How to Market Yourself to Find Your Next Role: Honest Reflections from a Senior Marketer on Changing Marketing Roles

Episode 167 with guest Mays Elansari, Marketing Director at Wasabi 

The last in our mini-series on how marketing roles are changing, this episode is a little different as we hear directly from a senior marketer who has recently been looking for - and secured – an exciting new role. But the journey was not easy and we explore with refreshing honesty about what it feels like to suddenly find yourself without a role, reframing your mindset, treating yourself like a brand and how saying yes (to events, to LinkedIn, to new connections) creates visibility that ultimately led to not one but two new opportunities. 

Joining Abby is Mays Elansari, Marketing Director at Wasabi, the sushi and bento brand with ambitious growth plans across the UK. A self-described generalist marketeer, Mays brings a wealth of experience across hospitality, QSR and FMCG, having held senior roles at Subway, Penhaligon's and Stonegate, and earlier in her career at BBDO and McCann Erickson.  

Key takeaways 

• The scope of marketing leadership has never been broader… From commercial accountability and data and insight to AI, tech and creativity, the breadth and expectations of what a senior marketer is expected to own has expanded significantly. 

• The unicorn brief… Are hiring managers are holding out for candidates who tick every single box? Mays and Abby discuss why this risks recycling the same thinking and why transferable experience and fresh perspective are often more valuable than sector-specific credentials. 

• The power of mindset… Mays reflects openly about finding herself in unfamiliar territory for the first time in her career outside of her control but harnessing the power to control her own mindset. 

• We need to market ourselves… Mays made a deliberate decision to treat herself like a brand: defining her value, owning her narrative and showing up consistently.  

• Invest in your network before you need it… Building a genuine community of peers, mentors and industry contacts isn't a nice-to-have but how most senior marketing roles are actually filled. 

00:00 — Welcome to the Whole Marketer Podcast  
02:40 — What Is the Role of Marketing Leadership Today? 
04:12 — How the Scope of Marketing Has Fundamentally Changed 
05:49 — How the Senior Seat at the Table Is Shifting 
07:24 — Why Senior Marketing Roles Are Disappearing 
09:35 — The Unicorn Brief 
12:56 — Are We Setting Marketing Leaders Up to Fail? 
14:42 — The Case for Transferable Experience Over Sector Credentials 
16:09 — Mays's First-Hand Experience of the Job Market 
18:28 — Why Most Senior Roles Are Filled Through Relationships 
19:34 — Why Your Circle Matters More Than You Think 
22:16 — Finding Herself Out of Work for the First Time 
24:31 — Saying Yes... How the Queen of Events Was Born 
26:59 — Sharing the Journey and Why Vulnerability Matters 
27:49 — The Emotional Reality Nobody Talks About Enough 
29:33 — Finding the Job Search Strategy That Works for You 
30:41 — Treat Yourself Like a Brand and Invest in Yourself Before You Need To 
33:15 — Building Your Own Brand Positioning 
34:17 — Let Go of What You Can't Control 
35:24 — Career High and Grows 
36:54 — Mays's Advice For Marketers of Tomorrow  

Resources 

The Whole Marketer 'Define your ideal role' resource – free download 

https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/ 

The Whole Marketer 'Take the reins of your career' resource – free download 

https://thewholemarketer.com/resources/ 

Host: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailcdixon/ 

Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayselansari/