The Grand Valley State University marketing department and the GVSU American Marketing Association are co-sponsoring a marketing career night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the L. William Seidman Center’s Loosemoore Forum on Oct. 6.

Maria Landon, a GVSU affiliate marketing professor, said the career night will showcase 16 to 18 local nonprofit and for-profit businesses including Meijer, Priority Health, Steelcase and the United Way. Landon added that some of these recruiters are GVSU alumni.

“This event kicks off marketing week,” she said. “Students don’t need to be a marketing major to attend.”

Landon said the career night has always been successful in the past because it allows students to network with potential employers, learn tips for obtaining a job or internship and ask questions.

Students who major in marketing have a broad range of career options, ranging from sales and advertising to research and product development, she added.

“We encourage students to do internships, but it’s not required,” Landon said. “You have to start somewhere. I tell my students you never make an investment unless there’s a payoff.”

Kevin Lehnert, a GVSU assistant marketing professor, said this event will help prepare students for the university-wide career fair on Oct. 21.

“We are really focusing on trying to provide strong interactions between students and employers,” Lehnert said. “Getting jobs is a marathon, not a sprint. They need to start thinking now.”

He added that the event will have a more intimate structure, with each employer having a table where students can sit down and have a conversation with them. Lehnert said the goal of this is to have a two-way interaction and engagement.

“We want to show that we commit to students, not just inside but outside the classroom,” Lehnert said. “We want them to learn a lot and feel confident being able to apply for a job.”

Amanda Jakubowski is the president of the GVSU chapter of the American Marketing Association, a national organization that is open to all students regardless of their major. Jakubowski is a senior majoring in marketing and minoring in advertising and public relations.

“I am looking forward to the impact that marketing careers night will have on individuals,” she said. “These are professionals who are great connections, open to mentoring and might have positions available.”

Jakubowski added that majoring in marketing is beneficial for any student after college.

“We are always marketing ourselves from what we wear, what we eat, what we drive, how we interview,” she said. “We are basically a walking billboard. Marketing is the visible part of business.”

Students planning to attend the marketing career night should wear professional attire and bring business cards or a resume.

According to Institutional Analysis, 688 students were pursuing a major in marketing at the beginning of the current fall semester. Last year, 196 students out of the 877 students in the Seidman College of Business obtained their Bachelors of Arts in marketing.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, employment opportunities for marketing managers are expected to grow 13 percent between 2012 and 2022. The job outlook for advertising, promotions and marketing managers is expected to grow 12 percent in the same time period.

For more information about the major, visit www.gvsu.edu/marketing/. To get involved with the American Marketing Association, visit www.amagvsu.com/.