Linkedin and Slideshare are asking: "What do you wish you had known when you were 22 years old? With graduation around the corner, we’re asking you to share your best advice for those just starting out in the real world." So here is my take on this, from the point of view of a graduate who wants to make it in marketing. There are the 11 tips I have learned on the job in my 15-year experience as a marketer. 1. Give / receive creative feedback “Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself” 2. Vlookup and other Excel voodoo tricks Marketers shouldn’t be afraid of numbers. 3. History of advertising The marketer should be a voracious reader and an inquisitive historian of his trade. 4. How to manage upward / stand your ground Marketing is no department for the pushover. 5. Fractions and basic % calculation It’s always good to impress people in the room and be noticed as number-inclined. 6. Project management Learn and apply the basics of project management and you will become a strong asset in any marketing job and to any leader. 7. Storytelling Great marketers and leaders tell stories. You should too. 8. Bargaining Don’t be a fool and think bargaining is beneath you or a salesman’s job. Or else, as Bon Scott sang, risk “getting had / getting took”. 9. Sketching / mapping Know how to convey your point of view visually in a strategic manner. 10. Endurance It’s tough out here for Marketers. Know it, build a thick skin, and be a pitbull.

1. If I were 22
and dying
to rock
marketing#IFIWERE22

2. 11things I learned on the
job
that will make you rock
marketing
I have 15 years of experience in marketing related jobs.
Trust me. You won’t regret investing in these seemingly trivial skills.

3. 1. Creative
feedback
how to get it and receive it
David Ogilvy said it best: “Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself”.
It takes genius and humility to not mess up a good creative concept and not
hamper creative talent.
Giving and receiving a brief, essential too.

4. 2. Vlookup & excel
tricks
Rock advanced excel, rock
your job
Marketers should not be afraid of numbers.
Number manipulations, functions, pivot tables, statistics add-on. They are
your best allies to show marketing savviness and rise above the pack.

5. 3. History of
advertising
Know your wells, bernbach,
Ogilvy…
You’ll be in the 10th percentile easily if you can rely on the experience and
great work of industry legends. The history, the way of thinking, the best
practices.
Be discerning, but be a voracious student of your trade.

6. 4. Manage upward
Manage expectations & stand
your ground
Marketing is tricky because it is often a matter of opinions and guesses.
So, set expectations and update about tests, hypotheses, advancement.
Also, forge opinions and be ready to defend them.
While being open-minded.

7. 5. Master the
numbers
know your numbers. Calculate
on the spot
Impress people in the room. Be the number-inclined. It never hurts.
It’s easy. Know the metrics of your sector, of your activity, etc.
And train to do basic ratio and percentage calculations.

8. 6. Project
management
tasks, deadlines, follow-up:
master them
A lot of what we do as marketers is project management – launches,
campaigns, tradeshows, websites…
So there is no excuse: learn the ropes. Make Gantt your BFF.
Trust me, a reliable project manager is worth its weight in gold.

9. 7. Storytelling
we always are. Know the ins
and outs
Speaking at a conference, writing a blog post, putting together a campaign,
delivering an elevator pitch. It’s always about how well you tell a story –
yours, your product’s, your brand’s…
Great marketers know how to tell stories. Period.

10. 8. Bargaining
we are deal makers, budget
warriors
If you’re to be a marketer, you will sell and buy –media space, solutions,
software, rights… You will make deals –inventory, sponsorships,
endorsements… And you will fight for budgets. With your nails and teeth.
So don’t be a fool and think bargaining is a salesman’s job.

11. 9. Art of the sketch
get your point across. Visually.
We marketers are being paid to get a point across. That point can get pretty
technical. The trick? As the proverb says, a picture is worth a thousand
words.
So, don’t stand lower than a caveman on the corporate ladder: know how to
convey your point of view visually in a strategic manner.

12. 10. Endurance
it’s a marathon. Not a sprint.
At Amex, I learned a great word: resilience. That skill was valued. And
needed, as I soon realized.
The Oxford Dictionary defines resilience as “able to withstand or recover
quickly from difficult conditions”.
Yep, it’s tough out here for Marketers. Build a thick skin, and be a pitbull.

13. 11. Don’t do ½ of
the job
go all the way. Hey, you’re 22!
I should have written 22 tips for a 22 years old. Not stopped at 11.
I should have put background on that slide.
Don’t be complacent, don’t stop or cope out.
You’re just getting started. Go all in. Go all the way.

14. Did this help?
Or was I just full of it?
Please, do say!
#IFIWERE22
@guillaumerigal
linkedin.com/in/guillaumerigal