Digital Marketing Jobs With No Experience: Entry Roles and What They Ask For
Oct 03, 2026
Yes, you can start in digital marketing without experience, for example as a marketing assistant, marketing coordinator or a junior in one channel. Ads for these roles ask for skills and examples of work. Answer them with a portfolio built on practice briefs, free platform certificates and marketing done in another role. No course can guarantee a job.
This guide explains common entry roles, how to read what an ad is really asking for, and how to build evidence before your first marketing job. It is written for career changers and school leavers. If you are still deciding, our career change pathway covers whether this suits you.
The roles people start in
Titles vary between employers, so read the duties rather than the title. These are common entry level roles, described by the work they involve.
| Role | What the work involves | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing assistant | Supporting a marketing team: scheduling posts, updating the website, preparing reports, helping with events and campaigns | A content calendar and a simple monthly report |
| Marketing coordinator | Keeping campaigns on track across several channels, briefing designers, reporting on results | A multi channel campaign plan with a budget and a report template |
| Social media coordinator | Planning, writing and scheduling posts, replying to comments, reporting on reach and engagement | A 30 day calendar with finished posts and a report |
| Junior SEO or content role | Keyword research, writing and updating web pages, checking technical issues | An SEO audit, a keyword map and a rewritten page |
| Junior paid search or paid social role | Building and monitoring ad campaigns, checking budgets, reporting on cost per result | A draft campaign built without spending money, with a written budget rationale |
| Agency account coordinator | Looking after clients' requests, preparing reports, coordinating the team doing the work | A client report and a clear written brief |
| Marketing inside another role | An admin, sales or customer service job where you also run the socials or the newsletter | Whatever you produced, with permission to show it |
The last row matters. Some people get their first real marketing experience by taking on marketing tasks in the job they already have. If your employer agrees, that work belongs in your portfolio.
On pay, SEEK's national averages put marketing assistant roles at $65,000 to $75,000 and marketing coordinator roles at $75,000 to $85,000. Our guide to digital marketing salary for beginners explains what changes those numbers.
How to read what an ad is asking for
A job ad is a list of what the employer hopes for, not a strict checklist. Split it into two lists before you decide whether to apply.
- Essential criteria. These are requirements. If an ad lists a degree, a licence or a set number of years in the role as essential, take it at its word.
- Desirable criteria. These are preferences. You do not need all of them. Apply if you can show most of the essential list and some of the desirable one.
- Tools named in the ad. Platforms such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, Meta Ads Manager, Canva or an email platform. Free certificates and practice work on these tools are direct evidence.
- The verbs. Words like plan, write, report, manage or coordinate tell you the day to day work. Match each verb to a piece of work you can show.
Then write your application around evidence. For each essential criterion, one sentence on what you did and a link to the piece of work that proves it is stronger than a general claim that you are a fast learner.
How to build experience before your first job
- Complete practice briefs. A brief on a fictional business lets you produce the same kind of work a junior produces, without needing a client or an ad budget. Present it as practice work. That honesty helps in an interview, because you can explain every decision.
- Collect free certificates. Google says its foundational Skillshop certifications are free (Google Skillshop Help) and HubSpot Academy's certifications are free (HubSpot Academy), both checked 28 September 2026. They show you know a specific platform. For more on how they fit with a course, see free certificates vs a course.
- Help a community group, with permission. A sports club, school group or charity may welcome help with its newsletter or social media. Agree in writing what you can show in a portfolio.
- Take on marketing tasks where you work now. Offer to run a newsletter or report on the social accounts. Ask before you share anything publicly.
- Keep a simple portfolio page. Two or three finished pieces, each with the brief, what you did and what you would do next.
Which course fits which starting point
If you want the broadest start for assistant and coordinator roles, our Deluxe course ($799, 100 lessons of about 20 minutes) ends with a multi channel campaign plan for a fictional business: a campaign plan with the budget maths and a keyword map, a draft Google Ads Search campaign built without spending money, a follow up email sequence and a monthly report template. If you want a lower cost first step, Essentials ($499) ends with a digital presence audit and a 90 day plan. Short courses from $79 to $149 cover one channel each, for a junior role in that channel.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a digital marketing job with no experience?
It is possible, and it is easier with evidence. Entry roles such as marketing assistant or coordinator are common starting points. Without paid experience, a portfolio of practice work, free platform certificates and any marketing you have done in another job or a volunteer role are how you show you can do the work. No course can promise you a job.
What is the best entry level digital marketing job?
The one that matches the skill you can show. A marketing assistant or coordinator role gives you the broadest start. If you have gone deep on one channel, a junior role in that channel, such as social media or SEO, lets you use it from day one.
Do entry level marketing jobs need a degree?
Some do. About half of Australia's marketing specialists held a bachelor degree in the 2021 Census (Jobs and Skills Australia). Read each ad: if a degree is listed as essential, it is a requirement. If it is listed as desirable, or not listed, your evidence can carry the application.
What should be in a beginner's digital marketing portfolio?
Two or three finished pieces, each with a short note on the brief, what you did and why. Good examples are a digital presence audit, a campaign plan, a draft Google Search campaign or a 30 day content calendar. Label practice work as practice work.
Is 20 Minute Marketing accredited?
No. Our courses are not accredited and are not nationally recognised training. You receive a Certificate of Completion, which records that you completed a self paced online course. If a role lists a formal qualification as essential, a TAFE or RTO course is the right choice. Many learners collect free certificates from Google Skillshop and HubSpot Academy alongside our courses.
Build the evidence first
Deluxe is $799, paid once, with 100 lessons of about 20 minutes, a portfolio brief, expert tutor support from the founder and 12 months access. 30 day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase.
See Deluxe The career change pathwaySources
Figures on this page were read on the source's own website on the date shown. Records and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.
- 1. https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/225113-marketing-specialists, checked 30 September 2026.
- 2. https://support.google.com/skillshop/answer/14746215, checked 28 September 2026.
- 3. https://academy.hubspot.com/certification-overview, checked 28 September 2026.
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