9 Top Roles to Break into Marketing and Creative

Breaking into the Marketing and Creative industries has been an exploding topic recently. In the wake of years of job market swings, emerging trends in the field, and a new generation entering the workforce, professionals of many backgrounds and tenures are reportedly exploring the idea of a Marketing or Creative role. 

These recent happenings lead to many questions: Which positions are growing as we look to the rest of 2024? Which roles are the best to break into? Which titles will provide a solid foundation for growth?

For over 31 years, we’ve worked with countless Marketing, Creative, and Digital professionals to shine some light on these questions and more. So, to sift through the noise of the current employment outlook, we collaborated with our Senior Recruiter, Sarah Morgan, to outline 9 top roles to break into the Marketing and Creative fields.

Breaking into Marketing

Marketing Coordinator

First on our list of roles to break into the Marketing and Creative fields is Marketing Coordinator! With over 457,000 Marketing Coordinators currently employed in the United States alone, these professionals play an essential role in designing, creating, and overseeing various marketing projects. Their day-to-day tasks may cover content creation, outreach initiatives, project organization, or somewhere in between, and their end goal is to deliver marketing programs that align with organizational goals.

For Marketing Coordinators, a typical day in the office may look like:

• Supporting the execution and delivery of marketing programs
• Collaborating with Marketing Managers and Researchers to deliver effective campaigns
• Using best practices to project and identify trends in the marketing field
• Assisting with sales presentations and project management
• Ensuring timely and consistent correspondence for communication initiatives  

The Marketing Coordinator role is a common landing point for those entering the marketing field because it encompasses a range of specialties, involves collaborating with professionals across organizations, and sets the stage for strong career progression within the marketing industry. 

For a detailed explanation of the Marketing Coordinator role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Communications Coordinator

Moving right along our list of marketing-focused roles are Communications Coordinators! These professionals commonly feature a more specific skill set than a Marketing Coordinator, which heavily emphasizes curating and distributing communications materials for critical audiences. They typically work with internal audiences, external stakeholders, or a mix of both, and their projects encompass some combination of consumer research, writing, editing, and cross-functional collaboration.

Communications Coordinators are responsible for contributing to a range of tasks, such as: 

• Creating and executing strategic communications materials for a variety of audiences and mediums
• Conducting audience research to determine target communication audiences
• Measuring response rates and creating reports that highlight key insights
• Adhering to brand guidelines and voice to portray company values 

A perfect role for the professional who enjoys writing, editing, and connecting with audiences, Communications Coordinators are a vital part of organizations and marketing teams, encompassing a core sector of organizations ranging from under 50 employees to 10,000+. 

For a detailed explanation of roles similar to the Communications Coordinator, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Project Coordinator

In the marketing world, products often need promotion or marketing campaigns to achieve a specific business goal – which is precisely where the Project Coordinator role comes to life. While typically working in unison with advertising, sales, upper management, and other departments, Project Coordinators are responsible for supporting the planning and implementation of marketing strategies that, in the end, make customers more aware of a brand.

Project Coordinators typically work with a Project Manager to drive the following business goals: 

• Scheduling deadlines, budget requirements, and timelines that align with stakeholder needs
• Conducting market research and competitor analysis to position projects efficiently
• Creating effective marketing campaigns that support project initiatives 
• Ensuring assets align with brand voice and organizational guidelines

Project Coordinators mix creativity, marketing, and organization to guide important projects through lifecycles, making it a fantastic role for those interested in learning various Marketing and Creative best practices.

For a detailed explanation of the Project Coordinator role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Markets are Cooling

Stemming from rapidly changing job markets in recent years, 2024 shows signs of a cooling Marketing scene, bringing new jobs, opportunities, and available roles. If you want to make a splash in the Marketing profession, check out the following titles: Marketing Strategist, Market Researcher, Mobile Marketer, Copywriter, and Content Marketer.

Breaking into Creative

Event Coordinator

With responsibilities ranging from event scheduling to planning and operations management, Event Coordinators are the brains behind networking opportunities, corporate meetings, industry speeches, and just about any event in between. In the simplest sense, Event Coordinators collaborate with Event Directors or Specialists to ensure brand events run without a hitch, accomplishing the goals of getting face-to-face with audiences and meeting a range of business outcomes. 

In addition, Event Coordinators complete the following tasks:

• Maintaining relevant budgets
• Ensuring events are accurately advertised and reach a threshold of attendees
• Monitoring operations leading up to and during events
• Bringing business goals to fruition through in-person and virtual opportunities

Essentially, Event Coordinators ensure events have the best possible outcomes with the most reasonable price points. It is a hands-on and fast-paced role at its core!

For a detailed explanation of the Event Coordinator role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Media Planner

Media Planners are the bread and butter behind digital marketing campaigns, strategically planning campaigns that drive business. They typically create and optimize media channels to support digital departments, marketing and creative teams, and organizational outreach goals. 

More specifically, a typical day in the life of a Media Planner commonly involves:

• Developing and executing cutting-edge digital marketing campaigns from ideation to launch
• Working cross-departmentally to align strategies with team and business goals
• Defining and measuring relevant Key Performance Indicators 
• Conducting keyword and website research to optimize efforts

The tasks expected of Media Planners span well beyond planning. Media Planners are the ideators, implementors, and optimizers behind many digital campaigns!  

For a detailed explanation of the Media Planner role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Presentation Designer

Presentation Designers uphold brand standards while creating effective, dynamic, and well-thought-out internal and external presentations that are accessible in multiple formats. They utilize organizational goals, diversity, and inclusion best practices, and audience benchmarking to curate presentations that drive messages and fuel business objectives.

Presentation Designers adapt to ever-evolving best practices and trends, and they commonly utilize their experience to complete the following tasks:

• Creating presentations for a range of internal clients, ensuring all materials meet brand standards and surpass business expectations
• Supporting strategic design and aesthetic initiatives
• Utilizing a variety of platforms, including PowerPoint and Google Slides, to make all materials easily accessible
• Ensuring all content meets diversity and inclusion standards 

At the bottom line, Presentation Designers utilize a strong eye for design to curate effective PowerPoint and presentation materials for teams organization-wide. It’s a great role to develop sufficient skills in design and drive creative best practices across businesses. 

For a detailed explanation of the Presentation Designer role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Creativity is Key

Recent studies show that 43% of marketers say creating consistently high-quality visual content is one of the biggest hurdles they face. By developing skills in this field, creatives serve as a critical piece in the marketing puzzle, addressing growing concerns for teams nationwide. If you’re searching for an opportunity to get creative in the workplace, we also recommend checking out the following titles: Graphic Designer, Video Production Specialist, Instructional Designer, and Media Coordinator.

Breaking into Digital

Social Media Engagement Coordinator

Social Media Engagement Coordinators are the connectors that digitally bridge the gap between consumers and organizations. With daily responsibilities of monitoring company social media platforms, creating engaging content, and actively interacting with online communities, Social Media Engagement Coordinators are the professionals behind social media brand visibility and customer relationships. 

While their tasks range from strategic planning to executing online campaigns, the job description of a Social Media Engagement Coordinator typically includes some mix of the following:

• Reviewing, responding, and engaging with online communities
• Planning and crafting compelling content across a variety of social media platforms
• Developing and implementing ongoing social media strategies that increase engagement, expand online presence, and achieve business objectives
• Educating team members on social media best practices and platform trends

With 90% of social media marketers reporting that building an active online community is crucial for social media success, Social Media Engagement Coordinators are uniquely positioned to connect and engage with current and future consumers, stakeholders, and clients on behalf of organizations. 

For a detailed explanation of the Social Media Engagement Coordinator role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Junior Web Developer

Jr. Web Developers are responsible for building and maintaining resilient, functional, and efficient websites. They commonly collaborate with a team of specialists, ranging from Front-End Developers to UX Architects, to help build websites from the ground up, striking the right balance of usability from a beginner to an advanced user.

With responsibilities that typically fall into three core buckets, including client scripting, server scripting, and database technology, Junior Web Developers commonly add the following tasks to their daily checklists:

• Using HTML to add functionality to web pages
• Utilizing Javascript best practices to make pages interactive
• Managing online content
• Seeing the website development process from end-to-end, ensuring a quality functional product

With nearly 300,000 Junior Web Developers currently employed in the United States alone, this role sets a strong foundation for advancement within the development field of Marketing initiatives. 

For a detailed explanation of the Junior Web Developer role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Asset Coordinator

Last but certainly not least on our list of digital-focused roles is the Asset Coordinator, otherwise known as the manager and organizer of company assets. With responsibilities ranging from overseeing file naming strategies to curating straightforward document paths, Asset Coordinators play a pivotal role in maintaining the overall simplicity, management, and organization of a range of assets. 

The Asset Coordinator role is a great entry point into the Marketing and Creative, with responsibilities typically including:

• Creating and implementing asset management policies
• Strategically naming organizational documents 
• Ensuring all assets adhere to brand and business guidelines
• Utilizing a solid attention to detail to ensure all materials are easily accessible and ready for use

Essentially, Asset Coordinators maintain order, implement strategies, and promote the integrity of brand resources in digital platforms. So, if these tasks are your jam, Asset Coordination was made with you in mind!

For a detailed explanation of the Asset Coordinator role, standard salary guidelines, and more, click here.

Digital Roles are Rising

In today’s digital environment, roles within the Digital Marketing sector are bursting at the seams – and the expansion likely won’t slow anytime soon. If you’re on the hunt for a Digital Role, we also recommend checking out the following titles: Motion Graphics Designer, Accessibility Specialist, Digital Analyst, Digital Content QA, and Web Analyst.

Celarity Can Help

Whether you are looking to switch to a Marketing or Creative role, know someone who may be interested, or want to add talent to your team, Celarity is here to help! Having placed over 5,000 Marketing, Creative, and Digital consultants at 600+ organizations nationwide, we would love to be a resource for you along the way. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to discuss how we can be a valuable part of your job search or team expansion!