Pros and Cons of a Marketing Administrative Assistant Career
As a marketing administrative assistant, you perform administrative tasks for companies that offers a service or product to consumers. Check out the pros and cons of a marketing administrative assistant career to see if it's the right choice for you.
| Pros of Being a Marketing Administrative Assistant |
|---|
| Average job growth (13% from 2012-2022)* |
| Potential to earn a good salary** |
| Work in a comfortable office environment* |
| Voluntary certifications available for career advancement* |
| Cons of Being a Marketing Administrative Assistant |
|---|
| Bachelor's degrees usually required or preferred by employers*** |
| Several years of work experience typically required*** |
| Requires extensive knowledge of computer applications*** |
| Must have marketing and administrative knowledge*** |
Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **Salary.com, ***October 2012 Monster.com job postings
Essential Career Information
Job Description and Duties
A marketing administrative assistant is responsible for performing administrative activities for a business' marketing and sales department. Duties may include answering phones, scheduling appointments and meetings, word processing, and making travel arrangements. As a marketing administrative assistant, you'll also assist the marketing team by planning sales events, helping host trade shows, updating the company's website, recording expenses, and creating sales presentations. Marketing administrative assistants work in office settings and use computer software, including Microsoft, graphic design, web development, and video editing applications, to perform their daily tasks.
Salary Info and Job Growth
According to Salary.com, marketing assistants earn median annual salaries of about $39,000 as of 2015. The highest 10% of marketing assistants earned more than $48,000, while the lowest 10% earned less than $28,000. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the availability of administrative assistants positions, including marketing positions, will increase 12% from 2012-2022. The BLS also states that administrative assistants with related work experience and computer knowledge will have the best chances of finding positions.
What Are the Requirements?
Job postings on Monster.com show that there are no standard education requirements for marketing administrative assistants. However, most employers require or prefer assistants to have bachelor's degrees in related fields, such as communications or marketing. You'll also likely need at least two years of related work experience, which you can gain by working in a marketing, public relations, or administration position. Entry-level jobs that allow you to learn the skills needed to be a marketing administrative assistant include sales representative, office clerk, and product promoter. Other skills and knowledge marketing administrative assistants need to perform their job duties include the following:
- Experience using social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
- Familiarity with Microsoft applications
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Strong organization and planning skills
- Ability to work independently and with a team
What Do Employers Look for?
Most employers advertising for marketing administrative assistants list office assisting experience among their requirements. However, the education requirements for marketing administrative assistants can range from high school diplomas to bachelor's degrees. The following October 2012 job postings for marketing administrative assistants will give you an idea of other qualifications employers look for.
- A company in Georgia is looking for a marketing administrative assistant who has two years of related work experience. A high school diploma is the only education requirement, but college coursework in business is preferred. Other qualifications include strong computer, communication, organization, interpersonal, and multi-tasking skills.
- A Virginia business wants candidates who have bachelor's degrees in related fields, such as marketing or communication. At least one year of experience in an office setting and experience in public relations or event planning is preferred. Candidates must be able to work independently and with a team in a fast-paced work environment.
- A manufacturing company in California seeks a marketing administrative assistant to perform administrative duties, like scheduling appointments, as well as marketing duties, such as maintaining the company's website and planning events. Ideal candidates will have strong analytical skills and at least five years of experience working as administrative assistants. The employer requires candidates to have bachelor's degrees.
- A Massachusetts college is advertising for candidates with bachelor's degrees and at least two years of experience. The assistant will be responsible for managing photo shoots and helping in the production of the college's newsletter and announcements. The posting lists familiarity with social media, critical thinking skills, and communication skills as desired qualifications.
How to Beat the Competition
Since marketing administrative assistants spend most of their time performing administrative tasks, you can show potential employers that you have mastered the required job skills by receiving certification from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP). You can receive the Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) certification from the IAAP after passing an exam. The exam covers such topics as records management, communication, organization, office technology, financial transactions, human resources, and document production. Applicants for certification who only have high school diplomas must verify that they have four years of administrative experience before taking the exam. Applicants who have bachelor's degrees need two years of experience.
The IAAP also offers the Technology Applications (TA) specialty to those who pass the CAP exam. To receive the TA rating, you must complete three hands-on training programs on Microsoft Office applications, which employers usually require familiarity with. After completing the programs and receiving Microsoft certification, you can apply for the TA specialty.
Other Careers to Consider
General Office Clerk
If a marketing administrative assistant career doesn't sound like the right fit for you, there are other careers that have similar duties but may include higher salaries and lower requirements. As a general office clerk, you can earn a median annual salary of around $27,000, as reported by the BLS in 2011. All you need is a high school diploma and the completion of short on-the-job-training. Although the salary isn't very high, office clerks can find work in a variety of industries and have a higher expected job growth than marketing administrative assistants at 17% from 2010-2020. Office clerks have fewer responsibilities than marketing assistants, since they only perform clerical duties, like operating fax machines, answering phones, filing, typing e-mails, and ordering office supplies.
Market Research Analyst
If you're interested in having more marketing duties than administrative, you can become a market research analyst by earning a bachelor's degree in a field such as statistics, market research, computer science, or business administration. Market research analysts study data on sales, market trends, and consumers to help businesses make decisions, such as what services to offer and what to price their products at. Like marketing administrative assistants, market research analysts need to have excellent communication skills since they often must gather information from the public and present research findings to their clients. According to the BLS, market research analysts earned median annual salaries of around $60,000 in 2011. The BLS also reports that jobs in this field will increase 41% from 2010-2020.
Advertising Sales Agent
Advertising sales agents try to get clients to buy advertising space in their company's newsletter, magazine, television commercial, or any other promotional platform. Duties of advertising sales agents include composing contracts with clients, suggesting advertisement formats, making presentations to clients, preparing cost estimates for advertisements, and contacting potential clients. As an advertising sales agent, you must be able to work under stress and be available to work overtime and during holidays. Since sales agents usually learn important job skills through on-the-job training, entry-level positions are available to those with high school diplomas. However, some employers require bachelor's degrees or a successful track record working in sales. In 2011, advertising sales agents earned median annual salaries of approximately $45,000.
