What’s the best way to go when looking for a first job? Do you market yourself as someone who can do everything well, or do you market yourself like an expert at one thing? Personally, I think it’s good to have a clear idea of what exactly you want to do. However, it doesn’t hurt to dabble in other areas once you have a job. Veronique gave me some good advice about concepting. If you’re a writer, don’t be afraid to sketch out ideas (even if your drawings get laughed at). And if you’re a designer, don’t be afraid to come up with some “punny” headlines. And don’t ever exclude an account person from the concepting process! They’re the person who knows the client best, and even if they don’t have “creative” in their title, remember that everyone in this business is creative.
If you’re applying for an account job in hopes that you can get your foot in the door on the creative side, do not tell the employer this. Market yourself as an account person, and then try to convince them to let you write/design. You can also reach out to alumni (if you have connections in the company) and ask if they’d ever consider you for a creative position if you were hired on the account side. Some companies won’t.
With this semester coming to an end, I’ve contemplated my options more and more. I’ve realized I have to sacrifice my dream of moving to Chicago/New York/San Francisco/(insert big city here) right after graduation. I’ve realized I might have to sacrifice my dream of working at an agency immediately after I graduate. While I’m not convinced I fit in with corporate life, I won’t say no to a job that still fulfills my goal to work in advertising. If there’s one thing I’ve learned you shouldn’t sacrifice, it’s the type of people you work with.
I’m wondering if there’s some way to bring Tony, Heidi, Dale, and Veronique with me wherever I go . . .
other than the obvious solution of cutting them up into tiny pieces. We’ll save that for a later post.
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