Brand Image

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: The More Time You Spend on Researching, the Better

Here’s How:

1.Be realistic. If you live in Jakarta, have no experience and have only been submitting your info to top agencies, it’s time to re-evaluate your plan.

2.Contact a variety of agencies by mail. No one likes receiving cold calls or Emails from someone they don’t know. If you insist on calling, send a letter first. Wait a few weeks and then call to introduce yourself and verify they received your materials.

3.There’s no harm in contacting a variety of agencies but do your research. Check advertising job Web sites and your local newspaper to see who’s hiring. If someone’s got a position available, you’ve got a greater chance of being contacted than by someone you’ve blindly sent materials to.

4.Don’t be afraid to intern. Holding out for a paid position may sound like a great idea but think of all the experience you could’ve gained with an agency while you were waiting for the phone to ring.

5.Use your time wisely. Many agencies turn their interns into paid employees. But at the very least, you’ll be able to add this experience to your resume.

6.Don’t call out your lack of experience in a cover letter. It’s better to say nothing at all than to say, "While I have no experience…"

7.Don’t lie in your cover letter and resume. If you’ve been selling shoes for the past 10 years, don’t worry about sending a resume unless a job listing specifically tells you to do so. It may sound like an obvious no-no but many potential employees haven’t been hired because of untruthful info. Don’t get bitten by lies. Just be honest.

8.If you’re seeking a position as a copywriter or graphic designer, end SPEC ads as part of your package. (For more information on how SPEC ads can help, see the Related Resources at the bottom of this page.)

9.Contact the right person. Who’s the Creative Director? Don’t know? Find out. Always use the person’s name instead of "To Whom It May Concern." And don’t use "Dear Joe" instead of Dear Mr. Smith."

10.Contact smaller agencies. They may be short-handed at certain times of the year and need extra help. This could lead to a regular paying position.

11.Be persistent. Don’t hound an ad agency with mailing after mailing and call after call. But do be persistent and continue to mail an agency periodically if you’re still seeking a position.

Eventually, your name will keep coming up and the appropriate person will know who you are.

Tips:

Be professional. Dress like you want the job. It may seem like a no-brainer but many job candidates have blown it by mistaking ad agencies as casual and laid back. If you find out everyone wears jeans to the office after you’ve got the job, that’s one thing.

Why do you want this job? Why are you the right person for it? What makes you think you’d be a good fit for the agency? These are all questions that you should know the answers to. Prepare ahead of time. You never know if they’ll come up during the interview.

If asked if you have any questions, don’t say, "When do I start?" You don’t want to come off arrogant or cocky. You can show confidence ifn yourself without being conceited.

Don’t call right after an interview. They told you they’d have a decision by Wednesday. Don’t call on Tuesday or even Wednesday morning to find out if you got the job. Call late Wednesday afternoon, if you must, but waiting until Thursday or Friday is even better. You never know their schedule. They may have had to delay their decision because of an unforeseen problem.

Labels: Agency