Marketing, Publishing and Journalism
Marketing, publishing and journalism, and related fields like PR and advertising, offer various career opportunities for graduates. These areas offer a wide range of creative, analytical and strategic roles, catering to various skill sets. Some positions are perfect for individuals with a creative flair, while others are tailored for those who excel in communication and relationship-building, or for those with an aptitude for data analysis. As such, there are opportunities in these fields for graduates from all degree disciplines.
You could find yourself working in-house for major corporations, public sector organisations, non-profits, at an agency managing client accounts or even as an independent consultant.
Whether you're drawn to creating impactful campaigns, shaping the future of media or producing content that educates and inspires, these areas of work provide a wealth of career paths to explore. The following pages will give you insight into key roles within each area and offer guidance on how to gain experience and take the first steps toward entering these sectors.
If you would like to do further research into this sector, the following webpages may be useful:
Developing connections can play a key role in finding opportunities in this and other sectors. Some students and graduates find opportunities in this field through networking and speculative applications. A good place to start is to reach out to professionals in the sector to ask about their career path and see if they’re open to sharing advice.
Making contacts for work shadowing, informational interviews and speculative applications
The following schemes and tools can help you expand your network in this sector:
- Professional Pathways: a suite of sector-specific training courses and paid 35 hour internships that take place in June and July each year including a Pathways to Marketing.
- University of Exeter LinkedIn Alumni Tool – this tool allows you to find graduates from the University who are working in roles or areas that interest you. Learn how to use this tool by visiting our LinkedIn page.
- Career Mentor Scheme: a popular employability scheme which matches a student or graduate with an experienced professional, for sector insight and one-to-one careers advice and guidance, over a 6-month period.
- Ask an Alum: a fuss-free way to connect with University of Exeter alumni to ask careers questions.
Recruitment fairs, careers fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. For details of future events visit Handshake. If you have not yet activated your account, select the Single Sign On (SSO) option and follow the onscreen instructions.
Other annual and ad-hoc events of interest include:
- Advertising Unlocked (IPA) - nationwide open day each autumn where leading advertising agencies welcome students.
- CIPR Careers Events & PRCA Careers Events - regular virtual events, skills workshops and student panels hosted by the two main PR bodies. Both organisations offer student membership.
- Festival of Marketing - one of the UK’s largest marketing events, featuring talks from major brand and agency leaders.
- London Book Fair - major publishing industry event with talks, networking, and career sessions — ideal for students exploring publishing careers.
- Mindless Academy’s Speaker Series - virtual talks featuring personal stories and insights from professionals in marketing, communications and journalism. Also features a library of recorded talks.
- NCTJ Journalism Skills Conference - annual event for aspiring journalists, featuring employers, editors and educators.
Recordings of Virtual Alumni Panel Events
The following recordings from past Career Zone events may be of interest:
Many major graduate recruiters have policies and processes that are proactive in recruiting graduates from diverse backgrounds. To learn more about the policies and attitudes of employers that you are interested in, explore their equality and diversity policies and see if they offer Disability Confident employer scheme or are recognised for their policy by such indicators as Mindful Employer or as a Stonewall’s Diversity Champion.
The UK law protects you from discrimination due to your age, gender, race, religion or beliefs, disability or sexual orientation and more. For further information on the Equality Act and to find out where and how you are protected, as well as information on what you need to do if you feel you have been discriminated against, visit the Government’s webpages on discrimination.
To learn more about how to share details of a disability with an employer and the support you can receive applying for jobs and work experience visit our equality and diversity page.
Creative Industries
Creative Access - Creative opportunities and career support - helps individuals from underrepresented communities access careers in the creative industries. It offers training, mentoring, and paid opportunities in sectors like publishing, film, TV, and marketing.
Publishing
- Diversity & Inclusion - Publishers Association - this page highlights initiatives led by members of the Publishers Association aimed at promoting inclusivity within the publishing industry.
- Equip - Equality in Publishing - Publishing Equalities Charter - promotes equality across UK publishing, bookselling and agenting, by driving forward change and increasing access to opportunities within the industry.
- Carole Blake Open Doors Project – offers paid publishing internships and mentorship to individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.
Journalism
- Journalism Diversity Fund - National Council for the Training of Journalists - awards bursaries to people from diverse backgrounds who need help funding their NCTJ journalism training.
- The Academy for Disabled Journalists (ADJ) - founded in 2018, empowers disabled individuals to pursue careers in journalism.
