AdGrads

Bye Bye AdGrads, hello AdMISSION...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:29:00 +0000

Bye bye, all. See you at the Ad-Mission...

Hello, everyone.

This is quite a hard post to write.

I (Will) have written AdGrads for about five and a half years now - and, to get to the point, AdGrads is moving to become part of the IPA's graduate recruitment blog, the AdMission.

Initially, AdGrads was begun by the four of us. Myself, Anton Reyniers, Alex Jena and Sam Ismail. The blog was originally meant to stand as a counterpoint to the dearth of Advertising advice out there. The IPA had a good fact file on agencies, but there was nothing out there that *really* showcased what life was like when getting in as a graduate.

The seeds were sown when my blog (‘Confessions of a Wannabe Ad Man’, now living here, and still being updated, happily) and Anton & Sam’s blog (‘Ad Lads’) seemed to have the same, underlying purpose - to document what the first steps in Advertising were really like.

People sometimes asked us, ‘have you ever accepted any money for blogging?’ And, I’m pleased to say that no, no-one at AdGrads has. We have always written and posted help and advice because it was the right thing to do. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the blog has had an obvious upside for us - AdGrads has always believed that by helping people out, it’ll benefit the agency sector and help us out when we’re more senior. More bright people equals better work, which in turn, equals better place/s to work - places that aren’t staffed by nepotism and privilege, which was one of the big driving forces behind AdGrads’ inception.

What’s more, over the past few years, I’m pleased to say the blog’s helped a lot of people and agencies recruit and be recruited - examples that range from helping Leo Burnett with their revamped graduate scheme to writing for The Guardian. Personally, as I’ve become the sole writer of the blog, I’ve met a whole lot of bright, vivacious, interesting people who will be the agency stars of the future. I hope, in some small way, that AdGrads has helped them.

Finally, and most encouragingly, I’m delighted to say that as Sam, Alex, Anton and myself became busier and less able to contribute as much as we did back in 2007, the IPA have really stepped up their efforts to help provide different perspectives about how to get into the business. Recent IPA presidencies have made graduate recruitment a priority, which is utterly brilliant.

With that in mind, the IPA have launched the AdMission. You can read more about it here. I (Will) will be writing there periodically - and it'll use 'the best of AdGrads' to help add to its content; however, more to the point, there will be another generation of AdGrads who will be writing about their adventures in the business. Anton, Alex, Sam and myself are now more removed from graduate experiences, and, given that we have less time, it’s good, right and appropriate for the next generation to step up. I wish them all the luck in the world.

Read what they have to say here - the Ad-Mission should be your first point of call for graduate recruitment queries.

Thanks for reading,

Will

P.S. The blog won’t be deleted (even if I wanted to delete it, I’m not the admin - Sam is, and I’ve not been in touch with him for a while); it will still provide a useful resource for those searching for ‘AdGrads’. Similarly, the twitter account will remain, but I’d urge those who follow it to follow the IPA/Ad-Mission twitter account.

P.P.S. If, for some reason or another, you’d like to meet for some graduate advice, I’m more than happy to meet for a coffee before work. Email me at william.humphrey [AT] yahoo.co.uk.

Some practical advice...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 15:01:00 +0000

Borrowed from here. Usual rules apply.

I thought that it might be a good idea to talk a little bit about something most graduate schemes (and indeed, the industry) seem to neglect. The practical side.

For those of you who don’t live in the South East of the country, getting into Advertising - (or, at the very least, getting some work experience so you can make your mind up) seems doubly tricky; because a) You don’t know anyone in London or have anyone you can stay with and b) Most of the graduate schemes or work experience programmes are closed/you’ve not heard anything back from those few emails you sent to a general email address most agencies offer.

Before I go on, I do know there are agencies outside of London. Of course. There are many fine agencies in Manchester or Birmingham. But, given that the bulk of agencies are in London (and London is what I have experience of, as a West Midlander who wanted to work in London), that’s what this blog post will concern itself with. The same, general rules apply for any big city, I think - whether it’s within Blighty or the US.

Right. There are two flavours of practical advice you need to concern yourself with, which I’ll outline below:

1) Proving that you know about/want a career in Advertising

Over the past six odd years, I have met a lot of people who have seemingly done everything right - they have a good degree, have already made in-roads into meeting people in Advertising and may even run their University or College’s Marketing/Advertising student club.

Despite this, they haven’t been able to get in. I’m afraid (and I had to learn this the hard way) that there’s a gap between being academically adept and getting into the industry. This puts a lot of bright people off, chiefly because they’ve been used to getting good marks and simply progressing. ‘Getting in’ is not an empirical thing. There isn’t a magic route. Some people are simply fortunate by getting in via their first interview. Others, like me, have had to have a year or so getting work experience, living at home and saving money before they finally succeeded.

That said (and I don’t wish to hector or belabour the point), there are definitely short cuts you can use.

I did several things to prove that I knew about and really wanted a career in Advertising. I blogged, showcased my situation and my thinking and tried to connect, via twitter, with a wider number of Ad-folk. There wasn’t one magic, ‘eureka’ moment. It all worked together to help me get into the business.

Whilst, I know, more people blog than ever nowadays (at the time, in 2005/6, ad blogs were fairly new, much less a wannabe, graduate blog), not enough grads use Slideshare to showcase their thinking/situation. Consider using it - it’ll help provide an introduction to those potential agency employers when sending those initial emails to agencies.

If you can, email a named person, not just a generic email address. A real person has responsibility. A 'wanttowork' email has very little obligation to get back in touch with you.

2) Getting to, and living in London.

This, for most, will prove to be the biggest stumbling block. You don’t need me to tell you that London is bloody expensive, and if you don’t have family members/friends living here, it seems like a right bloody faff.

It needn’t be. There are ways and means for getting down to the Big Smoke and having somewhere to live. For starters, unless you’re loaded, don’t consider a short term let. The chances are, you’ll need to be in London for a week to about six weeks, depending on what you’ve been able to get (work experience, or a summer school programme; or even just a day of graduate interviews).

Instead, consider youth hostels. Yes, I know. YOUTH HOSTELS?! If you went travelling, you probably last encountered them somewhere halfway round the world, or somewhere to be put up on a school trip. Suffice to say, neither memory is likely to be wholly positive.

I’m pleased to say that the YHA is a brilliant option. I stayed in one when I had work experience at Fallon, DLKW and Saatchi & Saatchi. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not exactly the Ritz, but it’s good value for money and gives you breakfast, which is the important thing.

Yes, London is costly, but if you’re savvy (the Taste Card is a good shout for evening meals) and stay in the right sort of accommodation, it is affordable, no matter who you are. And, personally, it helped spur me on to do my best at my work experience to try and turn it into a full time position.

I hope that little lot helps, all.

The LSU need YOU...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:27:00 +0000

They made this. They make a lot of stuff. Nicked from Almost Always Thinking. Usual rules apply.

Hello gang.

There's a new vacancy going at the LSU (the London Strategy Unit). They've been in touch with us here at AdGrads towers.

Below is the job spec. It's a fairly broad one, so there's every chance you'd be in with a chance if, like a lot of our readers, you have multiple skills and aren't sure if you're a planner, account handler or otherwise:

"We're looking for a couple of researchers, writers or journalist types to help us produce insightful and entertaining content. You'll need to be brand and business savvy as well as having a good knowledge of culture and trends.

Those without a curious mind need not apply.

If this sounds like you, and you're interested - send your CV and no more than 150 words on what makes you the right person for the job to recruitment at londonstrategyunit.com."

Sounds fascinating, eh? They have some of the brightest minds in the business working for them, and it would be a great move for several of you.

The final week for the IPA Ad School...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:17:00 +0000

The logo looks like this. Honest.

Hello all.

Not sure if you realised this, but the IPA (the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) have an excellent summer school, and it closes at the end of this week. They've been in touch with AdGrads to get us to let you guys know about it. So, on with the show:

“This is the final week for applications for this year’s IPA Ad School, a fantastic chance to spend your summer in one of the UK’s top agencies. There are three programmes: Client Services & Planning, Creative and Search. Alongside 8 weeks of work experience, you’ll also attend weekly evening sessions from industry luminaries – a great chance to learn, ask questions and network with some seriously senior folk. Client Services & Planning and Creative students will also take part in a group project which is pitched at graduation, while Search students leave the School with two industry-respected qualifications: the IPA Search Certificate and the Google Adwords Certificate.

There are some fantastic agencies lined up – we’ve not released the full list but do a little research and you’ll see that Leo Burnett and Publicis are amongst this year’s crop. Last year over 70% of our students were offered jobs or extended placements so while there’s no guarantee, the odds are definitely in your favour.

This year’s School runs from 1st July-23rd August and is open to second-years and above, including graduates. You needn’t have any prior experience or any kind of portfolio or book; all we want from you is great ideas, bundles of enthusiasm, and lots of hard work.

Upon successful completion of the programme, students receive a prize sum (£800 for Client Services & Planning and Creative and £1,500 for Search). Travel within zones 1-2 is paid.

But don’t just take my word for it – hear from last year’s Ad School graduates.

Whether you’ve always wanted to work in advertising or whether it’s a career you’ve never considered before, the IPA Ad School is the perfect way to try the industry to see if it’s the right fit for you.

Apply now for IPA Ad School 2013; the deadline is 11:59pm on 12th April.

If you’ve any questions please email adschool at ipa.co.uk or find us on Facebook.”

Good luck, all.

Want to work at WCRS?

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:08:00 +0000

A range of some of the clients you'll be working on...all being well...

Of course you do...and they've been in touch!

WCRS have a summer work experience program, and have detailed the full shebang below. Have a read, gang:

WCRS Work experience applications now open

"Applications for the WCRS Summer work experience scheme are now open. We are looking to recruit up to 8 outstanding candidates for an account handling placement between June and August. Whether you have recently graduated or are due to graduate this summer, we are keen to hear from you.

With clients ranging from Sky to BMW and Churchill to Warburtons, we will offer successful applicants the opportunity to work on some prestigious accounts and get a hands-on taster of what it’s like to work in a Top 10 integrated creative agency. This is a well-established scheme and previous candidates who have impressed us during their work experience stint have gone on to secure permanent roles here at WCRS.

You could come and work with these lovely people.

Please click here to apply.

You must submit your completed application form by 11.00pm on 19th April 2013. We will be in touch with successful candidates in May to arrange placement dates. Please note: this scheme is intended mainly for people looking to work in account handling or planning.
If you’ve got any questions, please email workexperience at wcrs.com".

UPDATE: It is unpaid. Sorry for not pointing that out.

Good luck, gang.

Graduate Memories & An Exeter Apology...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Me, today.

Hello, Exeter folks (or regular AdGrads student readers).

As you may or may not have noticed, I’m not there speaking today. Sorry about that.

By way of an apology, I’ve decided to write a blog post. Not just any blog post, either. One that, I hope, is helpful for those who are deciding whether a career in communications* (*PR, Advertising in this case) is the right thing for you. It features a bit of my story and some of the lessons I've learned along the way. Read on...

Once upon a time in my first year, I wandered up from Birks (the old one, not the shiny new Birks Grange – this one resembled something like a 1950’s prison) and went to see the careers folks. I was told I should either become a teacher or a solicitor (NB: Exeter's career service is now excellent, but when I was graduating, finding the right job was a bit trickier for the average English student).

Being an English undergrad at the time, both seemed, well, a bit creatively sterile** (**they are creative in their own way, but I was interested in making stuff; y’know, stuff with my own name attached to it in some way – the English student’s creative conceit, I think).

They also, if I'm honest, seemed a bit grown up. And, as a 19 year old man-child who could barely cook for himself, never mind entertain the notion of a ‘proper’ job, I wasn’t overly enthused:

"COULDN’T a job encourage my creative side? DO I have to wear a suit every day, anyway? WHY can't I be paid well for thinking about and helping to create ideas?"

In a way, I was lucky. I knew of one from the start. That was Advertising. I’d been fortunate enough to grow up in a household in the West Midlands where my father was involved with managing an ad agency. I’d been able to find out about the inner-most workings of how ads got made, and the process of talking to clients, conducting research and creating creative work to solve a client’s business problem/s.

Account handlers (account executives when junior, rising through account manager to account director and beyond) were the day to day liaison with the client – the business minded sorts who sold work to the client and generally ensured everything went smoothly. Account planners were the ones who analysed the marketplace, trends and helped some up a defined problem for communications to solve (in the form of a creative brief), assessing the work as/after it was made. Creatives – art directors, copywriters (and even digital/tech developers) were those who came up with the ideas to help clients sell more products or amplify consumer behaviour.

With all of this prior knowledge and career advice bubbling in the background, I got on with the serious*** (***it wasn't that serious – not with my amount of hours) business of getting a degree. And, I got one. And it was lovely, and all that. Mum was very proud.

Knowing what I know now, I should have tried to get some work experience in the holidays. If you’re reading this as a first or second year student, try and do it as soon as you can, even if it's just one stint. Of course, I wasn’t from the South East, and this poses a massive problem for most people – how do you come to a major ad agency (the overwhelming majority of whom are based in London) if you can’t live at home or don’t have friends in the area?**** (**** the answer is ‘stay in a youth hostel’, for those who’re thinking about it).

Anyway, that’s an aside. I applied to lots of ad agency graduate schemes, all of which I found out through the IPA (the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) or through my Dad/googling. And, I was confident. I had a good degree, after all. So, what happened next?

Rejection.
Total rejection.

After the first interview (at Leo Burnett, who run a very fine graduate programme), I was rejected from every other place without an initial chat. You might say it was a bit of a set back.

After completing a few pieces of work experience (at Fallon and DLKW)…with even more rounds of rejection… I had a conversational language. I knew how to speak ‘ad’; I was comfortable when talking about ideas in ads – about what ads were trying to achieve and what they could have been.

I’d urge EVERY person reading this who’s thinking about advertising or comms to practice this, and to ask questions of it – what is the comms trying to say? What do you like about it? Or, better yet, what do you dislike? (NB: Check the AdGrads archives for more information; there's lots about this in there).

Spurred on by this, I started a blog***** (***** back when blogging was a new, fairly useful way of standing out; it’s less useful now, as everyone's doing it.) documenting my adventures in adland. The blog, called ‘Confessions of a Wannabe Ad Man’, can now be found here. All of the archives are there, and I think they helped me when explaining how and why I liked Advertising.

Because of these experiences, I eventually got into account management at Saatchi & Saatchi, where I was a fairly terrible account handler. Happily, I was a better planner. I have worked at Lowe, Edelman, Anomaly and M+C Saatchi/LIDA. I’m still at the latter.

That’s my story.

After going through this experience, I've picked up the odd lesson. I hope these are useful:

Mentors are the most important part of communications (and indeed, any job). With a good one, you learn exponentially and have someone to test things on. Without one, you are prone to free wheeling.
Start big, get smaller. The bigger agencies have the time and resource to train you properly. The small ones, though you learn a lot through doing, you un the risk of not learning properly. You can always work at that sexy small agency. Far better to work there when you know the basics well.
Think about how you communicate. It’s a bit wanky to say ‘you’re a brand’, but you must be able to prove why you like communications, and be able to be found. If I googled you, would I find you and your opinions/interests? No? Then why do you want to work in communications?
Keep track of your favourite on your lateral thinking. What’s the best example of thinking you’ve seen to solve a problem? It can be non comms led (ideally it would be marketing-based), an ad, something you’ve done or so on – but it must show a clever lateral thought to solve an associated problem. Keep a log of your favourites. They’ll help when demonstrating how you think about the world in an interview.
Don’t get disheartened. Rejection is part and parcel of the game. Before every relevant job or decision, I have been rejected far more than I’ve been accepted. The trick is to use it to spur you on. After all, Advertising is a trade, not a profession. There’s rarely one way to solve a problem, or indeed, one straightforward way to get in.

Exeter folks, I’ll try to be there next time. Honest.

Feel free to email me on William.Humphrey at yahoo.co.uk if you have any further questions.

Good luck to any student reading this.

Junior Planner gig at Razorfish/Digitas...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:05:00 +0000

I doubt you'll actually be working with a REAL one....although...

Hello, gang.

Bit of a random one, this, as it's further flung than our usual remit. However, given the odd email we receive from around the world, I hope it helps someone who's based abroad.

Razorfish/Digitas in Hong Kong are looking for a Junior Planner to join their team, working into the wise chap Ben De Castella (you can read his blog here or his twitter here).

More can be found below:

"We’re looking for a Planner here in Hong Kong to work on regional accounts across Asia Pacific – integrated creative campaigns as well as digital stuff. You might have a year or two's experience in a digital or ATL agency, either as a planner or someone who’s keen to become one.

As it’s a junior role, we don’t expect you to have all the answers on day one - but fluent spoken and written English is essential. Cantonese, Mandarin or another Asian language is also highly valued - so we’re especially keen to hear from local candidates."

You can find out even more information here.

Good luck, gang.

Getting the most out of your internship...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 15:29:00 +0000

A part of it...but hopefully not the whole thing.

Hi gang.

We have a guest post for you today (two posts in two days - I'm as shocked as you). The very kind Lauren Ingram has written a post about her experiences as an intern, and offers tips for you lot about how to turn yours into a permanent job.

Getting the most out of your internship
by Lauren Ingram

If you’ve wangled an internship at an agency, make sure you give them a reason to keep you on, or invite you back after uni. It's all about making yourself invaluable.

I was on the IPA Ad School in 2011 in Client Services/Planning, and subsequently stayed on as a copywriter intern – this trial period was worth doing as I’m not quite cut out for Creative! So to distil some things that I learned the hard way…

Know what questions to ask and when to ask them: being curious is a positive trait in adland but don’t be a nuisance. Anything you could find out online – find it out online. Learn as much as you can about what a planner does, what an account handler does, and so on, and get to know your agency's campaigns in detail. This is still important even though you've got the internship now. Many agencies subscribe to Campaign mag as well as other titles, so borrow these during your lunch breaks to stay up to date.

Ask more about the projects your colleagues are working on. You get a better idea of what they actually do all day (and it’s not reorganising the stationery cupboard) and you can offer more relevant help this way. I often found myself asking “is there anything else I can do to help?” and this is fine, but what would be more useful for them is offering help on a specific task. For example, your agency is positioning a brand’s loyalty card, offer to do research into what other brands are doing in this area. Of course, your colleagues might have already done it, but it makes your mentor’s life easier if they don’t have to ‘invent’ tasks for you.

Make good use of empty time: As an intern you probably have more time on your hands than others in the business. Make use of it. Offering everyone tea won't build your skills but it does give you a chance to speak to more people. Also, read your company's blog and decide whether you could write something decent for it. There may be longer thoughtpieces by senior members of staff, but there may also be shorter pieces by other staff members on relevant news in adland. For example, at certain times of year (Christmas, Valentine's Day, around the Olympics, etc) there will be a flurry of advertising activity and you could do a round-up of some of the best ads during that period, or an emerging theme you have noticed within them. Ask who looks after the company blog, then ask them if your submission sounds suitable - they're usually always looking for more content to show how switched on the agency and its employees are.

Also look at their Twitter feed, find some interesting links that you think would be suited to their style, then find out who manages it (more networking!) and pass on the links with a very short blurb for each. You could offer to manage the Twitter feed - the New Business/Marketing department probably looks after it - but they might say no as many a Twitter disaster is caused by a rogue intern.

A last suggestion would be to ask to attend as many meetings as possible. Sometimes they will only want to have those who absolutely need to be there, so don't be offended if they say no, but for the most part it will give a good impression that you want to get stuck in.

All in all, it's a bit of a balancing act, making yourself memorable without getting in people’s way (and I still haven’t perfected it) but it might be the thing that gets you a Real Job.

Good luck!

Thank you, Lauren. Much appreciated.

A Grad Scheme & A Marketing Internship...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 11:33:00 +0000

Hi all.

There's a raft of new opportunities for you lot out there at the moment. Karmarama and What Now are both looking for talented graduates.

So, without further ado, here's more about both:

1) Karmarama

We're on the lookout for four bright, bold and ambitious people who will make good things happen in our Account Management Department.

If you show us that you’ve got some fire in your belly and some stories to tell, we’ll invite you on to our Kadet Scheme, where you’ll compete for a job in Account Management. We will be taking on 4 Karma Kadets for 2 months over the summer, with one of our Kadets bagging a full time role at the end of the internship.

You could be graduating this summer, or you might have got your experience from somewhere else – either way we’d like to hear from you.

Applications are open now, and the closing date for entries is 4th March 2013.

All the details are at our Facebook page. You can follow us on Twitter at @karmakadets and our current Kadets @karmakadetkatie @karmakadetalex for further updates on the scheme!

2) What Now?!

What Now?! is an innovative new product that aggregates the best local information so travellers can use their smart mobile devices to discover interesting things nearby when they arrive in a new place – all without paying for data roaming. We were a finalist at the London Startup Weekend last year and are busy helping bring the product to life. Tony, the founder, comes from a background of working in various advertising agencies and marketing client-side, before leaving to study for an MBA and, ultimately, set up What Now?!.

What Now?! aims to launch in London and Barcelona in the early summer period. We are currently looking for a marketing intern who can help with the following:

Manage social media activities – including Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Google Plus
Develop strong links with the travel blogging community (like/dislike, make suitable and valuable comments, make suggestions, engage people)
Co-ordinate our overall launch marketing activities
Monitor and report on progress and key findings
Promote blog content
Collaborate with our fast-paced, entrepreneurial and fun team

The ideal candidate:

Is not just familiar with, but also active social media sites and has a strong online presence. In particular, the ideal candidate would be very familiar with Twitter and its partner platforms (HootSuite, TweetDeck etc.)
Possesses excellent written communication skills, so they can make the right judgements on what to post without damaging the brand. Our social tone of voice is important
Has top-notch social skills - and a sense of humour!
Is a self-starter with the ability to work independently and make judgement calls
Has a passion for travel, culture and all things Social Media

Working in a startup is an incredible learning experience and you would be exposed to a huge amount of diverse business and marketing experiences. The internship length is flexible depending on the right candidate and there will be a small salary to cover expenses

The internship will be a great opportunity for the right candidate – and, even if your passion is to work in an advertising agency and not take up a full time role with us afterwards, it would look great on your CV. If this sounds interesting to you, then please email a CV and covering letter to tonys at whatnowtravel.com.

Good luck, all.

So, you want to work in Planning?

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:40:00 +0000

Mmm, yellow fats. A classic planning problem.

Hello all.

I'd say about half of the emails I receive about getting into advertising relate to planning.

And, being a planner myself, I'm more than happy to offer advice, especially as it's a tricky line of work to get into. When I was trying to get into it, I read an awful lot of Russell Davies's blog (the planner who did a lot of very good work on Nike and Honda, amongst others) - and, I think, is still a good resource. Additionally, the London Strategy Unit has begun to run a short course for wannabe planners that you should check out.

Planning is always a hard thing to write about, much less explain coherently (though the APG has a brilliant guidebook on it) if you've never done it. And, for most of the folks reading this, the opportunity to do planning is fairly remote.

Now, when you're in the job as a junior planner, there's a post in the AdGrads archives that might be useful. But for those who've never had to write a planning presentation, or want to understand what goes into it, I've written a short presentation to help show how you'd put something together to show your client, and set up what the creative work will be - along with a communications plan, something to indicate how you'd spend the media money in an ideal world.

I thought it would be a good idea to pick a brand and answer a fictional problem to help folks understand the thought process that goes into a planning presentation - one that's away from the typical sexy brand (your Nikes, your Apples', your Budweiser's) that most think of when they talk about their favourite work. And, after all, the 'yellow fats' category is amongst one of the most traditional planning problems to tackle.

Have a go yourself. Send me your presentations, or put it up on Slideshare, and we can have a Q&A as to how you've tackled it.

Most of this presentation was written with a bit of desk research, some time spent in-store and some time spent chatting to the typical consumers (mums, in short). Check out the ONS, read up on new launches in the category - and see what you think. If I was planner on the business, there'd be a raft of information I'd receive; but in this instance, don't worry about being 100% right when it comes to buying behaviours...just use whatever research you can find on or offline.

The presentation's below, and you can download it (or get in touch with me - william.humphrey at yahoo.co.uk if you'd like the keynote presentation with notes) from Slideshare.

A point of view on Flora margarine.. from Will Humphrey

NB: The business has come up for pitch; it'll be interesting to see what sort of work they come up with.

Ogilvy's 2013 Account Management Scheme..

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:05:00 +0000

The man himself, in full mad man garb.

Hello, all.

Another agency has opened its grad recruitment doors in 2013.

This time, it's the turn of Ogilvy, who've just launched their account management graduate scheme for 2013. The page can be accessed here.

This scheme is an amalgamation of the old summer placement scheme and the account management schemes of years previously. To find out more about the structure, have a look here.

Key dates include the closing date - February 18th, the interview and assessment day (the week commencing April the 8th), and when the scheme starts (1st July) and ends (30th August). Assuming all goes well, you'll begin the fellowship in mid-October.

Good luck, gang. You can ask questions of Ogilvy via their twitter and Facebook accounts.

McCann & Ogilvy...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:46:00 +0000

Perhaps not this chap...but someone like him..

Hello adgrad folk.

It's 2013, and given that the dust has settled from quite a lot of schemes pre-Christmas, I thought it might be an idea to draw your attention to a few agencies' successful candidates - how they got on and in.

Who knows, it might help you redouble your efforts for next time, or - if you're due to graduate the year after, provide you with some much needed tips for your first application.

The first is a short video McCann have produced following their 'McCademy' graduate scheme. Find out more here. The video's below:

A successful Ogilvy planning fellow, John Hillier, has written a very good blog post on the topic of his application to the 2012 scheme. Read it here. His twitter account is here, should you have any questions/tweet yourself.

I hope those two are useful. As ever, check the adgrads archives - there are a fair number of posts about how to prepare application forms/interview successfully.

Wannabe and current Planner types, read this...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:02:00 +0000

That's these guys.

Hello gang.

An interesting opportunity, this. I'd estimate some 80% of the people who email me off the back of my witterings on AdGrads want to work in planning.

And, as a planner, I'm delighted to hear that. However, one of the most tricky questions I get asked is 'how do I get a Junior Planner job?' To be quite honest, there's no one clear or easy way into this line of work. It is frequently frustrating, and often requires months/years of interning or being an account handler/manager first.

I was lucky. Through a combination of blogging, interning and being in the right place at the right time, I was able to get into planning without having to do account management for several years. Partly, it was down to one of the dons of planning, Russell Davies (the mind behind 'Grr' for Honda and 'Run London' for Nike, and that's just the tip of the iceberg).

He and his good bunch at the London Strategy Unit have realised that formal grounding and training in planning is fairly thin on the ground, and want to help wannabe (and current junior) planners with some best in class training. Note, this ISN'T just for wannabe planners - it's for those in the business as well.

They're just about to launch a series of training mornings at their place, and have sent the blurb along. Read on:

"One of the things we’ve observed in recent years is how difficult it is for junior strategists, and wannabe strategists, to get a proper foothold into the discipline, particularly agency-side. And by ‘foothold’, we mean access not only to the kinds of people and businesses who can help them on their way, but also to the kind of training and other professional development tools that turn brilliant potential into brilliant performance.

Of course, there are people and organisations out there who have already recognised this, and we have a lot of time for the APGs and IPAs of this world. But they can only do so much, limited (as they often are) by available space, available time, and of course available money. (The money point is also important as the relative paucity of available subsidies often precludes people who aren’t already in successful businesses from getting the kind of training and support that can help them get jobs in successful businesses – ironically enough.)

So, we’ve decided to try and do our bit. Next Monday at 9.00am we’ll have a new Events section up on our website where you can register interest in our first ‘strategist bootcamp’. That’s a working title; we’re beavering away so hard behind the scenes right now that we haven’t quite decided what it should be called yet.

We’ll be running our first event over a couple of days in February next year. It’ll feature interesting industry folk as well as senior LSU people. It’ll be hands-on, practical, and give every participant something of genuine career value. As it’ll be our first one, and we want to use it as an opportunity to try stuff out and learn as we go, we’re going to run the whole thing without attempting to profit from it. That means we’ll be sharing with everyone exactly what it costs us to stage, and simply dividing that by the number of paid tickets available. Tickets will be strictly limited, although to help out those who aren’t currently in jobs we’ll also be offering a few free ones – we’ll leave information on how that works for next week.

It’s going to be brilliant, or at least the start of something brilliant, and we hope that you’ll spread the word and come back to learn more next Monday."

So, keep an eye on their site. It's going to be brilliant, whether you want to work as a planner, are just into planning (also, have a look at this post) or if you want to brush up on your skills.

BMB Ad Scheme - Interviews For All!

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 10:34:00 +0000

BMB'sad scheme has launched..read on...

Hi all.

More gr(ad) scheme bits and bobs to tell you about. This time it's the turn of BMB.

They've been in touch to tell us about their advertising scheme; this time, they're doing things a little differently. Application forms are out - they want to chat, and to chat to everyone, grads and non-grads alike.

Here's what they've got to say:

"We're continuing our mission to challenge the status quo and democratise the interview process, so whether you're a grad, non-grad, martian or womble, if you want an interview, you can have one. We'll be doing it for one day only – November 22nd.

For those who are unfamiliar with how it works, it's simple really. We'll be getting you all to spin a virtual roulette wheel to let pot luck decide which one of our BMBers you will speak to via Skype for a 7 minute chat. Our BMB panel will be changing all the time, so you won't have a clue which one of our top dogs you'll be talking to. And neither will we.

Essentially, you'll need to come back and visit our website between 7am and 11pm on November 22nd (2012 – just to be totally clear). We'll be streaming the ever-changing interview panel live from an agency webcam – and it'll be up to you to spin the arrow to find out who you'll be chatting to for 7 minutes."

To learn more about the interview, and the job that's up for grabs, click here.

Good luck!"

Best of luck to each of you.

Want to work at W&K London?

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:47:00 +0000

This is one of the parking spaces. Lovely stuff.

Hi gang.

A bumper crop of opportunities this week, and this one concerns W&K London. They're on the look out for planning placements (both graduates/non graduates) to work there on 3 month long paid planning placements from January.

I know, from personal experience, just how tricky it is to gain meaningful planning experience when you're just starting out, and well, W&K are one of the best agencies in town, so this is a great opportunity. Also, the mass of applicants I had when my old agency Edelman needed a junior planner suggests that lots and lots of you want to get into planning...so there's likely to be a fair bit of competition.

You can apply by clicking here. The closing date is the 24th of November, and you'll find out whether you've been invited to the agency for a day of chats and coffee by the 3rd of December.

Good luck, all.

IPG Media Brands...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:31:00 +0000

This could be you (maybe without the baton).

Hi all.

There are a few opportunities to tell you about this week.

The first of them is from IPG MediaBrands. IPG (or the Interpublic Group) has a lot of agencies; this scheme is for their media side.

Here's what they've had to say:

"2012 sees the launch of the UK IPG Mediabrands graduate programme, as we are looking to hire up to 10 graduates on permanent contracts which will start September 2013 in London.

The programme involves a placement in one of the following London-based IPG Mediabrands agencies; UM, Initiative, Mediabrands Analytics or Mediabrands Audience Platform (which includes Cadreon and Reprisemedia).

Through 12 months of media-specific and professional-skills training, our graduate scheme will teach you all you need to know about media, give you the chance to work on high profile clients and give you great opportunities to get yourself noticed within a global media network.

Applications open on 1^st November 2012 and close at midnight on 4^th January 2013. For more details on what we are looking for and information on how to apply, please read the brochure on our website. Finally, to find out more about the scheme, check out our twitter account - @ipgmb_talent"

Good luck, all.

PHD & Leo Burnett...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:29:00 +0000

Yes - preferably not via a load of disembodied hands.

Hello all.

Two things to update you on (with more coming next week).

1) PHD Worldwide

The good people at PHD are looking for media graduates.

You can find more about it by clicking here.

A little bit of a blurb can be found below:

"PHD are looking for 4 to 5 Team Executives to join an exciting new Comms Planning Unit going live from 2^nd January 2013. This is a terrific opportunity to develop your media career in one of the most strategic and dynamic media agencies working with one of the world’s largest and most innovative advertisers. We are looking for bright, enthusiastic and passionate Team Executives with a real passion for media/communications and an interest in consumer behaviour."

Just to note, the assessment day is on the 13th of November. So you'll have to get those applications in sharpish, by the 6th of November.

2) Leo Burnett

Leo's graduate agency (within the agency), The Foundry, have produced a stop-motion clip to advertise the scheme. Check it out below:

You can apply here. The scheme's applications close on the 31st of October, so be quick.

Good luck with both, gang.

Dare's 2012/13 grad scheme...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:10:00 +0000

You don't have to enter a room like this man - but it might help.

Hello all.

I've had another agency get in touch; Dare have let AdGrads know about their graduate scheme, which has just opened.

Details are below:

"Recent graduates and daredevil wannabes. This is Dare calling. We’re pleased to announce that we’re kicking off our Grad Scheme for October 2013 with a slightly different take on your standard application form.

We’ve been playing a bit of truth AND dare. We reckon you’re probably quite bored of answering the same questions on your applications, so we’ve dared ourselves to create a form that veers off the path slightly. We’d like to know how brave you are, as well as finding out how you think and what makes you tick.

Because we do stuff differently here, it wouldn’t make sense to copy everyone else in how we find our grads. We’re unique. Something we knew right from the off when we challenged convention by merging a traditional and a digital agency. What’s more, this diversity means our grads get to work on an unusual blend of projects; everything from TV to radio and apps to Facebook pages.

You’ll be able to find out more along the way on our Facebook and Twitter pages, which we’ll be stuffing with useful and interesting bits of information about what you can expect of us. We’re also running live Q&As alongside the application process to answer any queries you have about life at Dare towers. Our existing grads will be all ears.

We’d also like to invite you to our Open Day on Tuesday 30^th October. It’s your chance to meet us, ask questions and have a nose around Dare Towers. It is first come, first served – as a result, we can only accept the first 100 people to request an invite. RSVP by emailing daregrads2013 at thisisdare.com

First things first; head over here to get your application underway- we dare you.

Good luck and hopefully see you soon!

Dare."

Good luck, everyone. NB - the scheme's applications close on the 9th of November, so be quick.

Quirk need YOU...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:23:00 +0000

This is the wrong kind of quirkiness to display...

Hi all.

I've had another request for a graduate position from the good people at Quirk.

I'll let them explain:

"Quirk is a dynamic, fun, hard-working and rapidly growing agency looking for an Intern or Graduate to join our Engage team. The post is for a minimum of 3 months, and you’ll be working closely with our Paid Search and Social Media teams. You’ll be supporting some of our largest accounts setting up PPC campaigns, monitoring Social Media accounts and even assisting our SEO Manager. This opportunity will provide you with invaluable, hands on experience that will equip you with important skills & knowledge to help start your digital marketing career.

You will also be required to support other areas of the agency as needed. Skills needed include: A real passion for digital, an analytical mind, excellent attention to detail, Excel experience, Google AdWords experience is advantageous - and finally, good writing skills.

Please contact tammy at quirk.biz for more information."

Good luck, chaps.

Graduate Schemes 2012/13...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 18:39:00 +0000

You, in about nine months time?

Hello all.

If you're thinking about getting a job in advertising, this post will hopefully be a helpful guide to this year's intake. Now, there are other schemes throughout the year, but the bulk of them happen between September and December. NB - the majority of these schemes are for account handlers and planners...most agencies have creative teams/lone creatives in on placements, which usually require a book/contacting the agency directly.

Also, I may have missed one or two. If I have, please tell me in the comments. Right then:

AMV: This has opened via their Facebook page (here). The main deadline's the 19th of October at 6pm - their twitter account appears to have died a death, so I'd join the group, if I was you.

BBH: BBH have no ‘formal’ graduate scheme running; they run BBH Homegrown (the link's here), which is a year round initiative.

BMB: BMB have yet to open any kind of scheme yet this year. Last year, they opened their scheme on the 1st of November, so it's worth keeping an eye on their twitter account to see whether it'll open this year.

CHI: CHI&Partners Graduate Scheme is now open. You can apply here. Applications are open until 4th November 2012. Their twitter-stream should also help keep you informed.

Chime: The Chime group (which comprises of Ad Agencies - VCCP - design and PR) will open their scheme in November 2012. Keep an eye on this page.

Dare: Dare’s grad scheme has yet to re-open this year, but it looks like it's also going to open in October. Check this page out. Again, their twitter page is a good place to look as any.

DAS Accelerate: The DAS scheme has just launched. It shuts on the 2nd of January 2012. You can find out more about it on the DAS link above, or go straight to the application page here. Alternatively, you cancheck out their twitter here.

DLKW Lowe : My old agency is has yet to open its graduate scheme, and I can't find any mention of it on their site. It's worth keeping an eye on their twitter account to see if anything is announced.

Elvis: Elvis have yet to announce this year's graduate scheme (I'm actually not clear if it's happening this year - can someone from Elvis confirm?). Last year's opened in the Autumn, so it's worth keeping an eye on - again, check their twitter-stream.

JWT London: JWT's graduate scheme is happening this year - find out more here. Applications shut on the 1st of November.

Leo Burnett: Another that's yet to open, the agency runs a mini agency called 'The Foundry' that provides the bulk of the training/experience on offer for new graduates. The Facebook page is what you should keep an eye on, as they've recently posted they're about to open. UPDATE - they're just about to open, and the applications close by the 31st of October.

M&C Saatchi: M&C's site indicates that they are going to be recruiting graduates this year, and the form's live on their separate grad recruitment page. I can't find a deadline, but be quick.

McCann: McCann have been quick out of the blocks this year - their site has been live since the 10th of September, and closes on the 28th of September. Not long. Check out the site here, as well as their twitter-stream here.

Ogilvy: Ogilvy's much lauded 'Fellowship' programme is yet to open for 2013's intake. However, the separate site is here - worth a read, as it explains neatly how to get into the business - there are some very good tips there. The twitter page is here.

RKCR/Y&R: Rainey's grad scheme is due to go live on the 1st of October. More can be found here. There's also separate Facebook and Twitter page/s.

WPP Fellowship: WPP's 'golden ticket', 3 year, multiple country and marketing discipline scheme isnow open. It shuts on the 8th of November at midday, GMT. The twitter account is here.

Good luck with all of these, guys. Again, let me know if I've missed any.

Guest Post: 'Getting In & Knowing Stuff'

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:05:00 +0000

This could be you...

Hi all.

As part of the start of a new influx of AdGrads writers, below is an account about how to prepare for interviews by Jen Meyerson Dubbin. Take it away, Jen:

“They aren’t going to expect us to know stuff, right?”

by Jen Meyerson Dubbin

Your blood is pumping. You are hopefully not sweating through your suit. You nervously tap your foot against your leg while sitting on a modern chair that was clearly chosen for design instead of comfort. After having applied to every grad scheme and junior position under the sun, you have landed an interview.

You’re an ad grad who knows their stuff. Your lecturers and professors have prepared you. You brought your portfolio of your previous work to show, and yesterday you reviewed pertinent materials from your lectures to refresh yourself.

You start talking to and sizing up the competition whilst you all wait for a chance to break into Adland. There's someone with a BSc in Biology from Edinburgh, BA in Medieval History from Cambridge, BA in English from Sheffield, and then there's you; an ad grad. When the group finds out you are an ad grad the whole dynamic changes to you versus everyone else. The guy from Cambridge anxiously asks, “They aren’t going to expect us to know stuff, right?” While the girl from Edinburgh reassures him by saying, “They know we aren’t ad people.”

This should be obvious, but make sure you prepare for your interview. When I went on interviews, I was surprised at the number of people who didn’t seem to think they needed to do anything to prepare. Yes, ad agencies do expect you to know about advertising. You aren’t being hired as an account manager or planner for your ability to make a decent cuppa - especially in this economy. There is nothing wrong with never having taken an advertising course, but that’s not a valid excuse to not know about advertising. You wouldn’t expect a lorry driver not to know how to operate a vehicle. No-one expects you to know everything and it's okay to be wrong. However, it’s essential to have an opinion - make sure you're more knowledgeable than a general consumer.

There are several things you can do to prepare for an advertising interview. It might take a bit of work to get there, but knowledge is empowering and a confidence booster too. Obviously, I can’t cover everything in this post - those who've gotten in, please feel free to post additional recommendations in the comment section.

Knowing how an advertising concept works and having knowledge of a little bit of history is essential; especially if there is a team task involved in the interview process. Sometimes you will be lucky by being informed before the interview the type of task you will be given. Use that information to focus your preparation - for instance, I was in a team where one of members was trying to explain to the team that the target market should be as broad as possible when it should actually be narrow and specific to be optimally targeted. He obviously didn’t do his prep work and it hurt the team. In these situations, you don’t want to be the weak link in your group.

What's more, you should try to find out what the person in the position you are applying for does. There are a lot of websites and blogs that should have the information available (Linkedin, for example). If you can’t find anything, note that some agencies do have quirky job titles, so be sure to ask in the interview. Use what you learned to sell yourself by connecting your skills and experience to the position - most things you've done can be related to advertising in some way - you've just got to know what the job entails.

When it comes to research, look at the agency you are applying to online. You can learn about their agency culture, clients, current & past work, people, and history. You can also find information in trade publications and websites such as (e.g., IPA, Brand Republic).

Learn about other agencies. Agencies are brands with communication products just like Coca-Cola is a brand with soft drink products. Other agencies are the competitors of the agency you are applying for. You don’t need to do SWOT analyses for each, but basics like what they offer, who their current & past clients are, current & past work, and agency culture should have you well covered. In the end, you should be able to talk about what differentiates Agency A from Agency B.

Finally, when I set off in advertising school I thought Planners & Account Managers went to college and Creatives went to portfolio school, but the ad world isn’t like that. There are no extra points for having a communications and business background. No specific mold of what makes an ad person exists.

Advertising is incredibly diverse. Some people have degrees while others don’t. Those who do have degrees come from a variety of disciplines. Regardless of their discipline, ad people are willing to put in the work to stay current and knowledgeable because they genuinely like what they do.

An important post..(updated)

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:26:00 +0000

Yes, you, dear reader.

Hello all.

You'll have noticed that AdGrads has been curiously quiet in the last few months; a combination of pitching and clients have kept me from updating as frequently as I'd have liked.

As such, I think it's the right time to ask for a hand.

AdGrads originally consisted of four people writing about how they got into the business.

However, as time's moved on, we've all had gradually more busy jobs, and all dropped off, save for yours truly. And, in truth, it's been tricky, these past few months, what with various new pitches and otherwise.

Also, when we founded AdGrads, the intention was always to help those who were near us in age get in, as we weren't a bunch of hoary old gits who had no idea what was going on at the sharp end. Well, I'm 28 now (a dinosaur in ad terms), and AdGrads needs an injection of younger folks to help it live on.

I'm very proud of what the site's achieved (I still feel absurdly flattered when people email me to mention that AdGrads has been helpful), and don't want it to wither on the vine as I have less and less time.

What AdGrads needs is the following:

A pool of writers (ideally about 4 or 5) from an account management/planning background, ideally aged between 20-28 (preferably, recent or current grads - you don't have to be on a scheme). Must be able to write well.
Not creative grads, as the YCC has it pretty well covered.
An agreement as to who writes what.
Ultimately, a separate URL (this site, annoyingly, has remained the same as one of the guys I founded it with has the details/I haven't been able to reach him). I'd love for it to become the definitive grad site for adgrads for the foreseeable future.

I will still be involved with the site, but I'm conscious you'll be doing most of the writing

Post something in the comments or email me at william.humphrey at yahoo.co.uk if you'd be interested in meeting up for a coffee to chat through in a month or so's time.

UPDATE: I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who've been in touch. We're up to about 10 now. There's still going to be a demand for more writers, but let's close it for now.

Thanks for reading, folks.

Anomaly need a runner..(redux)

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Hello there.

Would you like to work at my current place of work, Anomaly London?

Details of the job are below, and ideally, you'd be available to start mid June. It is paid.

"We're after a runner for our London office, based in Clerkenwell. The runner's job is to keep the agency running smoothly, primarily assisting with office admin..

Examples of the sort of duties you'd be expected to perform include:

Answering phones

Dealing with post

Booking and setting up meeting rooms with tea and coffee

Running errands

Keeping the place neat and tidy

Booking out meeting rooms

Ordering stationery, paper and other office supplies

Booking a variety of things - travel, couriers, taxis, IT/AV equipment

Helping organise office parties

Additionally, you're more than welcome to get involved with other agency work, but the duties above take priority."

The deadline's the end of the day on the 15th of June. Email uktalent at anomaly.com to apply.

LBi need YOU...

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:12:00 +0000

The lost boys need you...

Hello all.

There's a new opportunity from LBi that you guys should be aware of. They've sent through quite a detailed graduate spec, with a few questions to answer. Have a look, and get involved:

"LBi is a global marketing and technology agency blending strategic, creative, media and technical expertise to create business value. We help our clients to understand ‘What’s next?’ on their digital journey to ensure their customer’s needs are being met in an ever evolving marketplace.

We call what we do ‘Building Exceptional Things’. What that means is that we’re set up to solve our client’s business problems using a number of different digital initiatives. We develop creative concepts that translate into digitally led advertising campaigns, transactional websites, loyalty programmes and social media campaigns and anything else along the way. Our client list includes some of the UK’s biggest and most exciting brands such as Virgin Atlantic, Coca-Cola, Compare the Market, BT, Lloyd’s Banking Group and many, many more.

The Opportunity

To manage such high profile clients, we need exceptional people to join our 600 strong UK team, the majority working from our Brick Lane office in London. We’re looking for up to 4 amazing graduates to become part of our Client Services department. You’ll join our graduate training scheme where you’ll develop your skills over a 9 month period with a view to becoming a fully-fledged member of the team working as an Account Executive within one of our portfolio of clients. As part of our structured programme you’ll be given a background in all of our departments, work with some high profile clients and be sponsored through an industry recognised professional qualification with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).

Given our dedication to developing new talent, we’re not solely looking for applicants with a background in marketing or digital (although this would be a bonus). We’ll ensure that through training and on-the-job learning, LBi will help you become a well-rounded member of the agency with a solid background in all the essentials it takes to become an account management guru.

The Application Process

In order to be considered for this opportunity we need you to send us your CV along with your responses to the questions outlined below by 25th June 2012.

1. At LBi we help our clients through their digital journey, describe some of the key challenges you think they may face and how we could help. (200 words)
2. Our Client Services team are considered to be the face of the agency both to our clients and to our internal teams. Why do you think you’d be a fantastic addition to our client services team? (200 words)
3. What excites you most about working in the digital industry? (200 words)
4. Our values are expert, collaborative and provocative. Give us an example of when you have embodied one or all of these values. (200 words)
5. We are known for putting on amazing parties. If you were to be in charge of our next party, what would be the theme and how would you ensure it would be a success? (200 words)

You can either apply directly via our website at www.lbi.co.uk/join-lbi or email your application to careers at lbi.com with the subject header ‘Client Services graduate scheme’. If your application is successful you will be invited to take part in an assessment day in our Brick Lane offices on 17th July 2012."

Sound interesting, gang? Good luck.

Grad Down The Track: Di Caplinska

noreply@blogger.com (Will) — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:51:00 +0000

We haven't done one of these profiles for a while..

Hello all.

Something a little different today, but a feature that's something that (hopefully), older AdGrads readers will remember. We've got a fairly recent grad, Di Caplinska, who is a planner at Euro RSCG, to write for us about how she got into the business.

So, without further ado...here's Di's account:

"On a number of occasions recently I have found myself on the receiving end of questions from soon-to-be graduates about how to get into this tricky industry. A number of paths can be proffered, but how people get into their first advertising job are always interesting - and never straightforward. So with some encouragement from Will and AdGrads, whose contribution to my journey has been invaluable, I have decided to write up mine, as long-winded and frustrating at times as it was.

Coming from Latvia, a small country loved by British stag dos, feared by Scandinavian ice hockey teams, and hated by the IMF, advertising was never really on my radar. Being born in a family of Soviet engineers and spending summer holidays in Maths camps didn’t exactly further my exposure to the industry that is, frankly, still in its infancy anyway (as you’d expect from a country dealing with a communist hangover). My love affair with advertising kicked off when I moved to the UK for University and studied Business, later switching to Marketing - focusing on Brand Management in my final year. At the same time, suddenly finding myself in a new country provoked a deep interest in all things ‘culture, people, and the way they think’, so I started observing the world from an outsider’s perspective to an almost scientific degree. One would have said that is a pretty clear path into Planning, but not before I spent a year in the corporate world of B2B Marketing; something which helped to confirm that it’s not for me.

My first exposure to advertising in practice (as opposed to through books, blogs, and newsletters – all in this deck) was with JWT London as part of their 2 week Account Management placement just before the start of my final year. Apart from meeting great people, having to squeeze a gigantic papier-mache cow into an elevator, and running 5k in holey Converse, it confirmed my intuitive leaning towards Planning, as well as teaching me very valuable lesson. Namely, that getting in was going to be painful, especially if you don’t have any relevant family contacts, and even more so if your alma mater is outside the Russell Group. And…let’s just say I felt like I was doomed as I wasn't born speaking English and wasn't able to master some eloquent assessment centre banter. With this positive outlook, I decided to harass the finest of JWT’s Planners for advice. Some shared interview wisdom, others bought me encouraging cups of coffee, and one pointed me towards Miami Ad School’s Planning Bootcamp in case graduate schemes didn’t quite work out.

And they didn’t. In the interests of putting my dissertation first, I limited my applications to Planning positions only and managed to secure two final rounds – at Dare and Leo Burnett, but sadly, I didn’t land the coveted gig. In parallel to this, in the climate when redundancies were far more popular than graduate schemes, I pulled out at all stops. I ran a cheeky recruitment Facebook ad that got blogging exposure and some LinkedIn introductions, I milked what advice my lecturers had to give, crashed semi-relevant industry events with a handful of (pretty embarrassing, frankly) business cards, and watched agency twitter feeds for internship opportunities. And when my university wasn’t part of the advertising recruitment milkround, I blagged my way into the one that was - Oxford, which was conveniently next door.

Unemployment panic aside, my graduation week culminated in shooting a cringeworthy video about how geeks are the new mainstream as part of my Miami Ad School application. Less than a month later I was in their Hamburg office trying to shake off that ‘Business School student’ look and soak in all the ideas flying around. Probably the most tangible thing I came out with a few months later was this ‘Junior Planner for Hire’ presentation that has been viewed over 1,000 times since. And then I came across The Planner Survey, an annual report on the state of Planning in the world lovingly crafted by Heather LeFevre, which provided a handy list of relevant recruiters in the UK. In the end I got a break with the help of wise, genuinely interested, and very well-connected people at Copper who helped me land an internship at EuroRSCG London which eventually led to a permanent position.

There it is, a very happy ending! And now, in the interests of keeping karma on my side, I’ve put together this presentation of ultimate tips on getting into the industry. Enjoy it, pass it on, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions."

From AdLand with Love: A Motivational Tale

View more presentations from Di Caplinska

Thanks very much, Di. I hope that was interesting for you, AdGrads folk.