Top Tips for Securing an Agency Job

1. Play to your strengths. If you’re a more creative and ideas led person, who dreams of coming up with “the big idea”, then go down the strategic, traditional account-handling route. Having exposure to “strategy” generally becomes more prevalent around SAM/AD level, but you can have elements of creativity and strategy earlier on in your career in certain agencies. Likewise, if you’re someone who is focused on delivery and quite process driven, project manager and campaign management roles are of equal importance to some agencies. 

2. Take some time to consider your 5-year plan. Would you like to be generalist or specialise in a particular channel? Manoeuvre your career to your interests and develop your skillset either in a single area of marketing, or work across multiple channels. Roles that are focused on a particular area of marketing, like CRM for example, are of great importance to some agencies and will be a good way of getting your foot through the door! 

3. Progressing quickly can be detrimental to finding a new role. This only applies to some instances, where you will be operating at Account Manager level in one particular agency, and you may be considered as a Senior Account Executive in another. As long as you are open to accepting a level below, in order to develop your skillset further, this will be of huge effect to your career and demonstrate that you’re eager to learn and develop.

4. Make notes on your key achievements. If you’re responsible for a particular client, perhaps a tricky one, that you have managed to turn around from a relationship point of view, or perhaps increased profitability with the client, make notes about these commercials. They will show a potential new employer about your commerciality, relationship skills and how you have managed to retain an important client. Likewise, doing this in your current role will stand you in fantastic stead and you could be on your way to that next promotion!