on creative videos to publicise a product, etc.
2. Volunteer for non-profits or small businesses
An advantage of volunteering as someone who’s still very green is that you can make your mistakes quickly, learn from them and pick yourself up.
There is no bureaucracy preventing you from taking risks with your strategy and you can try out whatever you’re learning in real time. Ask your friends who run businesses or local stores if you can volunteer to help with their marketing.
3. Develop a personal brand online
Going by the above post, never before has showing up been as important, especially for new marketers. Branding yourself online will open you up to many opportunities.
Decide on your focus or specialty and craft a voice for yourself that can distinguish you and is recognizable even if you do not have formal experience yet.
4. Document your learning journey publicly
There is a marketing phenomenon called the IKEA effect. This explains that people are more attached to things that they build with their own hands.
This psychology spills over into people’s relationships with celebrities, brands, etc. And that is why every great marketer encourages storytelling.
Sharing stories about your journey publicly makes people more attached. It is as though they walked the journey with you, and they feel invested in your success.
Finding the right entry-level marketing positions
When you have zero to little experience in the marketing industry, you should only be searching for roles where you can learn a lot practically.
Internships and assistant roles are perfect for this level in your career. You might be wondering where you can get these internships. Not to worry, there’s more on that topic in the FAQs below.
💡 Pro tip: Make sure you pay attention to the job description and requirements before applying for a role. Some companies will employ interns to do the work of senior staff in order to cut costs. It’s not in the best interest of your career to go in that direction.
Success stories: How others got their first marketing job with no experience
Case Study 1
Deborah Akhere Okhunlun (Content Marketer/Social Media Manager)
“Looking back, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that you don’t need experience to start in marketing. What matters is your mindset, being willing to learn, experimenting, and pushing forward when it feels like you’re invisible or stuck at the bottom. Experience comes with time.”
Deborah never planned to work in marketing. Her background was in the less “creative” arms of business— sales and admin. Little did she know that these roles were granting her key skills she would need as a marketer. She learned people management and became a better communicator— listening as well as getting her point across; two skills that every marketer needs to develop.
It wasn’t surprising when she started to feel the need to be a part of how companies tell their stories.
“I learned that people and communication are at the heart of almost everything… I knew I wanted something more, something where I could be creative, where I could tell stories that mattered, and where I could make an impact,” Deborah shared.
Her journey in marketing began with teaching herself how to create content and manage social media pages. She would spend late nights switching between apps trying to get the hang of it all. She started sharing her work online, trying not to wait for a “perfect” moment before putting herself out there. The little progress she was seeing served as encouragement for her to put in more effort.
Her first break came when she got a job with a hospitality company. Her role was to tell guests’ stories and show real moments through reels for social media. Deborah was able to measure the impact she brought to the business through the growth of their online following and the engagement that followed. This period marked a huge change for her.
She made some mistakes as she started out, sharing that she “said yes to everything and ended up overwhelmed and burned out”. Another mistake she made was waiting too long to ask for feedback or testimonials.
However, it wasn’t all mistakes. Deborah also learned some positive lessons. The one that she emphasized the most was using your past experiences and the strengths you’ve noticed in yourself to guide your growth.
In her words, “don’t underestimate your past experiences, even if they don’t seem related to marketing. They shape how you think and work, and can be a unique strength. Focus on what you enjoy and what you’re good at, and let that guide your growth.”
She also encouraged marketing newbies without previous experience to speak loudly about what they’re learning. Build publicly and don’t ask for permission. Choose being consistent over being perfect.
Case Study 2
Jude Oguzo (Community Manager)
Jude’s journey into marketing didn’t begin with a perfectly mapped-out plan. In fact, it simply started with curiosity and a love for marketing and advertising that had stayed with him since his childhood. It wasn’t until 2022, when he came across the term “Digital Marketing” from a favourite content creator, that his interest began to take shape.
He signed up for a course that his school paid for, but when they stopped, he had to pause. That didn’t discourage him. Jude kept researching, exploring different branches of the field to see which would fit him best.
In 2023, he joined the Smarketers Hub and felt at home instantly . “There was this sense of belonging,” he recalls. “I knew this was a great community to be in.” He started learning by observing, taking notes from the community’s activities knowing that he would be in a position to put them to use one day.
2024 was the defining year for Jude. He attended a meet & greet hosted by someone he admired in the marketing space. Instead of leaving after the event, he decided to stay back to pitch himself to the host, telling her about his interests and asking about the possibility of interning at her growing business.
That bold move paid off. After a few conversations online, he landed the internship without prior experience!
Today, Jude works as a Community Manager, and it has been exciting so far. He admits that he started the year barely skilled in tools like Canva, but now he’s far more confident.
“If you don’t know how to handle a particular tool or platform, be open to learning and improving your skill in it,” he says.
That openness to growth is matched by another quality he treasures: excellence. It’s a habit he adopted from his boss, ensuring that whatever task he’s given is done well. “Having an excellent spirit can’t be overemphasized,” he stresses.
These are still early days for Jude, and he’s figuring things out. While he hasn’t made any major mistakes yet, he has learned a crucial lesson: experience is important, but deep, foundational knowledge is what truly sustains you.
“No matter how many years of experience you have, if you don’t have deep-rooted knowledge in marketing, it will affect you,” he notes. He advises that if possible, every newbie should take a structured course for more marketing depth.
His advice to other growing marketers is to have a clear sense of why you’re on this path, even if you can’t see the full picture yet. Take bold steps and keep moving.
“Let’s grow together. We don’t have to have it all figured out, but we do have to start,” Jude says.
All that you have learned in this article would be a waste if you do not take a step. So, start today. Take the first step in the direction of your future in the marketing industry.
Final advice before I drop the figurative pen: don’t underestimate having a community to guide and accompany you on your journey. Here at Smarketers Hub, we have one of such for you. Join us on Slack.
How to get entry-level marketing jobs FAQs
Do I need to learn coding for marketing roles?
Not as a beginner. Some tech marketing roles might need you to have knowledge of basic coding. If you’re marketing a solution to developers as well, you will most likely need to have a grasp of some coding.
Otherwise and as a beginner, you do not need to learn coding to work in the marketing industry.
Is it hard to get a marketing internship?
There isn’t a yes or no answer to this question. But you should approach your job search strategically. For instance, the best time of the year to apply for a job is either between January - February or September - October. At both times, there’s more hiring momentum, budget availability and companies make strategic hires at the beginning of the year or before it concludes.
You can also look out for product launches (which can happen anytime in a year) and consider company-specific needs when you want to apply.
Another thing to consider is the company size you would prefer to work with. There are several options that are likely to hire marketing interns, but each of them would require you to put in some research into the requirements necessary to get in.
There are several company types available to you including:
Big Tech (Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta)
Mid-sized tech companies
Startups (especially those in the growth phase)
Tech NGOs
Each of these categories have their pros and cons, but understanding their requirements, benefits and weaknesses will help you to make an informed decision as you begin your application process.
