advergirl

Call for submissions: Online fundraising / community building questions and cover letters for makeovers

A couple of opportunities to share this morning:

1. Tomorrow is a big day at Ologie (my home agency). We’re hosting a day of events with Richard McPherson, the author of Digital Giving - a book about how technology is changing charity. Fundraisers and marketing heads at leading greater good organizations will be here to talk with Dick about the social Web, online fundraising and community building.
   
   At the end of the day, Dick is going to spend a few hours with our team, talking about how these trends impact our agency and our clients. Do you have questions about online fundraising? Send them my way. I’ll share the answers here later this week.


2. Months and months ago, April Hayes asked for a followup to the Advergirl Resume Makeover series. She wanted: cover letters.
   
   Good news for April: I’m finally ready to get back into the makeover business. So, if you want some advice, send in your stuff.
   
   Submissions should include:

• A sample of a recent / current cover letter you’ve submitted to a potential employer
• Your resume
• Details on at least two jobs you’ve applied for - minimum: company name and job title

I’ll pick 2 – 3 candidates to makeover later this month. Please send your submissions to lhouseholder at gmail by September 19.

Call for an Agency School

Or: Five things you will learn on the fly that you would have been better at if someone just taught you.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning.

Maybe it's Agency Speed. That pace required to fill the gap between goals and resources. That clip that leaves teams bootstrapping relatively crazy solutions at ungodly hours of the morning. That speed that rewards the people who "get it" and bedevils those that would actually like to follow a "process."

Or maybe it's the Immigration to the Industry. Agency types are from all over. Journalists. Corporate Marketers. Work-in-their-jammies Freelancers. Artists. Photographers. Fundraisers. Developers. Economists. Cat Herders. A messy hodgepodge of talent, experience and know-how.

Whatever the reason, most of us end up learning a lot of the basic skills of the business on our own. Traveling down the same road of self education ... only to very different ends.

So this is my call to any industry vets or educators who might be reading. We need an agency school or a creative industry bootcamp that teaches these five core skills of the business:

1. Managing People. The natural path of success is from doer to manager. But the skills required for each are completely different. Hence the fumbling weeks / months / years of grabbing work back to redo ourselves, of delegating just the grunt work, of being unable to inspire a team.
   
   Teach us how to teach, mentor and manage. How to give meaningful feedback and pass on our best skills.


2. Taking Notes. We're natural stenographers. Writing down every word we can capture. Brains racing just ahead of our scribbles. Our notes are the transcript of a meeting. Until one day - far too late in our careers - when we meet someone who has actually learned the art of notetaking and we realize we've being doing it all wrong.
   
   Teach us about synthesis. And creating frameworks from the dump of data. About hierarchy and selectivity and gathering those salient quotes that bring not just the content but the tenor of the feedback. Teach us to think conceptually and write briefly even in the real-time conversation of the meeting.


3. Giving presentations. Or, even, hell, creating them. PowerPoint has shouldered us with clunky, fragmented thoughts. It's taken away our natural interaction with the room. Our ability to stir passion and set up the big idea. Click, click, click goes the noose.
   
   Teach us what it means to present an idea. Give us the power to run a room. Go all the way back to the setup. Where it should be, who should be there, what should be in the room. And through the meeting itself - how we build the right foundation for an idea, unveil creative, inspire the client. Teach us how to get the room back with stodgy-mc-stodgerson declares the work crap, when the Big Boss nods off in the corner, when our creative partner embarks on a startling  monologue about  the sensuality of the font.


4. Tracking time. We bill by the hour. Well, some of the hours anyway. Maybe the right ones. As well as we can remember. In an office of 100 people, how many bill for the time it takes to get to the meeting? How many cross off a .5 for the what-did-you-do-this-weekend tangent at the end of the kickoff? How many really log the weekend hours we donated? What aboutthe time to get a new staff member up to speed? No?
   
   We're not number crunchers by nature. Not suits with rulebooks. Give us some guidelines, some help with the details. Teach us what that "we bill by the hour" phrase really means.


5. Managing our own schedules. Oh, the lucky few with a traffic coordinator. Someone to prioritize, negotiate and balance. The rest of us are either racing to catch up or boldly scratching off one meeting to slide in another. Listening to a conference call while typing up a new strategy. Stacking commitments three deep in hopes that nothing is lost in the balance.
   
   Teach us how to mange it all. When to say when. How to see the big disasters coming. And plan time not just for the deliverable, but for its iterations.

AgencyU? Ad Camp? I'm in.

The best advice no one ever gave you

 

Remember Daniel Pink's book The Whole New Mind? It was something of a treatise on the power of right-brained thinking in our changing economy. Serious stuff.

Enter his newest book: The Adventures of Johnny Bunko. A little comic-primer set to do no less than unseat that loopy-doopy The Places You'll Go Suess-ian tome from the top of the go-to grad gift list.

Bunko is a career guide. Featuring a genie. And a cube dweller. And the super sage piece of advice above.

Here's my spin:

The #1 mistake I see advertising newbies make at work is falling into the Supportive Parents Trap.

They grew up with moms who applauded their every successfully in-toilet poo. Dad's who only put down their video cameras long enough to lead a standing ovation at their school plays. Grandmas and grandpas who bragged their poems and art projects and sundry creativity.

You know, a good family.

One that sought out the good things their kids did. And, happily rewarded them for the effort.

Those well-adjusted newbies land at work full of big ideas and sharp skills. Full of that fabulous fodder: potential.

But, when the boss doesn't notice. Doesn't seek them out. Promote them. Reward them.

Well, what then?

The complaining begins. The gripey circles of discontent form. The dissatisfaction blooms. They feel worse and are more siloed and unnoticed than ever.

And why?

Because we were expecting to be discovered. Our whole lives people have recognized us for the gems we are. Why not here?

The inevitable answer is that work - ESPECIALLY agency work - just isn't built that way.

It rewards initiative over talent. Persistence over patience. Relevance over potential.

You get noticed by channeling that ambition into action. By coming to the table with ideas and inspiration. By pitching your boss on new directions. By volunteering for the tireless work of new business. By becoming an indispensable subject matter expert. By building an incredible relationship with a client. By coming to your boss as a peer and not just a squeaky wheel.

The best piece of advice no one ever gave you is no one ever got anywhere by waiting for someone to notice them. The plucky newbie gets the raise.

Buy the book for you or your favorite kid with huge potential and a chip on their shoulder. (It's even on sale!)

Advice for Newbies: The Wrap Up

Time to wrap up rookie week on Advergirl with these three last things:

A list of all the articles, ideas and tools for people just starting out in ad agencies:

• Resume makeovers
  • General advice
  • Makeover 1
  • Makeover 2
  • Makeover 3
  • How to write a cover letter
• Getting and winning interviews
  • How to build a professional network
  • Interview tips
  • Questions you (the candidate) should ask in an interview
  • What to do when you're offered a job
• Getting started at the agency
  
  • Meet your new boss
  • Four rules for career success
  • Advice for getting started at an agency
  • Three pillars of success at (nearly) any ad agency
  • Seducing the Boys Club: Advice from Nina DiSeso
  • Be as valuable your fifth year as your first
• Advice just for AEs
  • Your real job description
  • Interactive toolkit for AEs: part 1
  • Interactive toolkit for AEs: part 2
  • Two completely relevant and totally shameless tricks for AEs

A huge THANK YOU to all the people who contributed content, ideas and "bad" resumes:

• Nina DiSesa, Chairman, McCann Erickson New York
• Miguel Perez, Account Director, Ologie
• Lance Dooley, Creative Director, SBC Advertising
• Jennifer Fleishman, Account Director, Ologie
• Joe Meadows, Producer, Beyond Interactive
• Melissa Harbin, Account Director, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
• Dirk Defenbaugh, Executive Director, Fitch
• Pete Scantland, President, Orange Barrel Media
• Gordon Robertson, Creative Director, MARC
• John Reid, formerly associate creative director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, currently footloose freelancer about to start a month at Chiat / Day
• Joe Niedecken, Art Director, Resource Interactive
• Ross Popoff-Walker, Interactive + Youth Design Strategist, Forrester
• Julie Hamlin, Public Relations Director, Burkholder Flint & Associates
• Emily Peterson, Account Supervisor, engauge
• Patti Cullen, Account Supervisor, engauge
• Len Damico, Art Director, The Star Group
• Kate Lindsay
• Danielle Hueston
• That mystery guy from Quebec

And one more great newbie find: Joe Meadows recommended this CMYK article about friend Brandon's pursuit of the elusive "second job":

Back to my regularly scheduled commentary on all things advertising tomorrow...

Seducing the Boys Club: Nina DiSesa, SheSays

I'm excited to end this 'Advice for Newbies' week with a post for young women featuring an interview with Nina DiSesa, Chairman of McCann Erickson New York and Ale Lariu, "mother superior" of SheSays.

Last month, Ale, Associate Creative Director at AKQA NY (in addition to the whole mother superior bit), reached out to me about an event sponsored by SheSays in New York.

Ale explains the big idea behind SheSays this way: "The world is pretty much half men, half women. So why are there hardly any women in the creative department of most digital ad agencies? We decided to stop chatting about it and do something - like hold events where top women in the industry share their thoughts and help people to either get started or work their way up."

Last month, the event was keynoted by the enviable Nina DiSeso, a hands-on creative leader who worked her way up to the very top of "Madison Avenue" and just published a great book called Seducing the Boys Club.

The book is at once mentorship (on success and management) and the story of life lived in an ad agency. Nina has taken what she's learned from male behavior and her own missteps to create a guidebook for getting ahead. If you're just getting started, it's truly a sneak peek into every interaction you'll have for the next 40 years.

Talking with Nina:

Q: Even at this stage in my career, I've been in plenty of meetings where I'm the only woman in the room. I've been thanked for the refreshments and complimented on my shoes, but, generally still end up with the respect and the attention of the room by the end. Do you have any tips for people just starting out on how to win respect / attention in tough environments?

Nina: It’s always best to be needed and essential for something. Not for serving coffee or doing “women’s work” but needed in an indispensable way. This can be accomplished at any level. If you read the story about Harold in chapter seven of the book you will get a good idea of what I’m talking about. There are a lot of ways to get clout in an organization, find the ones that work for you.

Q: Writing a book like this and even speaking at SheSays seems very controversial for a women exec. Particularly one at an ad agency. How did you decide to go for it?

Nina: Actually, I was hoping I’d be retired by now, but it doesn’t look likely, at least for another year or two. It wasn’t much of a risk. My mission is to reach out to women of all ages and help them get in control of their lives, their careers and their own happiness. But this also applies to anyone who finds herself or himself in an environment where they are different from the majority and are having a tough time making progress to the top. McCann Erickson has been behind this from the start and they are proud of the book and me.

Q: How have your colleagues and clients responded?

Nina: With delight. Although the clients always want to sit next to me now so they can see how I am trying to “seduce and manipulate” them.

Q: What are your #1 pieces of "do" advice and "don't" advice for young women working in agencies that could fairly be called "boys' clubs"?

Nina: Well I wrote a whole book about this but to bring it down to the simplest terms: “do” whatever it takes to win, “don’t” resent the men or anyone else who appears to be unsupportive – learn from them. And always remember the most powerful question in the English language: “What’s in it for me?” This doesn’t mean what’s in it for YOU; it means you have to find a compelling tactic for the person who you want to influence. You want something from someone – what’s in it for them to help you?

Q: In Seducing the Boys Club, you talk about "How Men Listen." I love the part of the story where the two embattled ad guys bemoan your feedback with "That's the trouble with this agency..." Have you found any great ways to create more positive environments? Or, at least quell the "this agency sux" happy hours?

Nina: I have never tried to stop the whining and complaining of the creative people. They have to vent and it’s a natural part of the creative process when someone kills their “babies.” We all do it. We get angry, we vent, we believe the person who killed our work is a hack and doesn’t know a great idea from a lousy one, then we get over it and do something so much better it even shocks us. As long as better work develops from this process I don’t mind it and they always forgive the creative director who forced them to dig deeper and get better work. Creative people complain. It’s part of our nature. Allowing us to this and having a sense of humor about it is what makes for a more positive environment, strangely enough. Also winning helps. When we sell good work and win the respect of our peers it makes us happy. It’s a fleeting happiness, but it still feels good.

Q: Can I say - you look gorgeous? The stress doesn't seem to have gotten to you. Do you have any great tips for maintaining perspective?

Nina: Thank you for the compliment. Actually, I do look younger since I handed over the New York creative director responsibilities to Joyce King Thomas and she thinks that she’s starting to look older. (She’s not.) Once on the elevator she announced that she could actually see the stress traveling down my body, slithering across the floor, then climbing up her own body until it lands on her face. Stress does age us but the good news is that when the stress lessens our muscles relax and we look better. At least that’s what I think. You happened to catch me at an unstressed moment. Up until a month ago I was very stressed out and it showed.

Q: How did you get involved with SheSays? And, do you think it's a good idea for young women to join women peer groups in the workplace?

Nina: I was introduced to the group by Alessandra Lariu, who I met at McCann (we were trying to hire her, I believe). I was so captivated by her I decided to speak to her group. I do think it’s a good idea for women of all ages to join up because we often feel so isolated and it’s good to know that we are not alone. Also, women are bright and when we relax we can also be a lot of fun. This isn’t a bad characteristic to develop.

Talking with Ale:

Q: What is your best advice for women starting out in the industry?

Ale: Always have a goal, always work towards where you want to be and above all, take risks. I like to say I'm best at what I don't know...

Q: What about women in career transition?

Ale: I'd say the same thing as above. And perhaps you might need to take a pay cut but it's all about the bigger picture, your goals and where you want to be. It might be hard in the beginning but the experience in another career will help accelerate the race.

Q: What do you wish you knew when you were a rookie?

Ale: Not to waste so much time doing one thing    

Q: What's next for SheSays?

Ale: In the UK we've started to run free presentation courses. In the US, we'll continue free monthly meetings showcasing amazing women in digital/advertising. We'll also set up our mentorship program called 'Who's your momma'.

Last words: Don't forget to order the book.

Be as valuable your fifth year as your first year

In some important ways, advertising rookies are the most valuable ad guys in the agency. Not yet jaded by experience, full of new ideas and skills, hungry to try just about anything, they challenge agency cultures in small, but powerful ways.

To keep what's good about being a rookie, protect what's unique to just starting out:

• Be curious. Check out what other agencies are doing. Collect inspiring artifacts. Covet great processes and ideas. Deeply understand outside successes. Keep talking about tools and brands and ideas long after you have 'more important things to do.'


• Love what you do. The easiest bad habit to 'catch' at an agency is complaining. The place sucks. The people suck. The clients suck. Just what exactly are you doing with your life?
  
  The worst part of picking up this particular bug is what it does to you - the feelings of anger and powerlessness and self doubt. The second worst part is what it does to your culture - in a place with no advocates, no champions of the agency & the work,  it's harder to sell yourselves, deliver break-through work, hire commanding talent, etc.


• Build relationships. To get work done as a newbie, you need a network. People who will listen to your ideas, direct your work, give you the inside scoop. As rookies, we're great at building those relationships. We're scrappy and grateful and totally willing to ask for help.
  
  But, part of the business is the turnover. If you haunt the halls for five years, chances are half the people you once knew will be long gone. Continuing to build those relationships long after you have to is a powerful way to share resources and ideas, to have a sounding board, to be part of where the agency is going instead of just where it has been.
  


• Know your clients as people. If I have one piece of critical advice to share, it's this: get to know your clients. Really. Not just their marketing plans and their P&L, but who they are and where they've been. What they're afraid of professionally and where their alliances are. What ridiculous co-ed sports team (kickball?) they play on and what guilty-pleasure concert they're planning to go to this summer (Neil Diamond?)
  
  Having a human relationship with the people we spend most of our lives working with and for builds up a bank of goodwill. AT THE AGENCY. All the little aggravations of the client-agency relationships, the socializing of negative feedback, the need to act on a truly absurd deadline... it's all easier to overcome if you respect the person as much as the brand. For clients, we deliver great work. For friends, we do it no matter what.
  
  
• Find “hows” not “why nots." Once you've tried out the same Idea three or four times, only to find a big ugly mess at the end, it's just human nature to kill that Idea out on hand of the fifth go round. But a scrappy little rookie might look at it another way. Sure it didn't work the other times; so, what can we do differently to make it successful this time?
  
  'No' is the easiest word to say. Finding a way to say 'yes' can be the first step to great work.


• Make coffee and hang up coats. When you were new, you did the grunt work. You schlepped in coffee mugs and found outlets for weary laptops and cell phones. You were, in a word, humble.
  
  These little elements of service. Of humility. Are even more impactful the more senior you become. It's one thing for an intern to hang up a client's coat. It's another entirely for the creative director do it.
  
  In the end, being a good host shows care and generosity. And, it's all too easy to lose.


• Ask questions (ones that you don’t know the answer to). We all get into a groove. The creative brief works like this. Client Z will always want this. For retail, we always do this.
  
  The new kid in the room carries none of that history. And asks - preferably in a brief way - why? Or how? Or what about this? Or do we have research on that?
  
  Keep asking those questions. Looking for holes. There's always more to learn.
  

Just getting started? Check out:

Four rules for career success

Advice for starting out in an ad agency

Meet your new boss

And Three pillars of success in (nearly) any agency

Advertising agency interview tips

You’ve done your homework. Learned about the agency. Checked out their latest campaigns. Googled the various people who will be interviewing you. Practiced talking about where you want to be in five years (despite the fact that you have no idea).

What else?

Try these: Advergirl’s top five ad agency interview tips:

• Know what you’re up for. Interviewing is like buying a mortgage. Are you qualified? And are you willing to take what they’re offering you?
  
  If you’re absolutely willing to report to four different bosses who never speak to each other, drive to Cleveland three times a week, bill at least 12 hours a day, and pick up an iced-5-shot-5-splenda Americano for the creative director every day, you have no worries.
  
  If your standards are more limiting, ask the right questions up front to understand what the work – and, hence your life – will REALLY be like.
  


• Leave your baggage at home. I’m sure your current boss is a jerk and your main client is an absolute tyrant. But, having the self control not to bring it up not only keeps things professional, it avoids pesky questions, like – is she really the cause of the bad relationship with her boss? Or, why can’t she keep the client happy? Or, eeek, do I really want to work with such a cranky pants?


• Talk team not I. Ad agencies are powered by clever groups of people who together deliver incredible results. The person who has the idea generally isn't the same one who brings it to life or sells it to the client or gets it an incredible placement. Acknowledge your team when talking about your sucessesses. It shows that you're self aware, savvy and, heck, part of one of those clever groups. John Moore wrote a great piece about the "I" exam in 2006 - it's still a favorite of mine.


• Be ready for everything to change. It is the nature of ad agencies to create / respond to / live for emergencies. Maybe we all watched too many episodes of ER when we were new and just really want to yell STAT and grab 4 UNITS OF O NEG. Instead we live in something of a bustle. Moving meetings and deadlines and assignments nearly constantly.
  
  So, when you've been sitting in the lobby checking out the light prisms bouncing off the awards case for 15 minutes only to hear that your interview will now be with Bob instead of Bruce, don't take it personally. We genuinely cannot help it.


• Be conversational. I know you practiced 'answers to common questions', but, come on, I’ve got to know what it will really be like to work with you. And, how/if you think on your feet. Ask questions. Be personable. Be yourself. Talk to me. Let's have a give-and-take rather than a firing squad of inquiries from my side of the desk.

Offered the job? Check out these tips on negotiating the right salary and package for you.

Questions a job candidate should ask in an inteview

Assuming that your job search is going at the same pace as this week's Advice for Newbies series, you've rehabbed your resume, built an entire professional network and have been invited into the Greener Grass agency to interview for your dream job.

Now, what do you do when the hiring manager pauses and says: DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME?

You know, questions that make you sound smart, savvy and incredibly in-touch, all while also soliciting meaningful answers that help you decide if this gig is the right fit for you.

My favorite agency leaders from around the country weighed in with what they ask and what they want to hear. Start scribbling these great questions down next to your notes on what you want to do in five years!

Melissa Harbin, Account Director, Goodby Silverstein & Partners

• What's the agency's real agenda?  To win awards?  To get noticed in the industry?  To advance the client's business?  To change consumer behavior? 
  Melissa's point of view: a 'yes' answer to all of the above would be lame and untruthful


• What percentage of the agency's employees are superstars? 
  Melissa's point of view: if it's less than 75%, maybe you should look elsewhere
  Advergirl's point of view: This is my absolute favorite question of the bunch

Dirk Defenbaugh, Executive Director, Fitch

• How does your firm add value to clients in a very competitive agency marketplace?


• How will your agency be different in 5 years? How will you manage the creative process differently? How will you engage with clients differently?


• Where are the revenue growth areas for your agency over the next 18 months? What is the new business strategy to capitalize on it?
  
  Dirk's point of view: I always think that strategic questions like these would be a bit of a surprise for a creative type or even new account people. It would set them apart from other candidates.

Pete Scantland, President, Orange Barrel Media

• At OBM, we have employees ranging from graphic designers to guys willing to repel down the side of a 20-story building to install a car on the wall. So while the skills we look for are diverse, the attitude we look for isn’t.
  
  We want people who are passionate about what they are doing. I think good follow-up questions are generally inspired by the dialogue of the interview. Questions that demonstrate that you were listening (and comprehending) the interviewer show that you pay attention, are interested in the business, and can grasp concepts that will be important in your new job.
  
  The best interviewees (and interviewers, for that matter) treat the interview as a conversation. Always a good question: how can I help? Always a bad question: If I get the job, can I take off next Friday? We’ll take enthusiasm over experience any day.

Gordon Robertson, Creative Director, MARC

• Can one person make a difference here?  Can you tell me about someone who’s been hired in the past year that’s made the biggest difference?


•  I know there will be curveballs on the job. What kind can I expect? From where might they come?


•  Here’s one they probably should ask: I’m interested in continuing my training, especially in (interactive, strategy development, presentation skills, etc).  Does the agency encourage people to participate in training outside the agency? 
  Gordon's point of view: This is a good way to sniff out if training budgets have been slashed, and you’ll be expected to learn through osmosis


•  My favorite one someone asked me was, at the holiday party, do people talk about what sucks about the agency, or who’s hot at the agency? (The uncomfortable truth was that we had cancelled the party that year – so that really sucked)

John Reid, formerly associate creative director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, currently footloose freelancer about to start a month at Chiat / Day

• What accounts would I be working on?
  John's point of view: If they say "everything," they mean "I don't know," or, even more likely, "the big, gnarly one that will probably torpedo your career," unless the agency has a reputation for chaotic gunslingery, in which case you very well may get to work on all of the clients.


• How's the department structured?
  John's point of view: As a junior, you want a very "flat" structure--lots of creatives on one level and then just the CD above you. As a more senior person, you want a few layers so you can progress, get promoted and get more responsibility.


• What's your review process like?
  John's point of view: Some agencies are very structured; they'll only do a review once per year, and give you a 0 - 7% raise. This is a bad situation. What you want is more along the lines of "no formal process" where you can go in and get feedback any time, spend the next few months working on that feedback, and then ask for more money. It's puts the onus on you, but it's worth it if you're an ass-kicker.


• I also like to ask "What are the account people like?" If you're an account person, you should ask about the creatives, etc.
  John's point of view: If people immediately badmouth the other department, that's a terrible sign that the agency is locked in an lame mindset.


• Okay, so those are the mature adult questions ad people should ask so the interviewer knows they have a head for the business. I have one other stock question I would always ask—and still do when I meet people I respect: What do you wish you knew when you were at my level? I figure, if all else fails and you totally bomb the interview, at least you can get some free advice.


• A little extra John point of view: One more thing: People get nervous in interviews. Often, that nervousness makes people talk and talk and talk. Don't do that. When you ask a question, wait for the answer. Give people time to think about the question. Don't "save" them when they don't reply right away by talking more. Learn to be comfortable with the silences that invariably happen in interviews.

Joe Niedecken, Art Director, Resource Interactive

• Why are you still here?


• What is your favorite piece of work or project that this company has executed in the last __ years?


• I'm curious... what did you think of 'Sony Foam City?' or whatever the latest cool campaign is... ---


• Are there any current campaigns that you feel are just stupid?


• I'm curious about your opinion on where you see the industry headed and how you see this agency fitting in...


• What would be your dream brand / project?
  Joe's point of view: I really think it's just a matter of getting people to talk about themselves. Creatives and Advertisers ALL have opinions and if you can get them chatting about them then 50% of your work is done... now you just have to have smart somewhat relevant comments to keep the conversation going.

 Ross Popoff-Walker, Interactive + Youth Design Strategist, Forrester

• What are two current projects you're working on that could really use this opening?
  Ross' point of view: I ask this to get a sense of the work I'd do. Then I immediately follow their answer with explaining how I'd approach those two projects. It requires on the feet thinking, but I get to show them my thought process, which is key.


• How did you choose to come to XYZ Inc?


• Can I follow up with you via email?


• What are your plans for working with (CLIENT NAME)?


• Not a question, but important: GOOGLE THEM before the interview
  Ross' point of view: Find out their past work history, personal interests, read their blog -- something to make a connection and understand them before the interview. Use what you find to fuel the conversation and make a personal connection. Just never admit you Googled them -- that can be creepy.

Julie Hamlin, Public Relations Director, Burkholder Flint & Associates

• I like to ask questions that tell me about the strategic direction and stability of the company, especially if it's an agency. Like, what types of new business are you pursuing?


• Or, what do you see as your core competencies?
  Julie's point of view: It also helps you see where you will fit into the organization 5 years from now and what the company's growth plan looks like. 


• Then there's always the ever popular, how would you describe your company's culture?
  Julie's point of view: It's perhaps a bit cliche, but still really important, especially if you're not a ties and heels kind of person or you don't work well in an organization with a lot of red tape.

Emily Peterson, Account Supervisor, engauge

• I like to ask what project they had the most fun working on (to date) and why. Once they start talking about something work-related yet personal, you'll feel more comfortable (as will they) about asking more specific questions. 

Patti Cullen, Account Supervisor, engauge

• How long they have worked at the agency/company? If it is more than just a couple of years, the interviewer will likely expand on why they enjoy working there (the interviewee gets the positives).


• Another one would be…what keeps you up at night? Hopefully, they will respond from a work perspective which would give the interviewee the nitty-gritty side as well

Len Damico, Art Director, The Star Group

• What little thing(s) are you most proud of here?
  Len's point of view: The big things an agency's proud of are usually pretty obvious: every agency's got the shelves of awards and accolades in the lobby, their client list prominently displayed on their website, etc.
  
  But I think the small things they savor can be much more telling about the day-to-day life there. Maybe the employee softball team won their city's Ad Club softball league. Maybe they put together an amazing fundraiser for an employee's sick son. These things don't usually show up on the website or in the official recruiting banter, but each tells you a little something about the soul of a place
  
  Advergirl's point of view: This is my second favorite. Working at an agency that prioritizes taking care of the planet, giving back through greater good, and, heck, sharing a free healthy lunch every day ... well, let's just say the details make all the difference

• How are you staying relevant?

How to build a professional network

The two most common questions I receive from people starting out are:

• How do I get in the door?
• And, how do I build my own professional network

To find the answers, I tracked down two of the best-networked professionals I know to talk about how to get started. 

Jen Fleishman and Miguel Perez are account directors at Ologie. Both relocated to this market from New York City. And, not only landed at incredible jobs here, but also quickly built up significant professional and personal networks.

Just to give you a taste of the feats of networking genius these two are able to pull off: Miguel recently signed up 1298 people to HIS TEAM for the Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure.

Forget Technology

The #1 tool in networking isn't LinkedIn or Facebook, it's a paper list. Or a lot of little lists.

Advergirl: What's your best advice on how to start building a network?

Miguel: When I came back here from New York, I asked people I know to make lists of people they were connected to in the industry who might be good for me to talk to. I'd have coffee with that person and ask for another list - who did they think I should talk to?

Jen: It's an informational interview. You find the person who has the job you want 10 years from now and find a way to meet them. Through people who you know. Parent networking. Or just getting on the phone.

Miguel: Everyone you come into contact with knows someone who can introduce  you to someone. You just take them out for coffee. It doesn't have to be fancy. It's not a big dress-up interview.

Miguel: It's how I met my business partner when I moved to Columbus. I still network this way constantly. I always say yes to people who ask to talk to me about their carers.

Jen: I picked industries I liked and often spoke with women executives there. I'd bounce some ideas off them and get career steering. This is what I'm thinking about doing - is it a good idea?

Jen: I got a lot of job offers this way. By being buttoned up, asking good questions and being genuinely curious about what they do.

Miguel: People love to help. It's as simple as saying: I want to get started and I don't know how.

Jen: You do have to set expectations, you might have 10 painful conversations before you get one meaningful one. You're not making friends. You're making contacts. 

Miguel: Networking and getting a job are so different. It's not who you're going to work for. I help people get jobs all the time. I have folders full of letters and cards from people I've met with. My niece graduated three or four years ago and she and her friends knew her uncle was well connected. They contacted me and I met with them and helped them get started.

Advergirl: What about networking events?

Jen: Sure, there are local professional networking events. And, professional organizations, like the National Association of Female Executives. 

Miguel: I think networking is a product of being places. Talking to people, not necessarily networking events.

Jen: If you do go, breaking the ice is just a matter of being confident and calm enough to be able to talk to people. Ask questions like:

• Do you know this speaker? Have you heard her talk before?
• What organization are you with?
• What do you do? Why are you here?
• Have you been to events like this before?

Jen: One trick I use at a conference or event is to say I'm conducting an informal survey and ask a question, like: which tradeshow booth has the best giveaway?

Can't I Use Some Technology?

Of course. This is still Advergirl afterall. I can't get away from my technology addiction entirely.

Three ways to use online tools for networking:

• Keep a list: LinkedIn and Plaxo are, fundamentally, great rolodexes. When you get unexpectedly laid off or just need to remember the name of that great writer you met once, those tools put that information at your fingertips. Track down anyone who you respect enough to recommend and send them an invite.


• Make connections: If there's a particular agency who you want to get to know and offline networking hasn't found you a connection, LI and FB can be great backdoors. Search for someone who works at that agency and reach out. Follow Miguel's advice of just being humble, saying you're getting started, you admire where they work, and you'd love to talk for a few minutes.


• Build relationships: The other great feature of all three networking tools is the Updates list. When contacts log a new job, a promotion, etc., you get notice. And, a great opportunity to solidify your network by sending congratulations, a relevant article, etc.

Tomorrow: Questions YOU should ask in an interview to sound savvy and get meaningful answers

Advertising Resume Makeovers: Part 4

Danielle Hueston, Rochester

Before/After:

Why:

I've chatted with Danielle a few times via email. She reminds me entirely of my mentee, Lauryn. If the similarities are as close as I think, Danielle is going to be horrified when she sees this resume. We have completely ripped the security blanket of CONTENT out from under it.

Let me back up a second. Danielle is at her first agency job and is going above and beyond at it. But, like John, is nervous about what comes next. How do you leverage the sometimes-menial work of an entry level gig into a meaningful career? Plus, she wants more responsibility and to bring more of her ideas to the table. Danielle mentioned that she already made the "difficult decision to remove my first job ever - 5 glamorous years of making pizzas and salads," but we're going to cut even further.

Here are the changes we made:

• Added a profile. Basically the positioning statement of a resume. What you fundamentally stand for. An opportunity to get a little passionate about what you do and how you work. We truly believe that most people cannot write their own profiles. It's hard to really see yourself that clearly. Best practice: Ask your mentor to write it for you. The one we're showing here for Danielle is based on what it's been like to work with Lauryn (although I'm pretty sure that it applies to Danielle, too.)


• Slashed all non-agency jobs to little more than a timeline. Same reasons as Kate and John.


• Blew out Danielle's current job to talk about what her core position is and then how she really over delivers on that. Like a lot of smart people in an coordinator position, I get the sense that Danielle is doing a lot more than she's technically being paid for. This is a (completely non-bitchy way) to call that out.


• Cheated a little and replaced her title (Coordinator) with her role (Account Services). You know what Dave Barry says - a resume isn't just a piece of paper. It's a piece of paper with lies on it.


• Simplified the education section. Unless you're applying to Google, no one much cares about your GPA these days.


• Deleted the awards section. They all felt kind of dated and more associated with finding a first job than growing into a second one.


• Added a call to go to a Web site for references, work samples, etc. If you can't help but say more, this is a great way to do it "on demand" and still keep your resume straight-forward and simple.

Looking for more ways to talk about being an AE?

Read the single most popular Advergirl post ever: AEs-This is your real job description