Entering the Business Industry

           

           The marketing industry consists of advertising, sales and public relations.  It is very difficult to enter the industry and immediately begin making money.  A series of steps and decisions are necessary to get to a point of profitability and respect.  Christina Macres listed eight steps to begin a marketing career.

The first step is to understand the media universe. (Source) It is important for marketers to be able to be able to read and understand the technological output, such as the demographics data from a survey. (Source) The analytics of marketing is a big part of the industry.  Being able to use the technology and understand it will serve me well in learning and succeeding.

After you understand the tool used in the business. The next step is finding your niche. (Source) Your niche is your expertise.  For myself, my niche is sports marketing.  It is up to me to get to know the sports industry as best as I can so that I can one day become respected for my knowledge of the industry.   

Education is crucial to getting a job, and advancing in that position and also the third step. (Source) I have chosen to get my education at San Francisco State.  Completing my degree will not only help me find a job, and prepare me for the work I’m going to do, but it will allow me move up in the industry with experience.  

Christina says the next step to finding a job is assembling a book of your work. (Source)  While I think this step is good if you are and artist, a marketer doesn’t have a book of work to give to someone unless they’ve been in the industry and done previous work to show off.  So in my case, when I go to job interviews, I won’t have a book of my previous work. 

The fifth step is to network. (Source) This is the most important step for my career.  Getting my name out there to potential employers will be my biggest obstacle because I don’t know any body.  Hopefully school resources can help me find places to apply.  One of my biggest concerns going forward in my career is actually getting the interview and I can’t get that first interview unless I begin networking with others in the industry.  

Much like the last step, the sixth step claims to research potential employers. (Source) Getting your name out there and network is necessary to finding a job.  I want to work in the sports industry so it would be advantageous to network in my niche.  This would get my name to places where I actually have desire to work.

The seventh step is to polish your resume. (Source)  Having a flawless, well-structured, full resume will appeal to managers looking to hire.  A resume is the first thing an employer looks at to judge your quality.  Having that perfect document could mean getting the job or not.  

Finally, once you get that interview, nail it. (Source)  Dressing to impress is necessary to presenting your self as a respectable, hard worker.  Answering questions clearly and to the point also shows the interviewer that you are serious about working.  I think I will be good at the interview process because I enjoy meeting people and answering questions.  Nailing the interview will also make you stand out in the employers mind and that could be the decider for him or her. 

These eight steps listed out by Christina Macres are important keys to getting a job in the business industry.  I know that doing these steps will help me in my job search.  But for me, I want to do more than just land the job.  Once I get in the company and get comfortable, I want to be able to make an impact and offer my services any way they can be helpful.  My education at SF State will prepare me to do just that. 

The Spirit of Competition

           In the world of business there are industries and within those industries are different companies that compete with each other.  So far in my blogs I’ve mainly been focusing on sports marketing but little marketing in today’s world could be done with out one appliance; a computer.   The computer industry in Silicon Valley has grown at a rapid pace birthing new technologies and ideas.  One of the most radical ideas some experts say was the opening of the Apple Store.  In 1996, when Steve Jobs opened the first Apple Store, his company was looking for a way to retail their computers directly to consumers.  Before the Apple Store they were a store-within-a-store at CompUSA.(Source) The Apple Stores became a big hit with a user friendly, helpful atmosphere. 

 

            Just like in any industry there are competitors.  A current event that suggests Apple Stores competition is the opening of Microsoft Stores.  Microsoft opened its first store in 2009 in Scottsdale, Arizona and currently has opened 27 more since then.  These stores have brought in 13 million customers. (Source) These stores are also modeling their store atmosphere like Apple’s.  They offer a wide range of their products such as Xbox 360 consoles, desktops, laptops, software and more.  The services they provide include: answer desk for quick trouble shooting, personal training and workshop area, personal shopping sessions, and business solutions.  Contributions will also be made to the community by hosting events for Girl and Boys Scouts, local chamber meetings, school field trips, or for people looking to enter the workforce. (Source) What does all this mean for Apple?  There’s a new force looking to take up some of your market by making it easy and friendly to get their product.  Through their own storefronts Microsoft is slowly making an impact.

            Although this impact might happen at a faster and faster rate than expected.  Microsoft is taking an interesting tactic and putting up stores right next to Apple store’s.  On Saturday morning, November 3, Microsoft opened its new retail store, just a stone's throw from the rival Apple outlet in The Village shopping center, in Corte Madera, CA. (Source)  I think this tactic will really make people think about whether to buy an Apple or Microsoft computer because if the options are so close to each other, it makes it tricky to decide.  As a consumer, having more options is a right in America.  It’s good competition to have the stores right next to door.   

These events are important to my understanding of how competition in the business environment works.  For example in the case of computers, Apple had a good idea with their own stores, and Microsoft jumps on the idea years later.  I see this as a monkey see, monkey do mentality.  Being the first to market is very important when coming out with a new product because consumers will recognize your brand over others.  In my future career, learning about this competition between Apple and Microsoft could serve me well in how I deal with my own competition.