Curious how to go from marketing assistant to CMO? With so many possible marketing career pathways - the answer might feel a little overwhelming, so here's an overview of the stages and specialties you should know about.
What are the career stages for marketers?
Marketing teams bring creativity, strategy, and data analysis together to make a real impact on business goals like sales, revenue and brand. This blend of art and science is perfect if you love thinking creatively and strategically and it can take you in new directions as your skills and confidence grow.
So, what are the career stages in marketing?
Here’s a snapshot of example roles, responsibilities, and ballpark salaries at each level. They’re not exhaustive but give you a gist of what to expect.
Entry-level marketing roles
Entry-level marketing roles are typically relevant for people with underlying potential, good motivation and the ability to learn. You won’t need direct industry experience but, qualifications or other relevant experience might help you stand out when you apply. Entry-level marketing role titles include:
- Marketing Intern
- Graduate Marketing Assistant
What does an entry-level marketer do?
Here’s an example of the day-to-day responsibilities of a graduate marketing assistant.
📣 Campaign Support
Support campaigns through various activities, including brainstorming, copywriting, partner or vendor liaison, and campaign execution
✏️ Copywriting and Content Creation
Write compelling content in line with the brand’s voice to achieve key goals, including awareness, ranking, and conversion
Entry-level marketing salary
According to Glassdoor the average salary for a marketing intern in Sydney in 2024 is $57,546. However, this can vary from $53K - $58K/yr depending on company size, market demand, and experience.
Remember that early career roles such as internships may need to flex around study or other commitments, so factor that in with these numbers.
Junior marketing roles
Next up it’s junior marketing roles. These are relevant for people with some basic skills, good motivation and the ability to learn. We’d say 1-2 years of experience is recommended.
- Marketing coordinator
- Social media assistant
- Junior lifecycle marketer
What does a junior marketer do?
Here’s a selection of the day-to-day responsibilities of a marketing coordinator.
📊 Marketing analytics and reporting
Collect, analyse, and report on metrics to determine the success of marketing efforts and return on investment
👥 Creative Team Collaboration
Collaborate with designers and art directors to make sure campaign materials are on-brand and look good
🎨 Content Creation and Curation
Develop original and relevant content, as well as review existing materials to ensure it is up to date
Junior marketing salary
The Glassdoor average salary for a marketing coordinator in Sydney in 2024 is $74,750. This can vary from $63K - $78K/yr depending on company size, market demand, and experience.
Mid-level positions
Mid-level marketing roles will suit you if you have some well-developed knowledge and skills you can bring to the role and team. You’ll probably have around 2-5 years of experience.
- Marketing Specialist
- Social Media Manager
- Content Marketer
What does a mid-level marketer do?
Here’s a selection of the day-to-day responsibilities of a marketing specialist, these can vary depending on your specialty.
🗂 Campaigns and Projects
Develop and execute campaigns and projects, including co-branding, events, and lead-sharing
💼 Account Retention and Expansion
Support Customer Success and Sales team via Account Based Marketing and marketing content
🕵🏼 Research and Insight Development
Develop deep market and customer insights to guide strategy and activities
Mid-level marketing salary
The Glassdoor average salary for a marketing specialist in Sydney in 2024 is $92,500. This can vary from $70K - $100K/yr depending on company size, market demand, and experience.
Senior marketing roles
In senior marketing roles, you’ll shift from learning your craft to managing teams and setting strategic goals. You’ll have a say in the direction of marketing efforts and the overall success of the company.
What are senior marketing roles?
- Marketing Manager
- Brand Manager
- Digital Marketing Director
What does a senior marketer do?
Here’s an example of how the day-to-day responsibilities of a senior product marketer might look.
📈 Campaign Optimisation
Increase the performance of campaigns by proactively finding opportunities and tactics to improve processes, experiences, and results
❎ Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns
Develop and execute multi-channel marketing campaigns to achieve specific goals, including awareness, engagement, and leads
🔮 Experimentation
Design and conduct experiments within a set budget to test hypotheses and evaluate findings for optimisation of growth tactics
Senior marketing salary
The Glassdoor average salary for a marketing coordinator in Sydney in 2024 is $140,000. This can vary from $125K - $156K/yr depending on company size, market demand, and experience.
Marketing management roles
From senior roles you’re on your way to more strategic and managerial roles such as Marketing Director, VP of Marketing and ultimately Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). At this level, you’re responsible for driving revenue and building the brand for customer loyalty. Expect much more stakeholder engagement with senior leaders.
Want to know more? Forbes has an overview of a CMO's responsibilities.
Career Stories: Dan at Qantas
Dan progressed from marketing coordinator to marketing manager before transitioning to a digital marketing role. The variety in marketing will give you plenty of pivot points should you change your mind or decide to specialise down the line.
Types of marketing careers
So, you’ve got an idea of the career stages – now let’s dig into some of the different types of marketing careers, each with its own set of preferred skills and responsibilities that can align with your strengths and interests.
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Marketing specialist vs. generalist: Which is right for you?
If you’re deciding whether to focus on a specific area in marketing you might want to understand the opportunities out there, and which skills can help you get to the next level. Your role, team and company size can help to shape that decision.
Here's what Helen Zhang, a marketing and content lead, has to say:
“Working in startups is awesome because you get a lot of opportunities to be more generalist versus specialist so you acquire a lot of skills that you perhaps might not have thought about.”
Think about your preferred work environment and how that could influence your role. For example, startups can be agile and frenetic versus larger organisations with more hierarchy and structure. Going deeper into a specialty might be more likely within a larger team.
How to find your marketing niche
- Identify your interest area - Think about which aspects of marketing you enjoy most and align with your strengths. If you enjoy storytelling and content creation, specialising in Content Marketing and Copywriting might be for you.
- Gain specialised skills - Focus on developing skills specific to your chosen specialisation. For a career in Product Marketing, you might learn about product lifecycle management, market research, and competitive analysis.
- Find relevant experience - Explore roles or projects that align with your specialisation goals. For example, a Lifecycle Marketer might focus on customer journey mapping and engagement strategies.
- Stay updated with industry trends - Get across the latest trends, tools, and best practices in your specialisation. It’s a good idea to follow industry blogs, attend webinars, and participate in relevant courses.
- Network with specialists - Connect with professionals who are already working in your desired specialisation. You might find Slack channels, Reddit threads and LinkedIn groups with people further down their career path.
Skills and values in marketing
Marketers use a number of skills and fine-tune these for different role types. Here’s an overview of the type of skills that tend to be relevant across specialisms.
- Creativity - Creativity drives innovative campaigns, helping brands stand out and connect with audiences in meaningful, memorable ways.
- Collaboration - Successful marketing relies on collaboration to align messaging, leverage team strengths, and ensure cohesive, impactful campaigns.
- Written Communication - Clear, persuasive writing is essential in crafting compelling messages that resonate with target audiences across various platforms.
- Critical Thinking - Critical thinking enables marketers to analyse data, identify trends, and make informed decisions that drive campaign success.
- Flexibility - Flexibility allows marketers to adapt strategies in response to market shifts, ensuring relevance and maintaining a competitive edge.
You’ll find a more granular view of skills for marketing jobs by exploring role descriptions. At Hatch we use these to give you a snapshot of the role requirements that you’ll flex during your day-to-day work.
Marketing teams that align with your strengths and values
Values and work styles can vary depending on the company and team culture – so there’s no one-size-fits-all here. Understanding company policies that support flexibility or team collaboration for example might be helpful for marketers. Look out for these insights on company profiles, careers pages, blogs or employer brand content.
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Find jobs based on your strengths and skills
Find jobs based on your work values
Your next steps
- Learn about skills and responsibilities for different marketing roles and think about what kind of roles might suit you best
- Get a feel for marketing specialisms - there might be a few areas you’re interested in, so follow thought leaders to get some perspective.
- Get to know more about the work environment through company content, profiles and employee stories.
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