How To Become An Account Executive, Advertising & Sales: What It Is and Career Path

What is an account executive, advertising & sales and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

An account executive, advertising, and sales are responsible for meeting with clients to get a thorough understanding of their advertising and promotional needs. They manage the budgets earmarked for these activities, coordinate advertising and promotional campaigns post client approval, track budgets and costs, and ensure that the projects run smoothly. They also stay in touch with past clients and solicit new business by presenting proposals or pitches in collaboration with other members of the agency.

An account executive, advertising, and sales earn an average salary of $51,000 annually or $24 per hour. They are key to bringing clients' ideas and projects to life, ensuring client satisfaction, and attracting new business. Part of their duties includes acting as a liaison between the client and creative team to ensure adherence to brand guidelines and keep leads for new business moving through the sales pipeline.

An account executive, advertising, and sales typically hold a bachelor's degree in advertising, business, marketing, or other related fields. They are expected to have some years of experience in marketing or advertising. Some employers prefer candidates with excellent communication and presentation skills.

What general advice would you give to an account executive, advertising & sales?

Kaustav Misra Ph.D.

Associate Dean, Central Connecticut State University

I have spent almost two decades in the higher education industry and about a decade in administration. I often advised students, and it is astonishing to see how many of these students do not plan for their future. A good plan is a starting point to lead a good and successful career and life. Hence, by all means, it is worth noting that developing a future-oriented focus is important, so taking time to streamline the plan should be an important exercise for every graduate before they begin to do anything.

ScoreAccount Executive, Advertising & SalesUS Average

Salary

4.3

Avg. Salary $54,495

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.2

Growth rate -8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.39%

Asian 4.61%

Black or African American 6.11%

Hispanic or Latino 13.64%

Unknown 4.12%

White 71.13%

Gender

female 62.91%

male 37.09%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.0

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an account executive, advertising & sales

Explore account executive, advertising & sales education requirements

Most common account executive, advertising & sales degrees

Bachelor's

80.9 %

Associate

8.4 %

Master's

5.7 %

Start to develop specific account executive, advertising & sales skills

Skills	Percentages
Media Sales	17.79%
ROI	12.30%
Business Development	11.93%
Real Estate	7.64%
Market Research	6.53%

Complete relevant account executive, advertising & sales training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New account executives, advertising & sales learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an account executive, advertising & sales based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real account executive, advertising & sales resumes.

Research account executive, advertising & sales duties and responsibilities

Drive knowledge of unique offerings to help brands achieve and grow core KPIs and deliver ROI amongst qualify users.
Manage and creaat multiple PPC advertising campaigns, generating conversions for companies selling everything from gumballs, cleaning services to motorhomes.
Track analytics by maintaining the CRM database.
Analyze client data, campaign execution and return on investment, utilizing CRM.

Prepare your account executive, advertising & sales resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your account executive, advertising & sales resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an account executive, advertising & sales resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable account executive, advertising & sales resume templates

Build a professional account executive, advertising & sales resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your account executive, advertising & sales resume.

Apply for account executive, advertising & sales jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an account executive, advertising & sales job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams