Marketing and sales sector
The marketing and sales sector plays a vital role in driving business growth by promoting products and services, engaging customers, and generating revenue.
Marketing focuses on understanding consumer needs, building brand awareness, and creating strategic campaigns, while sales involve converting interest into purchases and maintaining client relationships. Together, they form the backbone of a company’s customer engagement and commercial success.
For those who enjoy communication, problem-solving, and working with people, this sector offers variety, progression, and the chance to influence how products and services succeed in the market.
Explore opportunites and events
Explore marketing and sales events, including employer-led events, alumni panels, guest speaker, and networking sessions.
Browse current graduate roles, internships, and placements in marketing, sales, and related fields.
Gain work experience
Building experience in marketing and sales helps you develop creativity, communication, and commercial awareness—skills highly valued by employers. While formal internships and industrial placements are useful, many students break into the sector through part-time jobs, volunteering, or involvement in student-led campaigns. Being proactive early on can give you a competitive edge when applying for graduate roles.
- Apply for internships, insight schemes, or industrial placements
- Contact the marketing departments of companies, agencies and charities, to ask about their work experience opportunities.
- Take on part-time work in customer-facing or sales roles
- Get involved in student societies and campaigns and take on roles involving promotions, social media, or event planning to build real-world marketing skills.
- Build a personal brand by starting a blog, YouTube channel, or social media project to showcase creativity, communication, and digital marketing skills.
- Enter competitions and attend events through joining marketing challenges or sales pitch competitions and attend employer-led workshops to grow your network and knowledge.
- Take online courses and certifications and learn tools like Google Analytics, SEO, or CRM platforms through free or low-cost online platforms, such as LinkedIn Learning, to boost your CV.
Explore support and opportunities on our Work Experience and Internships page.
You may be eligible to apply for work experience bursaries through The University of Birmingham. For more details visit the internship funding pages.
Many of our graduates from University of Birmingham have gone on to pursue careers in marketing and sales, read their stories for inspiration and consider connecting with them on LinkedIn.
Elle Picton
American and Canadian History BA
Brand Manager at PepsiCo
Read Elle's Story »
Dian Li
Marketing MSc
Communication Manager at an airline company in China
Read Dian's Story »
Victoria Munton-Davies
English Language, Literature and Drama BA
Senior Manager of Sales and Marketing for The National Ballet of Canada in Toronto
Read Victoria's Story »
Molly Thompson Dykes
Environmental Science BSc
Co-founder and director of Burger Me Up, alongside Alex Best
Read Molly's Story »
Useful Resources
Breaking into marketing and sales is both exciting and challenging, with roles ranging from creative strategy to data analysis. We've curated trusted resources to guide your career path and professional growth.
Membership and professional bodies