Media and Related Careers: Planning Your Career,
Finding a Job and Getting Hired
ADV 4300, Kent Lancaster
Career information/development
As you begin to consider life outside of college, you may realize that you have packed your bags and determined your destination, but have no idea how to get there from here. College (hopefully) has given you the skills to get hired, but usually doesn't hand you much in the way of getting your first job. Your first stop should be the Career Resource Center. It's on the first Floor of the J. Wayne Reitz Union, and the phone number is 392-1601. They're open 8:00 - 5:00 PM Monday - Friday. You can research companies, career opportunities and take advantage of SIGI (System of Interactive Guidance and Information) Plus, "one of the most advanced computerized career guidance systems available."
Resumes and Cover Letters
Ahh, the dreaded resume and cover letter. Everyone will have a different opinion on the "best" way to write these. The most important thing is to be brief, concise and accurate. Make sure both resume and cover letter are grammatically correct, use action verbs and check that everything is spelled correctly! You'll also want to fine tune both for each position you apply for. This is especially important in your objective. A generic "seeking an entry-level advertising position" just isn't as strong as a sentence that states the specific position you are applying for. You also can gear your work experience towards specific positions. The Career Resource Center has a myriad of books to help you as well.
A fresh out of college resume can look pretty unimpressive. Not everyone can take an internship in New York or volunteer lots of time. But carrying a heavy course load or working your way through college can both be equally impressive if you know how to showcase them. For example, a job as a front desk clerk at a large hotel requires people skills and the ability to offer alternatives to guests when their wishes cannot be met. Both of these 'skills' will help you work more effectively in teams and (tactfully) offer alternative plans to clients when their ideas won't work. If you took four or five classes every semester, then you know how to work under pressure, manage your time and handle multiple tasks and deadlines. Look at what you've done and see how it applies to life in the 'real world'. But DON'T LIE. If you used a computer at work but have no idea how to use a spreadsheet, don't claim you have "extensive computer experience" or "knowledge of business software". But do highlight any computer skills you have.
Job Search
Now the fun part - finding jobs to apply for. The internet has made out of town (or state) job searches quite simple. The related web sites link will take you to a list of web sites that will facilitate your job search. You can look for jobs by state, city, or position and even apply online. You can also post your resume at many of these sites for potential employers to find.
Another online help is the yellow pages for the city you're thinking of living in. For example, http://www.bigyellow.com/ allows you to input job category, city and state. You can use the list of agencies and addresses to send out letters of inquiry, interest or resumes. You should call to find out the name of the person you should address the letter to, and do a little searching to see if that agency has a web site. Company sites are great sources of information about both what an agency does and how they do it, not to mention the overall feel of the agency.
Since many agencies have web sites, and this is another good place to start your search. This list of Ad Agencies on the Web can get you started. On their web sites, nearly all companies will tell you where they are and how to contact them regarding employment opportunities.
While the focus thus far has been on working for an advertising or media planning agency, these are not the only places to look for jobs. Some major advertisers have their own in-house agencies and/or media departments. These departments may handle consumer advertising or business-to-business (a.k.a. trade) advertising, or both. You may also consider working in any of the major media categories. There are roughly 800 - 850 different consumer magazines in circulation. This doesn't include trade publications or magazines limited to a single city. You could also work for one of the thousands of newspapers across the country. This page http://www.dds.nl/~kidon/media-link/uspapers.shtml provides links to nearly every newspaper in the world. Find the local newspaper for the area you want to live and check out the classified ads.
Television also offers nearly endless possibilities for employment. There are the major networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) and the up-and-coming WB or UPN. There are also around 100 different cable broadcasters. Most cities play home to at least one broadcast station, and nearly all have at least one cable company locally. Radio stations, too, offer employment for new advertising graduates, and there are probably nearly as many stations as there are job seekers!
Also, more specific types of advertising are generally handled by specialized agencies. Outdoor advertising, specialty advertising and direct mail are often handled by companies who do nothing else. Internet advertising is a rapidly growing and highly specialized field. In the 1999 Annual Guide to the Best Jobs for the Future, Newsweek identified 20 "hot job tracks". Among these was an advertising "web specialist". According to Newsweek, a web specialist "creates Internet ad campaigns -- and also tries to convince companies that the [web] is a great sales medium." They give the average starting salary as $48,800 and the required training is a "B.A. in the liberal arts, experience working on a web site." Realistically, it probably takes a bit more, but if you've created web pages and understand the 'net, this hot career track may be right up your alley.
Copyright © 1997-1999 by Kent M. Lancaster, Media Research
Institute, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Revised: August 23, 1999.