Whether you’re about to enter the professional world for the first time or already have a career, you can make your dreams of working in advertising a reality. Motivation alone isn’t enough. There are steps you should take to increase the odds of getting your foot in the door quickly. We’ve highlighted five of the best tips for doing so for your convenience.
1. Be Passionate About Marketing and Advertising
Nothing helps you get ahead in the fast-paced world of advertising like being truly passionate about it. People who love and thrive off of marketing have the natural drive to pursue and achieve their career goals. Foster that passion by keeping up on industry news. Pore over industry publications like One Show and Advertising Arts, advertising annuals that highlight the most acclaimed ads from industry award shows. Use Pinterest to keep a digital scrapbook of ads that you really love. Live and breathe marketing and advertising, and you’ll quickly find your way.
2. Know What You Want
Wanting a career in advertising is great, but it’s a pretty vague aspiration. To get anywhere, you need more specific goals. The typical advertising agency is made up of three main departments: creative, planning and accounts. The creative department comes up with ideas, illustrates them and turns them into ads. The planning department pulls together information for the creatives and bridges the gap between them and accounts. Accounts finds, communicates with and keeps clients happy. Their work helps keep the agency going by drumming up new business.
3. Earn Your Degree
In this day and age, you can’t expect to get hired at any ad agency without a bachelor’s degree at the very minimum. This is another reason why you need specific goals before starting this kind of career, as they will determine which type of degree to pursue. If you are interested in the creative end of things, earning a bachelor’s degree from an art school and a master’s degree from a business school is a sound option. If you’re interested in planning or accounts, a marketing degree is a solid choice.
4. Complete Internships
Ad agencies require degrees, but they also need to see what you can do. A portfolio is useful for this, but it also pays to show you have relevant experience under your belt. The right internship gives you the opportunity to add to your portfolio, and it puts you in touch with people who can help you immensely throughout your career. Internships also allow you to see what it’s like to work in an ad agency, so you can make absolutely sure that this is the type of work you’d like to do for the rest of your life.
5. Build Your Portfolio
Even if you have solid educational credentials and excellent internship references, you won’t get far starting your advertising career without a solid portfolio. This is how ad agencies separate the wheat from the chaff when considering candidates. In this industry, it’s all about skills–at least that’s the case if you are interested in the creative end of things. If you are more concerned with accounts or planning, focus more on gaining experience in those areas through entry-level jobs, volunteering and internships. Regardless of which area you’re interested in, a well-designed resume simply isn’t enough anymore.
A career in advertising can be enormously rewarding and exciting. It’s a competitive field, however, so it’s crucial to take steps to help yourself stand out from the crowd. By keeping these tips and mind and having the drive and ambition to succeed, you’re sure to hit the ground running with your career.