Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Snow is falling once again, spring break starts in three days - how can I concentrate on anything right now? All I know is I have to try, because this whole job search thing is not going to solve itself.


I am looking forward to the next few weeks for all sorts of reasons. First, spring break - I couldn't be more excited to spend a week relaxing and enjoying life with the people I have gotten to know and love during my four years at Villanova. This will likely be the last time I can go on a trip like this for a long, long time. That's a little depressing to think about, so let's pretend it isn't true. But the reality is that when we head back to 'Nova during the second week of March, the pressure is really on for me to find that job of my dreams.


The good news is that I have my fair share of possibilities coming up, which brings me to the second reason I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. Right after spring break, I'll be back at 'Nova for just one night before I fly home for two interviews. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, they are both informational interviews, meaning that it is simply an opportunity to meet employees and get to know more about the company. I'm not interviewing for a specific position or anything like that. Therefore, my goal is to make a great and lasting impression, so that if a job opening comes up, the employers will think of me.


I'm sure you've heard this more times than you can count: networking is key. I always believed it, but I never really knew how it would help me. I thought to myself "Well I don't know anyone who works in marketing or advertising, so I don't even have anyone to network with." I could not have been more wrong! In the last couple months, I have realized just how incredible and helpful networking can really be. Basically all of the opportunities for jobs or internships that have come my way recently have been through networking. From family friends to friends-of-friends to alumni, there are an infinite number of ways to network and find out about opportunities. All you have to do is talk! To family, friends, coworkers, faculty, staff, etc. - you never know who they might know! I am (finally) learning how effective networking can be in terms of opening doors to new opportunities I may not have had otherwise.

It's getting to be about that time for me to go brave the weather - my hope is that when we get back from spring break, all of the snow will have melted away and it will be spring! I know that this is wishful thinking, but I can't help it :-)

Ad. Agency Tour in NYC

A few Fridays ago, about 25 students (including myself) went on a tour to three advertising- related organizations in New York City. We started the day off early at around 7:45am and took a bus to the city. The ride went by quickly, and then we reached our first stop: an ad. agency called Agent 16. The agency's office was really cool - take a look at some pictures! There are also more pictures from the tour on the Clay Center's Facebook page (search for "Clay Center at VSB" and become a fan!)

We heard a great presentation from some of Agent 16's employees, including the President of the agency and members of the creative team. They first spoke to us about careers in advertising, and all of the different jobs one can pursue at an agency. There are so many different roles at an agency: creative, account management, strategic planning, traffic, art buying, production, studio, and so on. They also discussed how Agent 16 is unique - the agency adheres to the belief that "culture is our business" - and differentiates itself by using culture branding while developing campaigns. Next, the team presented various case studies about successful campaigns they have worked on in the recent past. These cases included advertising campaigns for Three Olives Vodka, 1800 Tequila, Atari, and Zappos.com. The team shared television commercials, magazine advertisements, and other forms of media with us, and discussed the success factors of each of the campaigns. It was really interesting to learn about the process it takes, from coming up with an initial idea to shooting a television commercial. To finish up, we were told about internship opportunities with the agency...which is something I definitely wanted to hear!

Next we visited RJ Palmer, a media buying agency. Whereas an agency like Agent16 creates a message and produces the advertisement, a media buying agency like RJ Palmer uses planning, buying, and analytics to place the advertisement in the media. For example, say Company X creates an ad targeting mothers, RJ Palmer would figure out what television channels, magazines, etc. to run the ads in, in order to best reach these targeted consumers. We also were fortunate to hear from representatives from Turner Broadcasting (a division of TimeWarner), who are clients of RJ Palmer. The speakers included the Senior Vice President of CNN Digital Sales, and associate account executives and planners from various divisions of Turner. They discussed where they started in the company and how they moved up into the positions they fill today, as well as what it takes to "break in" to the industry. Their main points were to network and keep contacts, reach out to alumni, use social networking, and sell yourself! The SVP of CNN Digital Sales pointed out that when he interviews potential employees, he wants to here how they can help him, and what new ideas they can bring in order to help his team stay relevant.

Lastly, we visited a company called EUE/Screen Gems Studios. The NYC studio features multi-level production facilities for shooting television shows and commercials. EUE/Screen Gems is the full-time host of the Rachael Ray show, so we had the opportunity to walk around the set! This is something I had never seen before, so it was really interesting to get the chance to walk around the "kitchen" and see what it takes to produce a show like Rachael Ray. On our tour of the studio, we also got to see other stages that are used to produce a variety of media, from television commercials to viral videos and more.

The agency tour was a great experience that helped me to learn more about advertising and the different types of agencies that are involved in the process. From creating the advertisement (ad. agency), to actually producing the commercial (production studio), to placing the advertisement on tv channels (media buying agency), we were able to gain an excellent grasp of how all of these organizations relate and work together to successfully execute an advertising campaign. It might have been windy and cold, but it was a wonderful day that was definitely worth the trip! In terms of my personal job search, the agency tour helped me to build contacts and find out about possible job opportunities that I will definitely be taking advantage of. If you have the chance to take a tour like this, I strongly encourage you to do it!

Until next time, adios!

Keeping My Eyes on the Prize

Well, I have a little bad news to start with, but then lots more good news to follow...

I didn't get that job I interviewed for a few weeks ago that I wrote about in my last post. What can I say besides "oh well"? It was a very competitive program, and I honestly feel proud of myself that I was even selected for an interview. I thought the interview went pretty well, but I am sure there are always things I can improve on. As I said before, practice is key - so this interview can definitely be seen as a positive experience, even thought I was not offered the job. Getting more comfortable and into the right mindset will definitely help me with interviews to come in the future.

So enough about that, and on to the good news - I have plenty to keep me busy in terms of my job search at the moment! I have one or two "informational interviews" coming up in March back home in the New England area. "Informational interviews" are not usually for any currrently open positions, but more of a way for an employer to meet me, learn more about my skills and experiences, and see if I would be a good fit if any positions open up. I am looking forward to these interviews, because they will also be a great way for me to get a feel for the employers and see if either is somewhere I could see myself working.

On top of that, I feel like I have more jobs than I can count to apply for right now. Most of them seem to be summer internships, that mention something along the lines of "seniors who complete the program may be offered/can interview for full-time positions." Although these may be seen by some as less than ideal positions for a graduating senior like me, I think that they are definitely worth applying for. It goes without saying that jobs in advertising are by no means the easiest things in the world to get, and I know that I cannot pass up an opportunity to break into the industry, even if it starts at the internship level. Then I can just work as hard as possible during the summer to prove that I deserve a full-time position!

Next time I'll fill you in on the Ad Agency Tour some marketing and communications majors took to NYC!