What kind of job do you apply for if you want to get a job in the media department of an advertising agency and you're just starting out? The answer? Any bottom-level position that happens to be open. Type media orders, do general clerical work or anything else they'll pay you to do as long as it's in the media department.
If a position as an assistant media buyer is open, apply for that: it's one of the best seats in the house from which to learn the ropes. You'd make contacts and get some experience working in an advertising agency. You'd also get your first lessons in the fine art of price negotiating.
You won't make a lot of money in the beginning no matter in which position you begin your career. An assistant media buyer can earn anywhere between $7,000 and $11,000 a year. The money isn't great. But add that to what you learn and you'll find it's a very desirable position.
The agency person to call for a job in media is the media director or media supervisor. You'll find his name listed in the Advertising Redbook underneath his agency. If you can't get to a person with that title, ask for a media group head. If you still don't get through, ask for a buyer. If that doesn't work, ask for the office manager, or even the agency president. You'll find the names of those people in the same place you found the name of the media director or supervisor.
If there aren't any jobs available in the media departments of agencies, try getting on with a media buying service. About all they do is buy media space and time, and any job you could get with them would give you the opportunity to learn.
Maybe you could find a job with a media research firm. That would be a terrific educational experience, too. You might also try your luck with market research firms.
Anyone who wants to get into media and can't find a job in any of those places should try his luck at finding a position on the other side of the bargaining table: the selling side. Make calls on television and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and outdoor companies, and try getting a job as a media rep. You'd get some very valuable experience and make some valuable contacts in media departments of agencies and buying services. A lot of media reps also earn valuable paychecks. In fact, some media reps make fortunes!
If all else fails, hit the agencies again. Only this time, try your luck in a department other than media. Try traffic, account service, bookkeeping, even the typing pool. If you impress people with your performance in one of those jobs, you might be able to move over into media if and when the opportunity presents itself.
No matter how you break into media though, you'll need some background, which brings up the subject of education. Media is one area of advertising in which a college degree is a necessity. Your degree can be in almost any area, but most people try to concentrate on merchandising, marketing, or psychology.
No matter what your major, you should try to get as broad an advertising background as possible. So, if you have any interest in film, graphics, drama, or even creative writing, take a course or two in those areas. Mathematics is another important area in which media people should try to get some background. Statistics and numbers play a vital role in any media career. A course in bookkeeping is a good idea, too. And, of course, you would do well to get some background in business administration and management.
College isn't the only place where you get the background you need for a career in media. Summer jobs can mean as much to a prospective assistant media buyer as they can to a prospective Jr. Account Executive. If you haven't already graduated, this summer try to find employment with an advertising agency on their internship program. If you can't, try the companies suggested earlier for anyone trying to get into media: media buying services, media research firms, market research firms, and even television and radio stations, magazines, newspapers, and outdoor companies.
It may take a while, but if a job in media is what you want, a job in media is what you'll get. And, as with most careers in advertising, a career in media will give you a chance to earn buckets of money and thoroughly enjoy yourself in the process.
Who knows? You might even end up a partner in your own agency, or a principal in your own research firm.
But even if you never advance to a position higher than media buyer, you'll be doing something you enjoy, so you'll have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and go to work. That might not sound like much right now, but before long you'll realize just how special that actually is.
