What advice do you have for recent graduates that want to go straight into Demand Generation?

My recommendation is to apply and not be discouraged. Learn as much as you can on the subject. If you are able to have a good understanding conceptually, you will stand out among the other candidates that may not gone the extra mile. Be open to any entry level role in Marketing that even remotely works closely with the demand gen team. Sometimes these roles won't have a demand generation title. Marketing analyst, sales development rep, digital marketing specialist, or marketing coordinator are a ...Read More

I personally started my career as an entry level contractor at Salesforce, where I worked for 17 years and had 12 different roles. By the time I left, I was a Senior Vice President overseeing a large department that consisted of multiple functions and business units. My high level advice for anyone is to stay curious and slightly uncomfortable – because that will keep you learning and engaged.  For recent graduates looking to start a career in Demand Generation, the key is to embrace continuous ...Read More

Network and seek advice. Getting to know people in the field, genuinely asking about their roles, responsibilites, what keeps them up at night, recommendations on where you might learn more is the best starting point.  In addition to that, get in on these Sharebird AMAs, Demand Gen podcasts, take courses where applicable- this could be in digital marketing/performance, SEO, PMM, sales....all of these crafts are inputs/influence demad gen. A personal goal of mine throughout my career has been to ...Read More

My advice for recent graduates looking to go straight into demand generation is to think about your own experience as a person who loves certain brands. Ask yourself what made you get into them, how you heard about them in the first place, and what about their brand makes you love and trust them. Then continue to do this exercise over the course of your career. It will remind you that every customer's journey is unique and nonlinear. And that the journey you plan out and hope they might go on is ...Read More

Know what Demand Generation is, why you want to go into it, and show that you've done from preliminary work to build skills relevant to the field. Many times, recent graduates are looking for any job, not necessarily this job. That's the very first thing I look for in an interview for an entry-level role: why this field and why this function. If you can answer that, you're already going to be ahead of many others interviewing for the same job. Show that you've done some marketing work as well. P ...Read More

I recommend that you stay motivated and curious. It’s absolutely possible to get an entry level role in demand generation early in your career. One of the amazing aspects of demand gen is the breadth and depth that it allows for various entry points. It makes demand generation quite accessible. Let your determination fuel the areas outlined below: Be curious. Curiosity has been a huge driver for me. What other revenue levers can I define? How can I become more efficient? When thinking about this ...Read More

Come Aboard! Demand Gen is the Place to BeDemand Generation is where the fun is: it's fast-paced, highly measurable, and directly tied to company growth. It's an excellent career for those who thrive at the intersection of creativity, analytics, customer focus, and technical skills (especially in tech companies). You have a significant influence over the company's entire go-to-market strategy. Best of all, with AI and new Marketing Ops tools being released, now is the perfect time to embrace a m ...Read More

There are so many great paths into demand gen. I actually think spending 1-2 years (at most) in a Sales Development or Business Development Representative role is an interesting path into demand gen vs going directly into marketing. It provides a strong foundation and understanding of how to tap into the customer's mindset and how the sales cycle works. The hard skills can be learned. The soft skills learned from being in a sales role are transferrable to every job. Also a sound demand generatio ...Read More