STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

SheilsBabe · BCBG

Advertising

kenzie · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: SheilsBabe
"I'm planning on applying for an entry-level associates program at a major ad agency in NYC. I've interviewed with an HR rep from the agency already, and I got the sense that I have a good shot at becoming an associate. However, I have no experience in advertising and there are a couple things I'm curious about that I didn't want to ask my interviewer:
What can I expect in terms of salary during the first couple years? Am I going to get a base plus overtime? What about a bonus?
How quickly do entry level hires normally advance?
How does corporate culture differ among different agencies? (For those of you who work/have worked in advertising; I'm just wondering what your personal experience is/was like.)
Thanks girls; any additional advice would be much appreciated!"

I don't work in advertising right now, but I did an advertising/marketing internship in college and took some advertising classes. I also interviewed for a few advertising jobs (but no luck).

As far as salary, starting rate varies from city to city but here it's about $24,000-$28,000. In New York, I'd say it could get into the low to mid 30's. In other words, not a whole lot. As for overtime, you most likely will not get it since you will be salaried.

As far as environment, most ad agencies have a creative environment. I've seen them range from business casual to completely casual as far as attire. Advancement, I'm sure, depends on performance, job openings and varies from agency to agency. I know that with some of places I interviewed at, if you started on the business side, you didn't really have a chance to transition to the creative side and vice versa.

BTW, how did you manage to snag an advertising job with no experiece? I'd love to know your secret, since I have experience and have been looking for a job for two years. Good luck to you! Advertising is fun!

-- Edited by NylaBelle at 11:33, 2005-01-11

cc · Marc Jacobs

My mom worked in medical advertising as a copy writer for 5 years. Unfortunately she hated it. The hours were insane and it was an unpleasant atmosphere (high pressure, lots of yelling, etc.) It also seemed to be a bit of a boys club. Lots of inappropriate jokes, guys tossing nerf balls around, etc. She looked into going to another agency but after talking to a lot of her coworkers she decided that she would probably have the same issue at another firm, so she wound up quitting and going back to teaching. She liked the actual work though and enjoyed the creative aspects of the job, but she just hated the hours and the people. On the plus side, there seemed to be a really high turnover in her agency so there were lots of opportunities for advancement. I know one guy came in as a traffic person at the entry level and wound up being head of the department in 4 years!

SheilsBabe · BCBG

Interesting! NylaBelle, to answer your question, I haven't receieved an offer from the agency yet, but they're interested because I have a lot of experience in communication/media and I guess they figure it'll translate well to advertising. I have to submit some essays about why I want to go into advertising before I'm considered an official applicant.

Mia · Kate Spade

I know a LOT of people who were at university with me (and in my program - English Lit) who went into advertising. From what I have heard it is either an environment you thrive in or one that grinds you down quickly. On the one hand, it's very competitive and high-pressure, but on the other hand, if you show talent/aptitude, it's fairly easy to move up quickly and make more money.

The people I know started out on fairly paltry salaries and took it from there - if you're very good at the job you are making more veru quickly - but if it's not for you, well, you'll probably know it soon enough.

I think certain advertising jobs would be really fun - you could get quite creative and the atmosphere is not stuffy or 'corporate' (depending on what dept. you're in), I just don't know if I could handle the intensity.