Why do you think professional development is important for marketers?

Because we are in a field where everything is always evolving. It’s important to always make a progress in both professional and personal development. As Tony Robbins said, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying”. It is important that Marketers keep learning and adapt to the changes. As Charles Darwin said “it’s not the strongest species nor the most intelligent species that survive, it’s the one that is most responsive to change”. If we don’t keep learning and growing, it’s just a matter of time until we become dinosaurs. And we all know what happened to them. Therefore, learning never stops. 

How often do you personally undertake training courses?

All the time. I usually buy online courses, conference tickets or sign up for webinars. And I have them lined up and fit in the learning time whenever I can. Learning new things keeps me excited to do my job. 

What are the best options for continuous professional development for marketers?

There really is no one size fits all. It depends on how confident you are with the topic or skill you are looking to grow. For example, if you’re pretty good with a particular skill and you take a beginner course, you will be bored. If you take an advanced course with no fundamental knowledge, then you are going to have a hard time keeping up with the course. There are also many teaching styles available, you just need to find the one that works for you. You don’t want it to be too slow or too fast for you. Talk to the course instructor or their sales team and tell them where you are with your skills and hopefully they can provide you with an appropriate recommendation. 

How do you keep up with current trends and emerging / changing technologies?

I surround myself with people who do. I’m a part of a few Facebook/LinkedIn groups and I follow thought leaders on social media. In addition, I also have my own network that I always talk to. We share valuable content with each other every now and then and we discuss it. I’m not a big fan of following trends because they only matter if they apply to the customers that I’m marketing to. Therefore, I let other people do the hard work and they can tell me about it, and I can choose whether to find out more. I find conferences are always helpful with keeping up to date with the industry. Luckily, we are now able to attend conferences online and listen to world-class experts anywhere and anytime we want.

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About Neil Krikul

Neil Krikul was one of the many international students who struggled to get his first marketing job after his graduation.

Without having a marketing position, Neil started living life as a Marketer which resulted in his first-ever full-time Marketing position in Tasmania and many more with big Tasmanian companies after that.

Currently, Neil is a Digital Marketing Coordinator at Clennett’s Mitre 10 and a Digital Marketing Manager at Pursuit Media where he helps other local Tasmanian businesses grow from Digital Marketing. Neil is also a State Committee (TAS) of the Australian Marketing Institute and a Peer Support of Launch Your Marketing Career community.