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Benefits of the American Marketing Association (AMA) Membership
Why Join the American Marketing Association (AMA)?
In our last blog, Christina O’Connell, Director of the Center for Career Management, spoke about what employers look for on a resume. “Top items to see listed on resumes are student involvement and leadership experience on campus, communication skills, and teamwork skills, as well as having relevant experience,” said Christina. One of the best ways to gain all these skills is through one of the 13 student organizations in the Williamson College of Business Administration. We had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Kendra Fowler, an Associate Professor in the Management and Marketing Department, to talk about what the American Marketing Association is, and how it can benefit students in the long run.
The American Marketing Association is a nationally recognized group that consists of not only collegiate chapters but also professional ones. This is an organization that is recognized by employers and that’s why we feel it is something to participate in. Having access to the professional chapter is a huge advantage for AMA. This gives students the opportunity to network with employers and professionals in their field. Being able to build a professional network early is a big advantage when it comes to searching for jobs.
What can students gain by joining the American Marketing Association?
“With their participation in the American Marketing Association, students get access to the professional chapter. This means, they have the opportunity to attend professional chapter events in Cleveland and, we can call on them to come and have presentations here. Students in AMA also have access to certifications through the national AMA, which looks great on student resumes. They get to start learning how to market, they market the club as a whole and the events they hold. The big draw for a lot of students is that we participate in the National Collegiate Conference and we compete against schools from across the country.”
The National Collegiate Conference gives you the chance to meet other students from across the country and begin networking with them. Students participate in different types of competitions including, case studies, sales competitions, and strategy competitions.
What other events can AMA members attend?
“We almost always go to the National Collegiate Conference which is in New Orleans in the spring. There are regional conferences, so the closest one here would be in Pittsburgh, sometimes they’ve gone to that. Like I said they can go to any of the events that the professional chapter holds. If they wanted to, they could travel wherever they wanted and attend American Marketing Association events,” said Dr. Fowler.
Events like these give students the opportunity to network. We can’t stress enough how important networking is in the business world. You never know, you could meet someone and build a relationship with them and five years down the line you’re looking for a job and they help you get one. Networking is the key to finding a job or internship. We encourage students to not only network with professionals but also network with each other. You never know where a friend you make in college will be in five years. They could be the people hiring you or helping you get a job with their company.
These events also give students valuable experience. Being able to practice and compete against other students can give you the knowledge and showcase what you can do to future employers. It really gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself and test your skills. Not only that, but you get to see what other students can do. This can show you what you may need to work on or what things you do better than most in.
What kind of guest speakers do you bring into the AMA?
“When we go to the National Conference, they have people from Google, Amazon, Facebook, Nike, and Under Armour. Here locally, we tend to focus more on local people, so we’ll have local marketing and advertisement companies come in. We have a lot of our alumni come back and talk about what their jobs are now. “
Being able to hear from companies and alumni about how you can apply what you’re learning is a big advantage. Imagine you’re going into a football game as a coach and you know what plays the other team is going to run. You can set yourself up perfectly to win the game. This is similar in the fact that these companies can tell you what they look for when hiring. That way you, as a student, can go out and match every one of their criteria. This can increase the chance of getting an internship or job exponentially.
How can students further their career in the AMA?
“There are a lot of opportunities. They can get certifications that are recognized by professional marketers across the country. They also have opportunities for scholarships and internships that are only available to American Marketing Association members.”
In order to receive a certification, you have to take a course. Once you’ve completed the course you have to take a test over the course material. If you pass the test you earn the certification. Some examples of certification areas are content marketing, digital marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), or Microsoft Excel. Having a certification can put you above someone else in a resume pile because it shows that you are knowledgeable in the field.
Does a student need any specific qualifications to be a part of AMA?
“No, we have a treasurer so we need people from finance, we have a secretary so maybe someone from communications might want to join, we have students that are graphic design majors. Essentially, we need all the basic building blocks you just have to have an interest in marketing.”
This organization is really for any major that has an interest in marketing. There is no GPA requirement and you don’t have to be a marketing major which makes this organization available to anyone.
We also asked how time consuming the organization is because we know that as students you want to be able to be a part of things and still focus on your studies. Currently, they meet on Tuesday’s at 5 p.m. They meet once a week but you are not required to come to every meeting. The AMA also puts out announcements about what went on in the meeting that way if you miss you can still stay involved. Not only do they have their weekly meetings but they also have about one event per month. This could be a guest speaker or a service project.
Overall, the American Marketing Association is a great student organization with lots of amazing opportunities. The ability to network with not only students but professionals is a huge advantage in the world of business. Check out the AMA and what they’re doing. Make sure to follow them on Instagram @ytownama to stay up to date with what they are doing.
Make sure you check out all of our student organizations at https://ysu.edu/academics/williamson-college-business-administration/student-leadership-organizations
