Marketing isn’t dead. It just stopped hiring new grads.
Here’s which skills to focus on and how to get your foot in the door.
What does a marketing career actually look like now?
Entry-level marketing roles are on the decline as AI automates basic tasks. Hiring managers are seeking “super individual contributors” who can own deliverables end-to-end: running a live event, managing a social channel from strategy to post, producing video in Adobe Premiere Pro, or building a full campaign.
- —Brand strategy and storytelling
- —Product marketing — positioning, messaging, and go-to-market
- —Creative — original design, illustration, visual identity
- —PR, earned media, and thought leadership
- —Influencer marketing, especially short-form video
- —Content production — podcasts, webinars, video series
- —Campaign management and performance measurement
“Every time I post a job, I get 4,000+ resumes on LinkedIn alone. The only way I can manage is to filter some of them out using AI. For the rest, I click on their website and make a snap decision. My best advice to Gen Z is to have proof of work. Show me what you’ve done, and I’ll hire you.”
What actually gets you hired in marketing
One functional skill you own deeply — event planning, graphic design, producing and editing social content, or AEO/GEO. Build your AI fluency and platform-specific knowledge. Be sure to hone your work samples: a portfolio beats a resume every time.
Samantha Wen graduated from UC Berkeley in 2023 with a double major, internships at Tesla and Warner Brothers Discovery, and a strong GPA. She applied to 10 jobs a day for 11 months without a single offer. What finally worked wasn’t more applications — it was leaning into the one thing she could speak to with total confidence: producing live events based on experience she gained on her college improv team. She got hired on personality, specificity, and proof of work, using AI to sharpen and accelerate her learning along the way.
The lesson holds now, only the stakes are higher. Specificity and proof of work still win — but the candidates standing out today also show up with an AI workflow they can speak to fluently, not just a bullet point on a resume.
“Being yourself wholeheartedly, following your strengths — that makes you the unique person in the unique position to do what you do well.”
Proof of work checklist for entry-level marketing
Cover letters get skimmed. Here are the things you should be able to show before applying.
The marketers getting hired use AI as a multiplier
You don’t need to know how to code. You need to be fluent enough to direct these tools toward business outcomes — and show your work.
AI is redrawing the map.
We'll help you read it.
dear [CC] is a nonpartisan New Work Foundation initiative helping the next generation navigate an AI-transformed economy. Your donation goes toward producing content, building tools, and keeping everything free for the people who need it most.