Marketing Graduate Job Profiles in the Spanish Mass Consumer Market: A Content Analysis of Job Listings on the Internet

Abstract

This Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the skills and knowledge currently required to marketing graduates in job vacancies in the mass consumer market, as a result of the corporate world’s response to the changes that globalisation and technological development demand.

Methodology: The research described here employed a mixed methodology. The first step involved performing a documentary search, using desk research techniques, on the two leading job portals in Spain: Infoempleo and Infojobs. Following this, a content analysis was performed to quantify each one of the requirements appearing in the job listings analysed.

Results: The results highlight the importance of knowing how to leverage social media effectively regarding to digital skills, the relevance of English language among meta-skills and a comprehensive knowledge of marketing strategies in relation to conceptual marketing knowledge requirements. As to the correlation between the experience and wage variables, this was observed to be especially strong.

Limitations: As this study has been focused on the B2C market, its conclusions are not directly applicable to other markets.

Practical implications: The value of this research lies in the importance that the latest skills required by the market have for university education in order to adapt curricula accordingly.

Keywords: marketing; university education; skills and knowledge; job vacancies; B2C market

JEL Classification: M53.