Whether you are looking for photography jobs or just about any other kind of position, you need to be ready for the fact that advertising is a service business. While you may be in charge of the campaign or details about it, you are still serving your clients. That means that since the client is the person paying, the client has ultimate control over the product. This is not necessarily a downside, but if you are not willing to give up a certain amount of control, you may not be the right fit for advertising.
People who want to go into advertising also need to be willing to deal with tight deadlines and lots of stress. You will be dealing with sudden rush jobs, people changing their minds at the last minute, and things going wrong. What this means is that you have to keep your cool, even if other people are not. If things go badly, and even if voices are raised, you cannot let it stop you from doing your job. Advertising is a tough, but incredibly rewarding job.
When you are in this business, everyone in the business will know about your successes as well as your failures. That means that if you are keen on getting into an advertising position, you need to pay attention to how you act and what you do. Slipping up on one account is not something you can forget about; eventually, your whole agency will know. That does not mean if you make a mistake you should give up on everything. Just make sure you always have a professional demeanor and have major successes on your account.
Agencies want top-quality staff, which means they will be checking out your performance and attitude on a regular basis with evaluations and other methods. This might be stressful, and you need to be ready for it at any time. Remember that the client has preferences, too. If you are not requested for a particular account, it might be because of something the client prefers, rather than something you did wrong.
Team players are ideal for advertising jobs. If you love working with others, you will be a great fit for this kind of position. However, you do need to pay attention to whether or not you feel the need to stand out. In a top ad agency, there is no room for one person to take the lead.
You have to be part of a hard-working, smoothly running team if you are going to obtain success. Your agency may have special teamwork-building exercises intended to help you and your fellow employees with this. These exercises could be something as simple as an office softball league or even cash bonuses to the teams that have the best overall performance. If you want a great advertising position, do not miss out on any change to build up your ability to work with others and enjoy it.
One reality of the advertising world is that job security is not always as solid as you would like it to be. That is because accounts keep on moving from one agency to another. You can be prepared for this, however. Pay attention to what is available in terms of jobs at all times, and keep your resume in top condition in case you need to search for other jobs.
Keep a close eye on your bank account and be ready for the possibility of layoffs. If a big client decides to take an account elsewhere, layoffs can happen. Layoffs will not be your fault, but you will need to look for a position at another agency if it does occur. That does not mean ad agencies constantly lay people off, of course. Most of them try as hard as they can to keep staff on board, even after a large account has been lost. However, that is not always possible.
Advertising professionals have to be willing to work long hours, too. It is not a nine-to-five job. You may need to be in the office for early-morning meetings or may need to stay late to get an important project finished. Fortunately, the compensation makes up for it. Advertising professionals generally make between $30,000 for an entry-level clerk to more than $70,000 for an account executive.
If you love people, you will have a great time as a skilled professional in advertising jobs. You need to have a good grasp on the art of persuasion and need to be able to deal with other people in your agency. A willingness to get along with everyone and work to make clients happy is a big plus in this business. Be honest, supportive, and friendly, and you will find that it goes a long way.
If you love the media and want to be part of how people think and what they do, going into advertising is a great choice. There are lots of great opportunities in this fast-paced, demanding career field. If you are able to deal with the unique demands of this business and to be ready for the unexpected, there is a good chance that advertising is for you.
