How an MSc from WBS helps build a career in marketing

Master’s alum Raghav Gupta shares how studying MSc Business with Marketing at Warwick Business School helped him build a career in marketing, from making meaningful connections at WBS to landing a role in the automotive industry.

Before Warwick, I’d never have messaged someone senior out of nowhere. It felt like I was bothering them. WBS and MSc Business with Marketing changed that.

The Careers team gave me the first push. They helped me rework my CV, sharpen my LinkedIn profile and plan my applications properly, rather than firing them off without a strategy. But the most useful thing they told me was simple: just try it. You learn more from one attempt than from planning ten.

Then there were the people. WBS events put me in front of people I’d never have met otherwise. One of them was Harry Nijjar, founder of Woodstock. He helped me build meaningful connections and guided me on my career when I didn’t really know where to start.

That gave me the confidence to reach out on my own. I started messaging people who were already doing well in my industry. I didn’t ask them for jobs. I asked questions, followed up and stayed in touch.

One of those connections eventually referred me to Copart.

How can the skills you learn on an MSc shape your career?

I joined Copart UK in January. Copart runs online vehicle auctions, and I work across its brands: Copart UK and IE, Cash for Cars UK and IE, and U-Pull-It.

The modules I studied show up in my work almost every day. I got hands-on with SEMrush and learned to build a campaign around a funnel rather than a single advert. That’s still how I plan.

Some people haven’t heard of us yet. Some are considering it. Others are ready to act. Each group needs a different message.

Global Branding surprised me. Keeping a brand’s tone of voice consistent, while knowing how to switch between different brands, is a big part of my job.

Cash For Cars talks to someone selling their car. U-Pull-It talks to people looking for parts. Copart UK talks to trade buyers.

I might write for three of them before lunch, and each one has to sound like itself. Then there’s Business in Practice, our final module. We built a strategy for an automotive brand. At the time, it was just a project. Now I work in the automotive industry.

It taught me to work through real-world problems in a short, intense simulation and showed me how a business actually runs. Now I’m doing it for real.

What should you do when starting an MSc?

Go to the MSc CareersPlus & Employer Relations team first.

Before anything else, get your CV and LinkedIn sorted in your first few weeks. Graduate roles open and close before you’ve even thought about applying. Be ready when they do.

Start reaching out early.

Message people in the industry you want to work in. Ask your professors if you can assist them or intern with them. You’ll build soft skills that no lecture can teach you, and you’ll be surprised how many people say yes.

Go to the events.

You never know who you’ll meet. One conversation can change your whole path.