AboutPeter Gabany Expertise Strategic planning:
Objective based advertising, Ad creative, Writing, Photography - buying and making, Illustration - buying, Print, Outdoor, Event, Media, Media Planning, Broadcast, How to select an agency, What the client must provide, Pitching a client / being pitched
Experience Over 25 years in the business - 22 years operating an agency. Creative direction and agency management.
Question I graduated Spring 2008 with a BA in Journalism specializing in Advertising and PR from a state school in a tiny East Texas town. Though I'm convinced I was born to be a copywriter, I didn't figure it out until my junior year in a surprising coincidence in which I yelled at my roommate for muting the commercials for the zillionth time on the same day that the undeclared office kicked me out. It was too late to move schools without my parents slaughtering me, so I did the best that I could with the program that I had.
With my passion for the industry, my knack for brainstorming, my quirky sense of humor, and a skeletal portfolio that was mostly Word produced, I miraculously managed to land an internship (paid, no less!) at a mid-size agency from January to May 2008. Though we "clicked" really well and I worshipped the senior and the creative director, they were unable to hire me on for lack of workload and budget. Since then I have been eager, no, desperate to land my dream job as a junior at an agency.
I realize that my internship book, though most of the samples were for real clients and were actually used, may not be as snazzy, modern, or, well, sparkly as the books of other junior candidates fresh out of portfolio school at UTA, but it's still a reasonably good book. It has gotten me contact with HR people and even a couple of interviews, but no job. One contact at a particularly large agency in Dallas got all excited about talking to me until she realized she was talking to the wrong person with my name and then said something like "Oh. The creatives have reviewed your portfolio. We'll let you know," after which I received no contact period.
The interviews I have had have been promising for a short period of time. They were all with small agencies, which I actually prefer. However, I have received one of two reactions. They have either looked at me wistfully and told me how much they wished they could convince their business department that they needed me, or, in one particularly annoying incident, led me on for a whole week on an onsite freelance job after which they delayed my feedback longer than my paycheck.
Other than sending my resume and book to every ad agency under the sun (North Texas down, rest of the world to go), I don't know what to do at this point, having been out of a relevant job for almost a year now. Should I go to portfolio school or grad school? Get yet another, though probably not paid, internship?
Unlike I was at the beginning, I am no longer picky about location or salary, I just want the job. But how am I supposed to get that if no one, not even agencies hiring juniors, will so much as e-mail me back or, heaven forbid, call me?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Answer Alisa,
The world is in the crapper. Agencies (bottom feeders such as they are) are wondering which curtain will fall next. Clients are vacating their agencies, people getting let go and you without work - for a year no less. This is most discouraging but heck it builds great character.
1st off - bravo for sticking to it. While playing second fiddle to a paycheck right now it is worth the mention. Many would have given up right now and started to sell used cars or real estate but you have the tenacity to keep searching and believe it or not this is very good for the vigilant job seeker.
Take advantage of your ability. Do you have a blog? Can you muster the courage and twist the keyboard of your Mac long enough to whittle one into shape? Have you a designer pal that would set up a great skin for the blog?
Here's my thought. Clients are leaving their agency - where are they going? Well I happen to know. Stay with me here. Where are all the clients going? The answer is so simple. They are - wait for it - they are going to save money. Guess what? They aren't going to save a dime, but perception is a blessed thing - at least they believe that they are going to save money.
We have a client - a furniture store. They told us in December that they were going to save their money and wait until spring before they did anything. Well we had just acquired the client - which meant no money for us for 4 months. We went back to them and posed a question - does that mean that you have the financial resources to sit on your inventory for 3 months? Well OK they said, we should have a clearance sale - and away to the races we went.
But this is an advertising example of client recovery. Where are clients going and what will they spend their money on if not advertising? Enter web, social marketing, sales promotion, direct marketing and design.
People in your situation get fairly myopic as their dream job is to work for the advertising agency but what do you REALLY love?
Writing right? Well then let's get you on the path to a writing job. Did you know that designers can't write? Do you know what one of the major study areas of the designer is? Typography silly. They need writers. So do web developers - have you seen their writing - only aliens can read that stuff. So who are you going to approach to work for?
So follow this for a moment more. Put on your ad hat on for a moment and let's figure out strategically how to position what you do. Ad agencies have web departments now. Ad agencies have design departments now. There are such things as independent web agencies and certainly design agencies.
But how to position yourself. For a web agency you now become a content developer (writer). Not only do you write the mumble jumble for specific websites but you plan (with writing) the site navigation. The story you will write about the client, the products, the people, the news etc. You should use the web - at least a blog to do this.
For a design agency - holy crap - don't send them writing in word. Designer hate word. They melt at the sign of it – not unlike the wicked witch of the west. Be innovative. Either have a designer friend or if you are adept at design create something creative. Do a newspaper layout where all of the news is about you. Start with a headline like – Writer is murdered on her last interview. Or - Writer entertained by prominent Texas agency. And the story becomes real. It was reported last week that Alisa had a long awaited interview with XYZ Agency and presented her work to creative director, Bob blah blah. Bob was heard saying, “Alisa, your work is incredible. It is fresh, humorous, straight forward and easy to digest unfortunately the cat swallowed a mouse and the agency lost its book mark and well we just can't hire you”. Make it fun and light-hearted. Tip in some of the ads that you wrote and make a story about them. Client X would have been better off if they had insisted that the authour of their adds had remained consistent - President of ABC company stated, “why would you let a talent like Alisa go” to which the agency replied “we asked he to come back but she has moved saying that she wanted to find a shop that respected her work”. Don't forget the Alisa profile - who are you. What do you love. if you are approaching a design agency - guess what - you LOVE great design - become familiar with some leading designers and mention them in your article - I love the work of designers like Joe Duffy, Carl Dair and others. If it is content development that you are after drop leading web design firms like Juxt Interactive, etc, etc. But play to the audience. If you are going after an agency that does business to business then state how you love business. And if you believe that this would be a lie then wax on about your respect for Bill Gates or Steve Jobs as leading business giants.
If not a newspaper then a mag layout or a brochure - but design looking. Something that has a hook.
Now back to the blog. Put your case out on the net. Tell people that you need a job. Create a day to day commentary on how you need a job, you love to write and how different agencies have shunned you - always emphasizing what they said - your work is great but we have no work. Spread this through the chain. Send it to Oprah and Ellen, make it a National campaign. Use your PR knowledge and GET TO WORK. You should not be ignored - you only need a bit of help.
Now here's the deal. I went a bit overboard here so I want rewards. I want to know how you are making out with this. I want to receive your promo pieces and read your blog. I want to know when you get on the Ellen show. I want to hear about where you are interviewing and I will send a recommendation letter - funny - but still a recommendation letter. Why not share your resume with me and your sample book so I can see your talent first hand. Have you a pdf portfolio? Send it on.
