Hey Everyone!
One of my BFF's from Miami Ad School, Amy, has written up a little something for this blog.
Amy is currently an Account Planner at Mars Advertising in the Bentonville, Arkansas office. Previous to MARS, Amy worked as a Media Planner at Starcom MediaVest Group in Chicago.
Mars founded this particular location because it's the home town of Walmart. Mars does work directly with Walmart, but primarily with national brands who sell their products within the store.
As part of the Planning team, Amy is responsible for understanding everything there is to know about the shopper. More specifically, identifying what different Walmart shoppers need, want and believe.
I love that this site has been given the amazing opportunity to feature many words of advice from a variety of Mars Advertising associates, each at different offices. It gives us all a nice, well rounded perspective on the company.
Thanks Amy and Mars Advertising! I love you both a lot lot!
-Alex
Entry Job Level Advice via Amy Bonasso AKA my BFF :)
General
Amy encourager's job seekers to be open to new opportunities, including opprtunities that have never been considered. Chances are, especially being entry, you may not fully understand what it is you want to do. Also, be willing to move around and chase potential openings.
Be Curious
Curiosity is totally over-used in agencies, but for good reason. There are so many subtle ways that you can demonstrate curiosity in an interview that makes you stand out from the competition, from something as simple as asking the right questions to something more elaborate and thoughtful like The Job Safari blog. Being curious is something that should last way beyond the interview. I work with another planner who recently created her own White Roads document that she publishes on Slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/MMartian). I think it's a really good example of a quick, easy way to highlight her own account planning style and spark curiosity for others in our agency.
Be Confident
The best advice someone gave me was that you need to think of the interview as potentially the start of a relationship versus just the start of a job. You need to be confident and be yourself because the people you're interviewing with aren't just hiring someone to do a job, they're hiring someone they want to work with everyday. You should of course be professional, but don't be afraid to let your personality shine through. Plan ahead so that you're less nervous, or at least can hide it, and as comfortable with yourself as possible. If you're in a new city, do a drive by of the building - you'll know how to get there and even have a better idea of what to wear if you stalk the current employees coming and going long enough. We're in marketing, so think of yourself as a brand. Would you buy you?
Be Considerate
Now that I've had the chance to interview a few people, I'm surprised at how being considerate isn't always a given. When you're in an interview, I think it's good to remember that the person interviewing you has typically given up something more important than advancing your career (only because they don't know you yet). Just acknowledging that they've taken the time to talk to you is always a good start. Even better is doing your own homework to be prepared to discuss their clients, ask questions about their specific roles, chat about industry news...all of this can be really easily found online and goes a long way. I know other people have said it already, but I just want to reiterate the importance of sending a handwritten thank you note to each interviewer. It's just one more chance to market yourself.
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