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Job outlook for sales and marketing interns in the United States
Sales and marketing internship job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected sales and marketing internship job growth rate is 19% from 2018-2028.
About 150,300 new jobs for sales and marketing interns are projected over the next decade.
Sales and marketing internship salaries have increased 5% for sales and marketing interns in the last 5 years.
There are over 357,731 sales and marketing interns currently employed in the United States.
There are 142,820 active sales and marketing internship job openings in the US.
The average sales and marketing internship salary is $42,269.
Are sales and marketing internship jobs in demand?
Sales and marketing internship job and salary trends over time
Sales and marketing internship jobs over time
Sales and marketing internship job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 357,731 | 0.11% |
| 2020 | 335,587 | 0.10% |
| 2019 | 333,034 | 0.10% |
| 2018 | 324,951 | 0.10% |
| 2017 | 308,431 | 0.09% |
Average sales and marketing internship salary over time
Sales and marketing internship salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $42,269 | $20.32 | +3.2% |
| 2025 | $40,971 | $19.70 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $40,541 | $19.49 | --0.2% |
| 2023 | $40,612 | $19.52 | +1.1% |
| 2022 | $40,181 | $19.32 | +0.7% |
Sales and marketing internship jobs by state
Most common states for sales and marketing interns
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont | 623,657 | 325 | 52% |
| 2 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 285 | 49% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 301 | 43% |
| 4 | Delaware | 961,939 | 404 | 42% |
| 5 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 335 | 39% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 293 | 39% |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 516 | 38% |
| 8 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 480 | 36% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 254 | 34% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 1,014 | 33% |
| 11 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 333 | 32% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 333 | 31% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 574 | 30% |
| 14 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 513 | 30% |
| 15 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,026 | 27% |
| 16 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,513 | 27% |
| 17 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 962 | 27% |
| 18 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,639 | 24% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,336 | 24% |
| 20 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,394 | 23% |
Most common cities for sales and marketing interns
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheshire | 1 | 3% | $45,292 |
| 2 | Salisbury | 1 | 3% | $42,256 |
| 3 | Beverly | 1 | 2% | $45,691 |
| 4 | Hicksville | 1 | 2% | $54,734 |
| 5 | Palm Beach Gardens | 1 | 2% | $33,609 |
| 6 | Lansing | 1 | 1% | $49,389 |
| 7 | Palo Alto | 1 | 1% | $50,414 |
| 8 | Troy | 1 | 1% | $49,728 |
| 9 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $45,755 |
| 10 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $39,515 |
| 11 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $49,463 |
| 12 | Phoenix | 1 | 0% | $44,485 |
| 13 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $50,300 |
Sales And Marketing Internship job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of sales and marketing internship experts
University of Southern Mississippi
University of North Georgia
Duke University
University of Redlands
University of Central Oklahoma
Baylor University
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
St. John Fisher College
Penn State Erie, The Behrend College
SUNY New Paltz
Kansas State University
State University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo
Westminster College
Mount Mercy University
University of Iowa, College of Law
University of Minnesota Duluth
Texas Tech University
University of South Alabama
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
University of New Hampshire
What general advice would you give to a Sales And Marketing Internship?
Kevin Buckley: The biggest factor in earning potential is performance - salespeople get paid based on their ability to hit and exceed quotas through revenue generation. With a sales career, you have a lot of control over earnings. My advice is to be metrics-driven and have a plan to intentionally grow your sales skills through training, mentors, and personal development. Build a reputation for consistent over-achievement. It's also important to do research and understand typical compensation benchmarks. Some may offer higher base pay, while others offer more earnings leverage through aggressive commission/bonus structures.
What skills stand out on Sales And Marketing Internship resumes?
Mary Norman: As a Marketing Assistant often provides important support to the broader marketing department staff, the following skills and competencies are desired and often prioritized in the hiring process:
-Strong communication skills - written and verbal
-Strong time management and organization skills to meet deadlines
-Attention to detail
-Multi-tasking
-Problem solving and strong motivation to drive positive results
-Being comfortable in an ever-changing environment/adaptable and flexible
-Understanding of key marketing concepts
-Customer-centric attitude (internal and external)
-Social Media content development and analysis
-Listening
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Mary Norman: -Communication - written and verbal
-Teamwork
-Problem solving
-Adaptability
-Creativity
-Positive attitude
-Motivation / Assertiveness
-Honesty
What hard/technical skills are most important for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Mary Norman: -Project management skills
-Knowledge of key marketing tools and analytics:
-Social media tools like Hootsuite, Google analytics, etc.
-Design tools like Canva, Photoshop, Illustrator
-Email and Survey tools like Mailchimp and Survey Monkey
-SEO Tools like Google Ads
-Digital/Social Media Marketing Skills in the following areas:
-Email marketing
-Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEM/SEO)
-Email marketing
-Content marketing - ability to create content for social media and additional formats like blogs, etc.
-Social Media marketing through top platforms: i.e., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.
-Data Analysis - mining insights into customer behavior based on website and social media analytics
-Trendwatching / Consumer insights
What skills will help Sales And Marketing Interns earn the most?
Mary Norman: While knowledge of the "hard skills" is very important in getting hired and excelling in a marketing career, soft skills (people skills) often support career progression the most. The following skills are important for career success today:
-Decision making
-Communication
-Adaptablility / Time management
-Teamwork
-Project management / Attention to Detail
-Problem Solving
-Analytical Thinking
-Creativity
-Confidence
-Customer knowledge
Michael Munger
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Director, PPE ProgramDuke University
Department of Political Science
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Sales And Marketing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Michael Munger: We will never go back to full-time jobs, punching a clock, with medical benefits and retirement plans. It is likely, as I discussed
in my book TOMORROW 3.0 (Amazon),
that we will increasingly move to gigs, short-term jobs for ephemeral, short-lived firms. A model is the movie industry, which uses short-term contracts for the duration of filming and production, and then reforms again for the NEXT project, with kaleidescopic change in personnel.
The real problem is that service jobs of all kinds are rapidly being replaced by software. There are three reasons:
A. software is cheaper, and can be more reliable for things like taking orders at McDonalds. A kiosk is always there, and always open. It gets the order right, and charges the right price.
The old model was that I went in, read some words off the menu board, and the human behind the counter looked for the corresponding words on her cash register. JUST TURN THE CASH REGISTER AROUND! Now the customer presses the buttons on a touch screen.
B. There is a misguided move to increase the minimum wage. This will help experienced people, but it's a disaster for those who lack experience. Many young people will never find a "first job" if we insist that entry-level jobs pay enough to support a middle-class family. Software is cheaper already, but the new $15/hour minimum wage is terrible for young people starting out.
C. COVID. Software can't catch the virus, and can't transmit. This factor alone would be enough to take a lot of business online, and wipe out sales people and bricks and mortar establishments.
The downstream consequence will be dramatic increases in inequality. People with experience, and skills, will have jobs with medical benefits and pensions. Everyone else, and that will increasingly be young people without degrees or experience, will be stuck as a permanent underclass. COVID has already prevented young people from getting relevant and useful experience and education. That gap will NOT be made up.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Sales And Marketing Interns to find work opportunities?
Michael Munger: The best "place" to work is one with a very fast and reliable internet connection. This means that many rural areas, on top of their previous economic difficulties, are now even further behind because of lack of broadband.
Xin Zhao Ph.D.
ProfessorUniversity of Redlands
School of Business
What skills stand out on Sales And Marketing Internship resumes?
Xin Zhao Ph.D.: The most common responsibilities of a marketing coordinator include the following: conducting research of the industry, competitors, and customers in preparation of marketing campaigns, working with other departments to produce marketing collaterals, tracking campaign and sales data as well as helping with sales forecast. As a result, strong research, analytical, and communication skills would stand out on the resume.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Xin Zhao Ph.D.: As mentioned above, a marketing coordinator needs to organize efforts among different departments to successfully design and launch campaigns. Therefore, collaborative, organizational (especially time management) and communication skills are most important for this position to keep things on track.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Xin Zhao Ph.D.: Skills in gathering information and generating reports to facilitate decision-making are most important. In addition, employers are looking for experienced people in project management to make sure the marketing plan is executed effectively. Familiarity with data analytics tools, such as Google Analytics, could also help track a campaign's performance. Secondary skills in CRM tools, such as HubSpot, and Content Management Systems, such as WordPress, would be welcome, too, especially for small businesses where marketing coordinators need to wear multiple hats.
What skills will help Sales And Marketing Interns earn the most?
Xin Zhao Ph.D.: Ever since marketing became a profession, creativity has been considered one of the most important skills for marketing professionals. Being creative used to have a narrow definition and only apply to design work to make your brand unique and stand out in the market. With AI and automation becoming more prevalent in the marketing field, creativity has a broader meaning. Specifically, AI and automation help businesses streamline data collection and analysis, identify patterns, and highlight insights, which could eliminate some traditional marketing coordinator jobs. However, marketers who can think outside the box would apply their business instinct to make meaningful connections between data and action. They can understand analytics and make a decision that transcends machine intelligence. Therefore, in the long run, creative skills would help you stay in demand for your work and earn the most.
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.
Professor of Marketing, ChairpersonUniversity of Central Oklahoma
Department of Marketing
What skills stand out on Sales And Marketing Internship resumes?
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.: Employers are looking for people who are analytical. Much of marketing involved understanding target audiences and marketing. If an applicant can analyze and interpret data, they add value to the employer.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.: Communication is important in any job but especially in marketing. These professionals must be able to communicate with customers/clients about product/service benefits and must be able to listen and represent the needs of customers/clients to their own company.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.: Data analysis is important. Understanding metrics adds value to your employer as you are able to design attractive marketing campaigns
What skills will help Sales And Marketing Interns earn the most?
Stacia Wert-Gray Ph.D.: Currently, employers are looking for candidates who understand social media and search engine optimization. These forms of marketing communication are red hot in today's world because they are relatively inexpensive when compared to traditional media, and they are easier to measure outcomes. Companies are emphasizing return on marketing investment, and traditional media expenditures are not easy to quantify benefits.
Stephanie Mangus Ph.D.
Sales Faculty and Coach, Center for Professional Selling, Assistant Professor of MarketingBaylor University
Hankamer School of Business
What skills stand out on Sales And Marketing Internship resumes?
Stephanie Mangus Ph.D.: Recruiters are looking for evidence that applicants are hardworking and have a history of achieving and exceeding goals.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Stephanie Mangus Ph.D.: Strong written and verbal communication skills aid employees in serving both constituents inside and outside the organization. Assessing when action is needed, planning a response, and having a positive attitude go a long way in developing a professional reputation.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Stephanie Mangus Ph.D.: In any business role, employees that can analyze data and craft strategy are really important. In a coordinator role, those skills may not be as necessary but will certainly make them stand out and gain attention for additional roles and responsibilities.
What skills will help Sales And Marketing Interns earn the most?
Stephanie Mangus Ph.D.: Analytical skills, business acumen, and knowing when to step up.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Sales And Marketing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Miguel Olivas-Luján Ph.D.: As the economy "reopens" (thanks to appeased fears of contagion driven by vaccination, herd immunity, people worn out by the lockdowns, warmer weather, etc.), we should see workforce adjustments across industries and occupations. Already in March, unemployment was returning to 6% (from a high of 14.8% in April 2020, but after a low of 3.5 in February 2020; https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000). Barring unexpected resistance in the virus variants or other influences, the summer and fall months should give us better job market numbers, but this recovery seems to be benefitting some population segments more than others. The unemployed rate for teenagers was at 13%, followed by Blacks (9.6%), Hispanics (7.9%), Asians (6%), adult men (5.8%), and adult women (5.7%; more detail is available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm).
How have salaries changed over time for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Dr. Miguel Olivas-Luján Ph.D.: Again, there is wide variation across industries and occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a nationwide drop (relative to the previous month) of 4 cents in average hourly earnings for workers on private payrolls, but an increase of 2 cents for private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees; little changes were observed for healthcare and information employers (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm). The largest gains (on a yearly basis) were reported by the Financial activities sector, and the lowest by Mining and logging (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t19.htm). Unfortunately, the BLS does not publish regional data, but I am confident that some states have observed more gains than others.
What will help Sales And Marketing Interns increase their earning potential?
Clair Smith Ph.D.: St. John Fisher is at its core a liberal arts college, and I'm a firm believer that a grounding in how to reason and make sound independent judgments is critical. And in Economics, that's what we do. I believe that graduates who can effectively reason and think through the implications of important decisions, who have quantitative skills to analyze and interpret data to inform those decisions, and who can powerfully communicate those arguments to others through the written and spoken word will have the greatest professional success and financial remuneration.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Sales And Marketing Interns?
Lisa Elliott Ph.D.: Yes, the virus has stalled many projects and created a pent-up demand for hiring. We expect that as the pandemic lifts, projects will be back on track and hiring will pick up. In general, psychologists with a background in human factors are highly sought after as we work in nearly every industry and in government. We expect that students will find a robust job market in the years ahead in human factors/user experience design.
Felicia Hodges
InstructorSUNY New Paltz
Deptment of Digital Media and Journalism
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Sales And Marketing Interns?
Felicia Hodges: I think there will definitely be fallout from the pandemic for soon-to-be graduates simply because it has been such a difficult year - and it ain't over yet. Maybe the hard, fast, "deadlines are sacrosanct!" imprints that were par for the non-COVID course haven't been so much lately, as a bulk of pandemic life has been about accounting for what students might have been/are dealing with due necessary COVID-induced work or lifestyle changes. And because many of the "real world" training/trial outlets weren't available (i.e. school print publications had to shift schedules or halt publishing altogether as staffs weren't able to meet in person; internships were non-existent or done almost entirely virtually, etc.), there weren't concrete ways to help students put the theories of what they learned in the classroom to practical use. It may be a steep learning curve for the newly-degreed journalism (as well as other media) practitioners.
Richard Doll
Associate ProfessorKansas State University
Department of Educational Leadership
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Richard Doll: Graduates should possess the ability to communicate (orally and in written form), problem solve, critically think about complex challenges, work in teams, complete tasks on time and contribute to the overall mission of the organization.
Dr. Ian Alam
Professor of MarketingState University of New York (SUNY) at Geneseo
School Of Business
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Dr. Ian Alam: Micro credentials are an important tool that all graduates must have in this tough employment market. In all areas of business and economics education, some type of micro credentials are available. Some are free of charge and some have small fees. For example, in the field of marketing, two organizations offer free credentials for social media marketing to the students enrolled in a college. These are Hootsuite and Hubspot, which offer micro credentials for social media marketing. For others who are not students, a fee applies. Besides, there are several organizations that are offering credentials after the completion of short online courses in a variety of fields. I believe students must look at these micro credentials right after the college to make themselves more marketable.
What will help Sales And Marketing Interns increase their earning potential?
Dr. Ian Alam: Gaining as much experience as possible via internships and volunteer work combined with aforesaid microcredentials will be very helpful for the recent graduate to negotiate better package. I also recommend the graduates to accept any employment they can get rather wait for the perfect ones. The reason is that any work experience will be valuable later.
What's a day at work look like for a Sales And Marketing Internship?
Michael Mamo Ph.D.: The pandemic has brought about fundamental changes at the workplace, including remote work and the rising importance of technological proficiency. These in turn demand flexibility and much of the workplace will demand more versatility and flexibility.
What will help Sales And Marketing Interns increase their earning potential?
Michael Mamo Ph.D.: Not sure how this relates to the previous themes but I do not believe the quest to increase one's earning potential is a noble goal. As humans we value (or should value) the benefits of enlightenment that come from education and life-long learning. Of course, enlightenment could translate to monetary gains. Enlightenment also comes with a greater sense of fulfilment in life and provides the person with traits of empathy, integrity, and other virtues such as justice and perseverance. Beyond improving ones earningn potential, education is a life-affirming process and that is what I would advise people in my field to aspire for.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Sales And Marketing Internship job market given the pandemic?
Joe Sheller: Pandemic is too new for me to gauge--it's been going on for a year but we have a small graduating class each year. I was worried about last year's class, but they seem to have found placements.
I sort of expect a kind of delayed impact. Lots of my journalism graduates go into marketing, PR, corporate writing or web writing--they are not strictly "service" jobs that were worst hit by pandemic, but do depend on companies that provide those services (not much work in restaurant marketing when all the restaurants are closed, for example). A chunk of the small pool of graduates I had were actually hired by the university where I teach because we had "churn" in our marketing-communication office, both a change of leadership and existing employees moving on off campus for other places--which is not an indication of a weak job market.
Remote job interviews via video conferencing are way more common.
What will help Sales And Marketing Interns increase their earning potential?
Melissa Norman: There are many factors to take into consideration when thinking about earning potential. Large firms (501+ attorneys) tend to be located in larger cities and have high starting salaries, but may also come with a high cost of living. Smaller rural firms may not have as high salaries, but the cost of living may be much lower. Students should take a careful look at the salary, cost of living, and their financial needs. To have the most employment options available, students should try to earn the best grades possible. Other co-curricular activities can also be helpful to bolster a resume such as journal involvement, moot court, and internships. Effective networking can also work magic!
Ekaterina Elgayeva Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Organizational BehaviorUniversity of Minnesota Duluth
Labovitz School of Business and Economics
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Sales And Marketing Interns?
Ekaterina Elgayeva Ph.D.: This is a time when employers are seeking prospective employees to have a robust repertoire of soft skills - in other words, skills that emphasize relational coordination through capacities of emotional intelligence, value alignment, and a growth mindset that encompasses a high degree of adaptability and flexibility.
A core soft skill that brings together all of the aforementioned skills is professional networking. A recent article in the Harvard Business Review reports on the findings of a study on professional and personal networks, suggesting that during the pandemic - on average - our networks have been depleted by 16%. There are monumental implications to this statistic and yet, for recent graduates entering the workforce, this is a prime opportunity to leverage networking - as a skill, capacity, and a professional ethos, more generally - in order to differentiate themselves in the eyes of prospective employers. In other words, creating a networking strategy can be a recent graduate's individual competitive advantage. The www.linkedin.comoffers a substantive roster of resources to support this skill development in an actionable way. Additionally, www.6seconds.org and www.pmi.org can amplify networking capabilities in ways that set recent graduates apart within their industry and chosen job sector.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Sales And Marketing Interns?
Dr. Eric Rasmussen Ph.D.: I think this is the question we're all asking ourselves right now. The impact of the pandemic on the job market is out of anyone's control. What we can control is our ability to help students acquire a skillset that is versatile enough to give them flexibility in an ever-changing job market. A degree in public relations is well-situated to help give graduates the best opportunity for finding meaningful employment.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Dr. Kelly Collins Woodford: The soft skills graduates need really has not changed because of the pandemic, but the importance of those soft skills has changed.
For example, as we saw last spring, the ability to be flexible and adaptable to change is critical. To be adaptable, graduates will need strong critical thinking/problem solving skills.
Importantly, graduates must be able to work independently. We often see students who want to be told exactly what to do and how to do it. Graduates in the current market need to be able to use their critical thinking skills to figure out how to accomplish goals and have the ability to work independently to reach the goals.
Also important are interpersonal skills needed to be a successful member of a team, whether the team is remote or in person.
With flexible hours and remote work, time management has also increased in importance.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Brady Collins Ph.D.: Ability to collaborate and work in teams, delegate tasks, manage short-term and long-term projects simultaneously.
What soft skills should all Sales And Marketing Interns possess?
Ronald Boucher: The development of soft skills is extremely important in the hospitality industry as a whole. Since dining out will become more expensive the customer expectation will also increase. I often remind my students that we are in the business of saying yes and that we are not in the business of saying no. A trained professional figures out how to satisfy the customer by exceeding expectations by utilizing and implementing soft skills learned at the University of New Hampshire.