Advice for starting out at an advertising agency

I find that I don't have a lot of general advice for the world. Sure, I go on here with my critiques and proclamations. All in good fun. But, when it comes to one-size-fits-all advice, I have a mere three tenets:

1. When planning a wedding reception, always ask the caterer to include a doggie-bag for the bride and groom. 95%* of newlyweds leave the reception smeared with lipstick kiss marks and starving (*actual made-up statistic)


2. If you're buying a house in the Columbus, OH area, call Ric DeVore. He and Molly will take care of everything


3. When gossiping (come on, we all do it), try not to

But, as those of you who are following the series may have noticed, I do have seemingly endless advice for young ad folks. These are my top two that agency newbies seem to universally miss on:

1. Find a mentor. Seriously, it makes all the difference in the world. You need someone who can share advice, encouragement and a good example. You need an advocate. And, in the fast-paced world of agency life, you can't assume that you're going to be taken under a wing by chance. A good mentor is the difference between frustrations eating at you and improving you.
   


2. It does matter what you wear. Sure, it's exciting to hear that there's no dress code. You can keep schlepping about in the same duds you donned in college. The unspoken caveat is: you'll be thought of like someone wandering about campus instead of like the ladder climber you might really be. You've heard the cliche dress for the job you want. How about just leaving the shredded jeans and stretched-out sweaters at home and dressing like you have a job. Any job.
3. And one to grow on: Read this fantastic post called 'What I Wish My New Employee Knew' by Todd Defren over at PR-squared.

Comments

[Andrew B. Clark]

Find a Mentor! Perfect.

And don't forget, if you've been in this industry for a while (5 years min), you're darn lucky. And, as you grow in the agency remember that the newbies also need mentoring.

Create and share creation with those that will inspire you to do it again!

You have a great thing going here...

Keep Cooking!
Andrew

[ivan from ads of the world]

Great advice! May I suggest this post I wrote about how to dress: http://creativebits.org/toolbox/designers_what_to_wear_for_client_presentation