Career Stories

Andrew Communications Planner Zenith Media

...Building relationships with clients, understanding their businesses, and identifying their thought process are valuable skills...

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Brie Senior Account Supervisor Arnold Worldwide

...An internship is an interview and a training ground for that first job so make the most of it in every way...

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Dallas Account Supervisor Chisholm Mingo Group, Inc.

...My path into the advertising industry has been an unconventional one. I attended Hampton University and majored in Psychology...

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Gina VP, Management Supervisor UniWorld Group, Inc.

...After presenting my resume, I was told to fill out an application. "But what about my beautiful, expensive, hand-picked resume paper" I thought....

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Dana Principal & Founder Zoom City Advertising, North Carolina

...Agency Job-hunting Lesson #102:
The door isn't necessarily open just because your foot is in it...

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Antoinette Account Executive Ogilvy & Mather

...regardless of the obstacles or setbacks, never surrender your goals until you have exhausted every possible means of reaching them...
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David Senior Copywriter Klemtner, New York

...My first ad job was with Medicus Intercon, New York, the medical marketing division of parent company DMB&B, now D'Arcy. I was a junior copywriter or copy "cub" as it's affectionately known...
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Michelle Asst. Account Executive J. Walter Thompson

...There will be extremely long days (and nights!) and if you don't truly have the passion, you won't be able to fully learn and grow...

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Jimmy Associate Account Manager D'Arcy, New York

...My first real job was at TBWA/Chiat Day in NYC. I got a job as an assistant media planner on the Infiniti East Region account hoping it would lead into an account service job. It was a good experience overall. I still use some of the media skills on my job today...

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Kathy Vice President, Account Director BBDO, New York

...The most surprising question they asked me [in the interview] was what salary I was hoping to receive -- which shouldn't have surprised me! I didn't have any experience talking about money in the context of a job/salary. Looking back, I should have had a better idea of what other Account Coordinators were making so I could have offered and supported a number that I knew was reasonable, with confidence...

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Ken Non-linear Editor/Compositor McCann-Erickson, New York

...My first job was at McCann-Erickson New York...

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Valisa Art Director D'Arcy, New York

...I got a BA in advertising from Michigan State University in '92 thinking that I was going to get a creative job right out of school without a portfolio. That didn't work. So I went to Portfolio Center to put a portfolio together and graduated in March '96. It took a good six months before I got any news from agencies in which I was interested...

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Laura Vice President, Management Supervisor Grey Worldwide, New York

...My first job in advertising was working as a Group Assistant at NW Ayer here in NY. I didn't have any personal contacts in advertising when I started looking for a job, so I attended a job consortium for college graduates. NW Ayer was one of the agencies recruiting there, so oddly enough, my first interview in advertising was in a booth at the Javits Center...

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Madhu Sr. Account Supervisor BBDO, New York

...I met with an HR manager who then passed me onto the two principles who were running the Account Planning/Research dept. at the time. In other subsequent interviews for other positions, I've also had to meet with Managing Directors or the 'Head of Client Services'...

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Maria Producer picky.com, the style site on Oxygen

...I was pretty sure that I had the position when I left, because they'd both been quite enthusiastic. Then I got a call from the recruiter the next afternoon; she told me they'd made an offer. We negotiated salary for about a day or two and then I accepted....

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Walter Senior Account Executive McCann-Erickson, Los Angeles

...If you're a talented "student of color" looking to break into the world of Advertising, I'm about to tip you off to one of the industry's best kept secrets: MAIP (Multicultural Advertising Internship Program). I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first you've heard of it...

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