Marketing, advertising, and PR graduates can be found in a range of agencies, consultancies and organisations. As marketing, advertising and PR are core functions of most organisations, graduates can be found across all industry sectors.

Major professional bodies represent the various industries, e.g.

• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)
• Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
• The Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM)  
• Direct Marketing Association

These professional bodies offer a range of services to their members and prospective members, including:

• websites with information for new entrants and professionals;
• advice on work experience, current vacancies and events;
• continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities;
• commissioning of research on behalf of their members, including surveys and research projects;
• accredited courses and qualifications.

Big players

Marketing

Marketing opportunities can be found in most large organisations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Entry-level positions and graduate schemes are particularly numerous in:

• the retail sector; 
• service-related industries;
• public-sector organisations, such as the NHS, universities and local authorities;
• the manufacturing industry;
• the energy sector;
• the banking and financial sectors;
• the pharmaceutical industry;
• charities and other voluntary sector organisations.

Advertising

The majority of graduate opportunities in advertising are with either specialist, e.g. media buying or digital/online, or full-service agencies. According to the IPA, major advertising agencies include:

• AMV BBDO
• McCann Erickson
• Fallon
• Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R
• JWT
• WCRS&Co
• M&C Saatchi
• Euro RSCG
• Bartle Bogle Hegarty
• Delany Lund Knox Warren & Partners Ltd

PR

Graduate opportunities exist in both consultancies/agencies and in-house. Generally, each company will only recruit a small number of graduates each year (usually one or two) to work as part of a small team. Many of the major agencies/consultancies are based in major cities, whereas in-house opportunities are more likely to be available regionally. Visit company websites to find out about their recruitment procedures.

According to PR Week: Top 150 PR Consultancies 2011 , the top ten PR agencies are:

• Bell Pottinger Group
• Brunswick
• Weber Shandwick
• FD
• Edelman
• Finsbury
• Hill & Knowlton
• Freud Communications
• Engine Group
• MSLGroup

In-house graduate opportunities are also common in, for example, major companies, central and local government.

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than 50 million Euros. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Your university careers service should have listings of jobs with small firms. See also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) .

Graduate-level entry into marketing, advertising or PR roles tends to be through graduate schemes/opportunities in large organisations. Generally, SMEs do not have the budget to employ graduates. Normally a senior manager takes marketing under their sales or operational remit, or they outsource specific projects to agencies.

Self-employment

The opportunity for self-employment, working as an independent marketing or PR consultant, is possible. However, this is more common for experienced marketing and PR professionals. In advertising, opportunities to work as an independent consultant are rare. In all three industries, some experienced professionals go on to form their own agencies/consultancies.

Find out more about self-employment.