I hear this all the time:

How do I get a job as a growth marketer if I don’t have working experience working in a growth role?

Here are some common ways I could answer that:

  • Freelance and get the experience that way
  • Start a side project and leverage that in your application
  • Use this opportunity to take training programs to sharpen your skills

Now I’ve got a new answer – get a growth apprenticeship!

The ultimate chicken vs. egg debacle is the “I need experience to get XYZ role but I can’t get experience since they only hire people with experience.” 

This is where an apprenticeship comes in useful.

How it works

  1. Fill in assessment – Fill in the questionnaire where we will ask questions to help match you the best way.
  2. Get matched to mentors – Based on the mentor preference and the mentee preference we match you.
  3. Begin internship – After you choose your mentor, you can start the apprenticeship.

Why our growth marketing apprenticeship program is unique

  • We don’t charge the apprentices for finding them apprenticeships (although you do need to be a GrowthMentor Pro member) and we don’t charge the mentors for finding them an apprentice. The motivation behind this initiative is rooted in our core value of active learning and also a desire to just add value. We’ve had requests from both sides for this. We figured, why not. On the topic of remuneration, the apprentice can choose between paid or unpaid apprenticeships. The average pay for apprenticeships is around $1,000/month.
  • All of the placements are with vetted growth mentors. Over 4,500 people have applied to join the ranks as growth mentors with a 4.4% acceptance rate. This is one seriously talented group of hands-on operators. For this reason, we’re absolutely certain that the apprentices are guaranteed to have an incredibly fruitful learning experience. You’ll get to jump directly into high-tempo growth teams and get straight to work. You’ll learn more in two weeks of “doing” than you will in 3 months “watching” CXL courses. But if you put the two together, even better.
  • We’ll be vetting apprentice applicants and matching only the applicants which we feel are in the best position to take advantage of an apprenticeship. With almost two years of experience vetting growth marketing applicants applying to be mentors, we know a thing or two about this process. We’re a curated platform and proud of it. That same brand philosophy of curation’s going to pass to this program, too.
  • Another core value of ours is human relationships. That’s the reason why our community is so healthy. We do things that don’t scale not just for “business reasons,” but because we actually enjoy it. It feels good to help. We’re all about that karma at the end of the day. So since we’ll be facilitating less than a handful of these apprenticeships per month, we’ll have plenty of time to check-in with each apprentice/mentor match monthly to see how things are going.

On the subject of paid vs. unpaid apprenticeships

There are sound arguments on both sides of the fence here, and we’re not taking any sides. Our stance is that it’s ultimately up to the apprentice to decide what sort of engagement they want. If an apprentice prefers an unpaid apprenticeship because they want to show that experience is their #1 priority, then that’s their choice. On our intake form, we ask prospective apprenticeships what their stance is and they can answer as they wish.

Great, so what are the next steps?

If you’re interested in joining the 1st batch of growth apprentices, here are a couple of things you need to know:

  • We’ll be matching apprentices and mentors in batches. Each batch will consist of just 3 x apprentice/mentor matches. May 2020 is month #1 and we’ve already got the first match, so we’re looking for two more!
  • If you want this, you need to be serious about it. That means no ghosting. I’ve had my fair share of disappointments with other marketing apprenticeship platforms that shall go unnamed in the past so I’ll be managing the vetting personally to ensure that the ghosting phenomenon does not occur with our apprenticeship program.
  • Growth marketing experience is not required, although some sort of marketing experience is strongly preferred. That being said, the most important criteria for us is the presence of a growth mindset and an absolute obsession with learning.
  • Your mentors will be working with you on a daily basis. They’re no strangers to mentorship after all, and will be crafting customized working itineraries for you so you have a clear idea of exactly what topics you’ll be exposed to. This program is not for the faint of heart. You will be put to work, and it won’t be easy. If you’re looking for an easy ride, this isn’t it. But that’s what you wanted anyway you crazy animal you.