Dreaming of a career in marketing?

Want to be paid to study and create social media content?

Want to manage real life budgets worth thousands of pounds?

Want to create the messaging that encourages customers to buy?

Marketing is becoming a super popular industry, and it's growing at a rate not seen since 2014. Getting a degree apprenticeship in this exciting sector is super rewarding, and you’ll get years of work experience and a free degree!

Obviously, marketing degree apprenticeships don’t come without competition. There are only a small number of positions, so you’re going to need to stand out.

1.) Identify what employers are looking for

Marketing is a pretty huge industry with many types. It’s not just about creating social media posts. It’s also:

Public relations (Protecting the image of your brand)
CRM (Customer Relationship Management, managing your brand's interactions with customers)
Email marketing (Making emails to send out to customers and keep them engaged with the brand)
Data marketing (Using data to come up with what marketing campaigns to do)

Most marketing degree apprenticeships will be in digital marketing, as most marketing is moving online. Make sure you read through the job description to find out what kind of marketing you’ll do. That way, you can tailor your CV and skills to match it.

2.) Get loads of experience, even if it’s unpaid

I have a quote from one of my favourite books, Rich Dad Poor Dad, where the author Robert Kiyosaki says:

“Work To Learn, Don’t Work For Money”

When you’re a young person who wants to land a degree apprenticeship, move your mindset to working for knowledge, rather than money. Having the experience on your CV and records is so much more valuable, and makes a huge difference in making you stand out. Most schools don’t teach marketing as a subject at school, so it’s even more important to get relevant work experience.

Try..

Virtual work experience. Springpod offers marketing work experience by universities and real brands.

Real life work experience. Try reaching out to local marketing agencies in your area and ask if they have any opportunities.
Volunteering for local charities. Most charities appreciate extra help with marketing as they need to raise funds.

The more experience you get, the more unique and passionate you’ll appear.

3.) Create a Standout Application

Now it’s time to package all your experience and knowledge together into your application. Your CV and personal statement are your first chance to shine, so try these:

CV Tips

Highlight all relevant skills to marketing, such as social media content creation and graphic design
Quantify your achievements where possible, so they’re more credible. E.g. ‘231 likes for a post in an Instagram campaign’

Personal Statement Tips

Put the most important info at the beginning of your personal statement. For example, put any relevant qualifications at the start, like ‘Hootsuite digital marketing certified young professional’
Include a short story or anecdote that shows your passion for marketing.
Tailor it to the company and role. Mention why their degree apprenticeship excites you.

Example:

"A Google Digital Marketing certified young professional, with a proven track record of increasing engagement after leading a successful YouTube campaign for a bakery during the lockdown, garnering 30k views altogether’

4.) Do Your Homework!

Sure, it takes extra effort to research one company, let alone researching every single one you apply to. But that's exactly what employers want - candidates who put the extra effort in!

For a marketing degree apprenticeship, make sure you research the company’s previous and current marketing campaigns. It’ll come super handy if you are asked about what you admire in their work, and what you’d like to be a part of if you’re hired.

What to Research:

The company’s mission, values, and recent marketing campaigns.
Current trends in marketing (e.g., influencer partnerships, AI-driven campaigns).

Example Interview Response:

"I admire (COMPANY NAME)’s innovative approach to marketing, especially the (SPECIFIC CAMPAIGN). It showed me how creativity and data-driven insights can work together to create real impact.”

5. Never Give Up and Keep Applying

Marketing degree apprenticeships are becoming much more popular as more young people discover marketing. You’ll likely be rejected along the way, but every rejection is a chance to review and improve. Check out our post on how to turn your rejection into degree apprenticeship success for more on this!

Tips to Stay Motivated:

Keep a list of feedback from applications and interviews. Use it to refine your approach, and get familiar with the types of tests and questions you’ll get.
Apply to multiple degree apprenticeships to increase your chances. Make sure you tailor your application to each one.

More companies need qualified marketing professionals to help them sell and grow. Enter this exciting industry as a young professional, and get your degree for free and experience covered with a marketing degree apprenticeship!

👉 Learn more about how degree apprenticeships work here!

👉 Explore our tips on how to stand out as a degree apprenticeship candidate!

👉 Make sure you avoid these 5 CV mistakes that Year 12 and 13 students make!