Moving On

At Miami Ad School, we take a course called A Brand Called You. Day one of the course, everyone walks in thinking we’re about to spend the next ten weeks working on our resume, potential business cards, and our personal website. All of that is quickly deemed irrelevant when the teacher explains that, while all of that is important, none of it is going to be the reason you land a job.

Instead, we spent ten weeks developing how we wanted to present ourselves. Is your intelligence or your sense of humor what you think people will connect to best? What about how you view the world is different from how everyone else applying for that job views the world? As a team of creatives sits down to tackle a new client, they each bring a bit of history and understanding to the table. If your view adds more to the conversation, you can been seen as a real asset, and it all depends on how you present yourself and allow companies to see you, whether or not others will pick up on what you have to offer.

As I worked on developing “my brand” I learned a lot about what I want in a job. We’re always told how cutthroat this industry is, and how just getting started can be a real struggle. Somewhere along the way, I was told that enough times that I had convinced myself any job would do, I just needed to get started and if I had to work somewhere that was completely wrong for me, well, at least it was a job. To some degree, I still think that way. I ultimately need something that will give me benefits and pay the rent (if it gave me enough to occasionally spring for a night out, I wouldn’t mind that either), but, in addition, I now have a better idea of what I am not looking for in my first job.

I recently landed my first internship. When the offer was first made, would I even like to apply for this position, I did a little investigating. I would never suggest not caring about what clients an agency has on their list. It’s important to know what type of brands you’ll be working with, but ultimately brands change; clients leave and new clients sign on every year when they decide it’s time for a change. So, it’s not my first priority when looking into a company. Looking into an agency is actually a lot like looking into that guy you met at the bar, check out their Facebook, most agencies have Instagram these days, and follow them on Twitter. This will give you some great insight to see what the people that work there think is funny and what they do in their down time at the office. You’ll get a chance to see what they wear to work, is it casual, do they all look like friends? Social media is a great way to learn about the corporate culture of an agency. For me, a girl that does her best work with people she’s comfortable around, that is the most important thing.

To anyone that is looking for something new and isn’t sure where to start, I have a little advice: Pick what is the most important to you (it could be the people, the pay, the benefits), and start there. Make sure your biggest need(s) are being met, don’t lie to yourself and say you can compromise on things that down the road you’ll regret. It wouldn’t be fair to you or your new company.

Happy Job Hunting!

(Image Source: angiebeth.blogspot.com)