When Hussein Moussa moved to Canada two years ago, he was excited to hit the ground running in his marketing career. Instead, he faced roadblocks. Despite having marketing experience in Dubai, Lebanon, and Kuwait, he didn’t know the Canadian market, and found himself at a disadvantage when looking for work.

“The Canadian market is very different, very diverse, so I needed to start from somewhere. I always like to update my skills,” Moussa says. “I started looking for organizations that could help me, and through my research I found the Canadian Marketing Association.”

Since then, he’s taken more than a dozen courses with the CMA, both in-person and online, and earned his Chartered Marketer (CM) designation—the only marketing designation of its kind in Canada. The CMA’s Summit Course stood out in particular, where learners are given a hypothetical case study to develop and test their analytic, business, and marketing planning abilities.

“I have never experienced something like it,” Moussa says. “The first six weeks was group work, so we were six people from different areas around Canada—some in farming, others in IT, others marketing and advertising, others were entrepreneurs. We tackled finance, persona development, digital marketing campaigns, content creation.”

Moussa says that pursuing his CM designation boosted his confidence in a new environment and helped him land a job in the Canadian market. The Chartered Marketer program was designed in collaboration with leading industry experts to help marketers acquire the forward-thinking skillset top employers demand, and indicates to hiring managers that those who hold the credential are well-rounded marketers with the latest capabilities in the field.

“Many recruiters recognized the designation and saw it as a mark of credibility,” says Moussa, who is now a marketing manager at home renovation supplier Cosmaroma in Toronto. “It helped differentiate me from other candidates by showcasing both my commitment to professional development and my strategic, data-driven approach to marketing.”

The CM program’s career support resources were an added asset during his job hunt, he adds. “Resume reviews helped me better position my international experience for Canadian employers, and the mentorship program provided valuable guidance from an industry professional who helped me refine my approach to job searching and interviews. It was a well-rounded support system that helped me feel more confident and prepared throughout the process.”

How to Stand Out When Applying for Marketing Roles in Canada

Natasha Upal, Chief Membership and Learning Officer at the CMA, says the CM program was designed to elevate the marketing profession and help professionals gain the skills they need to reach the next stage of their career.

“The CM program is a comprehensive, career-focused program that helps marketers at all levels to sharpen strategic thinking and stay current with industry trends,” Upal says. “It blends academic learning with real world appreciation and helps professionals build both skills and credibility in the field.”

The program is structured around courses that cover key areas of marketing, she says: strategy, data analytics, brand building, marketing finance. The idea is to address any skills gaps that marketers may have in order to give them a leg up when applying for jobs or seeking to advance.

For example, Finance and Campaign Execution enables learners to master the application of performance measurement tools and develop marketing campaigns that deliver tangible results for clients. The Creative Elements of Marketing course helps learners refine their creative skills, from ideation to execution. Specialized electives allow learners to dive deep into the topics that most interest them, from branding to media planning to generative AI.

The Summit Course enables learners to put all their skills in action, developing a robust marketing strategy and tactical marketing plan for a hypothetical business.

“Through real world assignments and case-based learning, the program is designed to elevate both technical expertise and strategic thinking,” Upal says. “Then, it empowers our learners to move beyond tactical execution and contribute more meaningfully at the leadership level.”

To accommodate the schedules of working professionals, the program was designed for maximum flexibility, Upal says, with courses offered online and asynchronously.

“Learners can log in, complete modules at a time that works best for them. And while the time commitment can vary, many learners choose to spend at least two to three hours per week on the material to stay on track,” Upal says. “It supports a manageable balance between work, life and professional development.”

Throughout the learning journey, participants can connect with instructors for personal support and feedback through weekly office hours, she adds.

“We make sure that the program is accessible, relevant and personalized and allows individuals to build on what they already know and focus on areas that will help to move their career forward.”

A Marketing Designation Created for Current and Aspiring Marketing Leaders

Richard Toker, President of marketing agency Branderos, is an instructor with the CMA and one of the original developers of the CM designation. He says that learners come from all over the country, from a wide range of industries.

“The people who take the classes are primarily junior to mid-level marketers. They’re all looking to grow their careers,” he says. “Some are career changers who are looking to be in marketing from non-marketing adjacent roles. A common transition that we’ll see is sales to marketing or customer service to marketing.”

He notes that courses are a combination of self-directed learning—with videos, readings and case studies—weekly assignments, and discussion forums.

“I teach Tools for Success, which is one of the foundational modules in the program,” Toker says. “That course gives students a solid foundation in marketing essentials, like how to think strategically and understand customer insights, build a strong brand, use data to make better decisions. We also explore ethics and the impact of emerging technologies, so they’re not just learning what marketing is today, but where it’s going.”

Toker says that learners come out of the CM program with a “sense of confidence grounded in competence” and a set of practical tools they can use to solve marketing problems. “They’re not just improving as marketers, but they’re evolving as leaders and problem solvers.”

Moussa says he finds it helpful to have instructors who are working professionals.

“They are not only academic, they are practitioners, which makes a huge difference,” he says. “They’re knowledgeable, approachable, and they give us real-time examples and relevant case studies.”

Upal notes that people taking the CM program often get involved in other areas of the CMA. In fact, CMA members get a 50 percent discount on learning courses at the CMA, while CM holders who are non-members get a 20 percent discount on CMA professional development offerings and events, she adds. Other CM holder benefits include being able to use the CM designation letters and logo to build credibility, access to exclusive CM events, networking and more.

“We run over 50 events virtually and in person, so our CM learners tend to be very involved in our community,” Upal says. “We have so many ways to interact with fellow Chartered Marketers, both graduates and current learners.”

Meeting other marketers in his courses was one of the most valuable parts of doing the CM program, says Moussa. “Two of the people I’m still in contact with. We connected, went out for lunch and now we are friends. For me as a newcomer, I had a lot of questions [so] this helped me understand the market better.”

Toker says he hopes learners leave his courses with a love for the industry “and a feeling of confidence that they’re on the right track, that they’re going in the right direction.” He says one of the most rewarding things about being an instructor with the program is meeting learners at CMA events.

“People will come up and say, ‘We haven’t met in person but we’ve met online in the Chartered Marketer program, it’s so nice to meet you.’ It’s so great when that happens, and you can see them networking, making connections and moving up the ladder.”

Which Chartered Marketer Pathway is Right For You?

The CM certification has been designed with flexibility and customization in mind, meaning it can be tailored to marketing professionals at all levels, from those in entry level positions to seasoned executives. While individuals with only a year’s experience in marketing will take the full suite of courses, those with eight or ten years of experience can opt for an accelerated path.

“We make sure we deliver a program that’s really tailored for your background,” says Upal. “That allows individuals to build on what they already know and then focus on areas that will help to move their career forward.”

Learners now also have the option to take select Chartered Marketer courses as micro-credential certificate courses, ideal for those not yet ready to commit to the full designation journey. The micro-credentials you have completed can be applied towards the CM designation when you are ready to pursue the full program. Those who are working towards their designation can also take micro-credentials as a way to dive into more than one elective.

Moussa’s advice for anyone thinking of pursuing the CM designation is: “Go for it.”

“These are not just courses I took,” he says. “It helped me accelerate my career.”

Get the Chartered Marketer course package or visit charteredmarketer.ca to learn more.