The task of breaking into advertising can range from tough to seemingly impossible. You’ll need luck, skill, people on the inside and the kind of determination that would make Genghis Khan look like a couch potato.
But if you apply yourself and sink your teeth into the task, you can do it. You may have to take less money than you would initially like, and you definitely will have to make sacrifices, but it’s worth it.
Get Busy on Spec Work
First and foremost, you need a great portfolio. Don’t believe the movies and TV shows — you cannot worm your way into an ad agency on charm and a few after-hours drinks at a local bar with the creative director. You need solid, original ideas.
Opinions will vary on what is good and bad and what level of finish your ideas should have, but most experienced creative people want to see great ideas, regardless of finish. If it’s truly innovative but you don’t have the skills to get it polished, they’ll still value the ideas because they are the driving force behind good ads. To show off your work, you must have an online portfolio. Let’s face it, the days of leather cases are over.
Work on Your Portfolio
Since we’re on the subject of portfolios, take the time to perfect it. As mentioned above, most people don’t want (or have the time) to look over a hard-cover portfolio. So going online to showcase your work is key to help advance your career and land you that great first job.
Building your portfolio isn’t really as difficult as it may seem. There are many sites with templates to buy or use for free for any career including creative advertising. You can input images, videos and graphics, and design a portfolio in no time.
Stand Out
Good advertising agencies are constantly bombarded with applications from eager, creative people looking for jobs. They will flood HR with portfolio sites, resumes, YouTube videos, Facebook posts and everything else now available to job seekers. To stand out, you need to do what all good advertising does — get the attention of the intended audience. In this case, your intended audience is the creative director. Have the courage to be original and you’ll have the best opportunity to get noticed.
As you try to stand out, make sure there is substance behind your ideas and your approach. Gimmicks are shallow and will quickly be seen for what they are, so avoid them.
Freelance
So, you’ve applied for job after job and you’re still not getting anywhere. Now it’s time to consider temporary employment. Agencies have different budgets, and typically have money for freelancers even if they have a full permanent staff. How they spend that money depends on the accounts that need help, so ask. Do they have big pitches coming up where you could help? Are some teams overloaded and in need of assistance? It never hurts to ask.
Work for Free
If the agency won’t pay you, and you really are as good as you say you are, do the work for free. Not for months, not even weeks, but ask for an opportunity and show them how you would attack it. Agencies rarely turn down an offer of free help, and you may just wow them enough to get some paid work. It may even lead to a job. Consider your time a valuable investment in your future.
Go to Industry Events
Finally, get into the habit of mingling. It’s sometimes called networking or schmoozing, but whatever it’s called, you need to get yourself out there. Look on your local Egotist and you’ll soon see a list of weekly events taking place in your area. You can also try Meetup groups for industry-related events. Join the local Art Directors’ Club or do a search for advertising lectures near you. Get out to as many of these as you can while you’re looking and make sure you have something memorable to give people when you do connect.
Tap Into LinkedIn
If you haven’t already, you should create a LinkedIn profile. This site allows you to make professional connections in your industry, get recommendations, and search for jobs. According to the site, more than 80% of recruiters are now advertising jobs and seeking new talent on LinkedIn. As of November 2018, there were more than 120,000 advertising jobs posted on the site.
Now that you know that, here are a few suggestions to make the most of your profile:
- Keep your profile up-to-date. An old, outdated profile just doesn’t cut it. The same goes with a profile that doesn’t give any detail. It shows that you just aren’t committed.
- Make sure you have a clear, professional photo to add to your profile — so forget that selfie you took when you were out with your friends.
- Be clear about your skills and your objectives. This will help lead you to the right people, and will also point those searching directly to you.
- Make sure you highlight all of your relevant experience, including any volunteer or freelance work that you’ve done.
And don’t forget, LinkedIn has industry-specific groups you can join to help broaden your networking circle. Not only will this help you tap into the right stream of people, you may gain access to events in your area to lead you to them.
