As a recent graduate, the positions most likely to be open to you are intern positions and entry-level advertising jobs. In major cities especially, internships at advertising and marketing agencies abound. A simple search of the job postings in your local newspaper or an online search will show you quite a few different opportunities for advertising agency job openings. Some are unpaid internships geared more towards those who are still pursuing their studies in a field which is relevant to the advertising or marketing industry, while others are paid internships or entry-level positions which are more suitable for recent graduates or those transitioning from another career path who have some work experience which makes them suitable candidates for these jobs.
The educational backgrounds which equip candidates to take on entry-level advertising jobs and internships are numerous. Depending on exactly what sort of position you envision yourself in at an advertising agency, different degrees may make you more or less qualified to fill a given position. Those interested in working in layout and graphic artist capacities will be best served, obviously, by having earned or being in active pursuit of a degree in commercial art. If you are more interested in copywriting or editing, then studies in journalism or English are more appropriate. Other advertising agency jobs will call for people skills and leadership abilities -- an MBA degree holder or MBA candidate, for example, may be well suited for positions such as assistant project manager or traffic staff.
There are others whose educational experience is not directly applicable to the job which they would ultimately like to be in who will take on any position they can secure as a way to get a foot in the door at an advertising agency and learn some skills on the job in order to work their way up to the position they desire after paying their dues through entry-level advertising jobs or internships. In fact, if you have the determination, you may well be able to eventually land the advertising agency job you’ve always wanted, although having some applicable educational or work experience is a far more common path to this goal.
Advertising company jobs cover a wide range of duties. Internships at advertising agencies will typically be junior level, assistant type jobs within the department for which your skill set is best suited. A commercial artist is best suited for the production department, a journalism graduate may be tasked with copyediting duties, a business graduate may be assigned an assistant traffic position, and so on.
The experience you gain in an advertising agency internship is invaluable in terms of both your studies -- if you are still enrolled in school, you will usually earn college credit for your internship in lieu of a salary -- and your career goals in the field of advertising.
As many who have attempted to get jobs in advertising agencies know all too well, even entry-level jobs at advertising agencies often come with the somewhat baffling requirement of having had advertising agency experience. Of course, this is where an internship can prove to be the difference between being able to land that advertising job and not making the cut. Even those who have long since completed their studies will take on internship positions at advertising agencies on a part-time basis in order to gain some solid agency experience and become more attractive to potential employers at different agencies, and of course, a internship can often lead to a permanent position within the given agency itself if you manage to perform exceptionally well and become noticed within the agency.
For those who have a strong interest in the advertising and marketing world, it can be well worth your time to pursue an internship at an advertising agency. You can gain the experience in an agency which will serve you well in the future; build your skills in writing, editing, commercial art, or project management; and make yourself a strong candidate for entry-level advertising jobs. Even though there are a lot of available advertising art jobs, print advertising production positions, and other entry-level advertising jobs out there, it can still be hard to get your resume noticed by employers.
An internship can be a big help to you in pursuing your goals of becoming a member of the team at a leading advertising agency and producing the kind of high-quality work which you know you are capable of. In advertising, you will usually have to begin at the very bottom and work your way up, especially if you have no experience in the field. However, the determination and skills you display in your internship or as an entry-level employee can help you work your way up into your dream advertising job.
