How to get a job as an advertising account coordinator
Getting my foot in the door of McCann as an account coordinator back in 2007 wasn’t a stroke of luck. I worked hard, got genuinely interested in the industry and the side effect of that eventually led to my hiring. By any standard, I would stay that I had a rather smooth path when it came to getting my first job in an advertising agency which isn’t always the case. Getting a shot in advertising isn’t easy and agencies aren’t just giving away account coordinator jobs in client service. There’s a lot of competition.
How I landed my first job as an account coordinator.
So how did I do it? I was doing all the right things without realizing I was.
Before advertising was even on my radar, I had already graduated with a degree in computer science 5 years earlier to become a video game programmer. Unfortunately, I eventually realized that I didn’t want to write code and argue with machines all day long. I needed to argue with people, and I was interested in being around a more dynamic type of creativity.
I eventually took an interest in advertising and thankfully, I had found a 10-course university certificate. After starting off with part time, I eventually went all in. I left my job, moved back home and committed to doing this program full time for 3 reasons:
Learning is always good, whether it’s academic or other
Most of the teachers also worked in agencies
I honestly didn’t know where (or how) else to start
When I made that decision, I was 26, which was about 6-8 years older than most of the other students starting the certificate. I had a leg up on them: a degree, some real life work experience but more importantly the desire to not get slapped in the face by choosing “the wrong career path” again. I wasn’t there to find myself and to coast through my program. I actually wanted to be in class, I wanted to learn and I wanted to make the best of it, which wasn’t the case for the majority of the 18 & 19 year old students.
Why does that matter?
Develop a genuine interest
My motivation was in the right place and it beamed through. Considering most of the teachers were VP’s, directors and people in a position to hire, they definitely picked up on the difference between someone that was already seasoned, that knew what they wanted VS kids who were just trying to figure it all out.
I became interesting to most teachers and I can tell you this in hindsight, being interesting (and interested) is probably one of the best indicators of whether you’d be a good candidate or not.
My demeanor, my motivations and my actions were what got me an interview before I could finish the program and oddly enough, although I wanted to go into creative as a copywriter, my teacher, who was a client service VP, said: “You’re not going into creative, you’re 100% an account guy and you’re coming to work for me.”
Let me be clear, I never gave her a resume, I never poached her for a job or internship, I didn’t brown nose her because of her position. I got along with her and I developed a bond that to this day I’ve maintained. We talked about life, culture and sometimes, advertising. She got to see who I was a person and combined with everything else, she felt comfortable to take a chance on me.
So what’s my point?
I got lucky. But in reality I made my own luck. How? By developing and showing a genuine interest and motivation. I also let my true personality come through and thankfully, it happened to be a good fit for the business. Had I not developed this opportunity for myself, I probably would’ve ended up needing to google “how to get a job in advertising” as you did. But here’s the good news: getting a job in an advertising agency as an account coordinator isn’t rocket science.
Shift your focus
The “how” is similar to other industries in many ways. So if you’re looking for a list of “entry points” into the industry, that’s an easy fix. There are tons of existing tips & tricks on where to look for jobs, what kind of questions to prepare whether it’s on this site or others.
I personally wouldn’t spend too much time looking that up - not just because that type of info is easily accessible but also because it will only get you so far. What I would suggest you do is shift your focus on mimicking what created my luck: getting genuinely knowledgeable. Without being knowledgeable at this point of your path, knowing what those entry points are won’t do you much good.
A recipe without the proper ingredients is just words on paper. Your main ingredient is interest. That is what will get you the genuine knowledge.
In that sense, if you’re looking up “ways to get into advertising” and you’re interested in being in client service, I want you to shift your research towards preparing yourself to get into the world of advertising. That starts with one guiding principle that will serve you throughout your career: be a student of the business.
Know the game
Know the agency
Know the role
Know yourself
Know the game
Understanding the role of an agency (beyond creating advertisements) is key. Understanding how an agency functions is key. Understanding the different players and how they come together is key. Knowing the business of the business you’re in, is paramount. It’s easy to forget that advertising is actually a place of business especially when what’s glorified about it is a bunch of creative people in a creative industry to do a bunch of creative ads. As creative and as cool as it can be, it’s still a business. As obvious as it sounds, you’d be surprised how few coordinators properly grasp that and that gap in knowledge and expectations stunts their growth significantly, as was the case for me. By starting with a good basic understanding of the business at the interview level, it will not only translate well during your interviews, it will impact positively your first few steps as a coordinator.
Know the agency
I get that any agency will do when you’re just looking for your first job - but that’s because you’re only looking at it from your perspective. As you’ll come to learn, being in client service constantly requires you to look at many different perspectives. So I ask you this, do you think agencies are just looking for anyone who wants a shot? The answer is no. They have plenty of demand. They are looking for sharp, interesting and driven individuals. They are also looking for a fit. Think of it as dating, except that this is your first date whereas they’ve been dating for years now. They can spot swipe right or left from a mile away.
Don’t ever forget: agencies know what they’re looking for and you need them, more than they need you. So it’s in your best interest to know what they’re about as an agency and see HOW you could fit there. They will judge IF it’s a good fit. In other words, don’t fake who you are to conveniently fit within their mold. Instead, look at their “dating profile” (website), isolate the points in common and be ready to speak to that during an interview.
You can also check out their client roster and have an informed opinion on some of their work. I remember browsing once through an employee section and seeing a job title I had never seen in 10 years. I had no idea what this role was about but I was interested in understanding how it helped the agency. Be interested in them and that will make them interested in you.
Know the role
If you’re planning on being in client service, there are two things that are easy to either not know or ignore because you’re solely focused on being in a creative industry.
First, it means you’re taking a central role in the agency process. The client service role requires you to know everyone else’s, including your client’s. Second, it also means you’re planning on doing a lot of management: projects and people. Be aware that your involvement with the creative product may be limited at first. Set your expectations.
Beyond that, get informed as to what the entry level position in client service is all about - not just in terms of tasks and responsibilities. What is it really like to be an account coordinator? At the end of the day, they are hiring you to fit a role. If you’re hoping to do something that the role doesn’t require you to do, you’ll penalize your colleagues and on top of it you’ll be unhappy.
How well you convey your understanding of the coordinator role during your interview can play a big part in whether or not they choose to give you that role.
Know yourself
Advertising is a people business. It relies on creativity, seamless teamwork and quick concise communication. Without quality people fueling it, there is no ad business. It’s also a rough business that can be difficult for long periods of time. Part of what gets you through these tough times are the people you work with. Agencies want to hire like-minded people they want to work with. I remember hearing this from a creative director - if the job comes down to two candidates, I can tell you what should be the deciding factor: “which one of the two would I prefer being stuck with at the agency when we all have to pull an all nighter”. Beyond the obvious qualifications, agencies want to bring on people who they believe will get along with and the only way to know that is to let them see who you are as a person. Be yourself and let them see what makes you interesting.
The advertising world goes very fast and agencies are given less and less time to get things done. That means that won’t always be an abundance of schooling and training coming your way as a coordinator. Whatever you can do to better understand the inner workings of an agency to lessen the learning curve will be of huge help. As a bonus, doing that kind of prep work will also serve you well during the interview process. If you’re serious about getting into the industry, then get serious - start learning the in’s and out’s. Research it. Ask questions.