Ask your teachers. Maybe they work in advertising, or maybe they used to. Either way, they probably have some direct connections with advertisers, agencies, or both; and if they like you, they'll probably bend over backwards to help you.
Check the job placement office at your college. They've got better connections than you might imagine. They also have access to friendly alumni who would much rather hire a graduate from their own alma mater than from someone else's.
Follow up on every lead you can find, no matter how flimsy it may appear at first glance. Talk to everyone who'll talk back. Pick their brains for everything you can learn. You'll be surprised how much hot information you can sometimes get out of what at first looked like a cold lead.
After you've called on everyone who knows you through family, friends, or school, it's time to start looking in the cold, cruel, real world. That's where you'll probably find the most job leads, anyway.
To start your search, open your morning paper to the employment section. Look under "A" for advertising. Go up and down the jobs listed, and investigate every one that seems like it might apply to you. How can you tell which ones might apply to you? Along with each job listed, you'll find a short job description, salary range, and instructions on how to follow up on it.
When you've looked through all the jobs under "advertising," move on to the job title that describes the kind of job you're looking for. If you want to be an account executive, look under "account executive." If you're a copywriter, look under both "copywriter" and "writer." In addition to the job leads for staff positions in advertising, you might find leads for free-lance advertising assignments. (Which, by the way, you might be able to turn into a leads for a staff position if you do a good job on a project.)
You might also find leads for other jobs which require a writer of some kind. Even if that means writing something other than advertising, you'd still get some practical job experience and a few practical bucks in your pocket. Lots of copywriters get their first paycheck for writing something they got by following through on an ad just like that.
If you're an art director, look under "art director." If you can draw too, look under "artist." If you can do paste-ups and mechanicals, look under both "paste-ups" and "mechanicals." If you're a designer, check for jobs listed under "graphics" and "designer."
Want a job in media? Look under "media." A job in research? Check "research." Maybe you're interested in getting into marketing. Look through the jobs listed under "marketing." If you want broadcast or print production, look under "broadcast," "print," or "production."
No matter what you want to do in advertising, you might find a lead under "direct mail" or "direct response." It may not be exactly what you want, but it's a place to start, and some advertising folk are of the opinion that the only way to learn this business properly is to start in direct mail.
If you're having trouble finding the kind of job you want, you might be able to fight off both the hunger and the bill collectors with a job listed under a field related to advertising, such as photography, television, radio, film, video tape, printing, typesetting, or free lance.
As far as how much gets refunded if for some reason the job doesn't work out-well-that can get ticklish. You sign a contract with the agent before you ever go out on an interview, and if you agree to fulfill the financial requirements of that contract, it's your responsibility to pay that fee if you accept a job offer, no matter what. It's important that you understand this.
In some cases, there may be provisions for reimbursement if you don't keep the job for a predetermined length of time. However, the circumstances surrounding your leaving are always subject to different interpretations. If you just can't do the work you were hired to do, if you come back from lunch drunk one day, or if you just quit, don't expect to get reimbursed one red cent.
The most important thing to remember is to read that contract. Make sure you understand it, and ask questions if you don't.
You can also check community advertising clubs and college placement departments for leads. Granted, those aren't the best places to look; but, as you'll learn when you begin your search, it's best to turn over every stone you possibly can. The more places you look for a job, the greater your chances will be of finding one.
