This year I landed my first job in media/advertising with little to no experience in the industry. The process was very frustrating and long but I didn't give up. We are a team of hustlers so I know you can do it. If you put yourself in a positive mindset and continue to be proactive you will land the job! You're the only one who can limit your greatness. Below I share a few helpful tips that can help you land the job.

Arrive Early 30 mins Prior

The day of the interview leave 2 hours in advance if your in Atlanta you just never know what may happen and everyday I run into accidents its best to be super early than super late. Also, this will allow you to scope out the area and find parking if there isn't parking on site. If you think about coming late just know you may have blown this one away. Employers hate when applicants show up late it comes off very disrespectful.

Dress Professional

No this does not mean to wear your club skirt and turn it into a business skirt or your 6 inch club heels. Keep it cute, simple and classy! 

Clean up your Social Media Accounts

Please make sure your social media is clean! I’ve witnessed this! Employers are doing intense research on ALL your social profiles Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn etc. If you don't have a LinkedIn profile this kind of put you in a bad place. LinkedIn is like your online business profile come on sis it doesn't take that long to set up. Some employers will ask for your LinkedIn profile over a business card. No one is perfect but if you don't feel comfortable publicly showing your social media profiles to employers that’s a problem. Employers like to see the real you and sometimes that will give them an idea if you’re a right fit. I know it sucks but if you're representing a brand they do not want your negative post to affect the company as a whole. You're no longer representing yourself. If you want to work in media this is definitely a big deal!

Do Your Research! 

Research the company’s culture, brand values, most importantly the position and the account/client you will be working on. I usually spend a whole day doing intense research on the brand/account, new updates in the industry, and researching the current employees. This give me a sense of what exactly they are looking for and I usually prep my questions and resume. Its better to be over prepared vs under prepared

Be Attention to detail

Take lots notes and ask many questions remember you're interviewing the employer as well to make sure this would be a great fit for you. This is something my director loved about me in my interview! I took lots of notes and referred back to the previous managers answers to questions I asked.

Clean up your Resume

Sis always show up with multiple resume even if your'e only being interviewed by one or two people. Be able to explain any gaps in your employment, if you don't have much work/agency experience make sure you elaborate on your projects/freelance gigs you worked on and your skills that will be important to this position. Don't ever lie on your resume about a skill you don't have please don't! It will come back and bite you in the end and employers usually know when your lying. It’s okay to not have every skill set for the position your applying for and employers respect you more when your honest and show the eagerness to learn. In my interview I was asked am I advanced with pivot tables my response was no but I’m willing to learn through youtube tutorials and google immediately.  It’s about showing a sense of urgency the internet is our tool for everything there is no excuse. 

Show Your Personality

The Advertising Agency culture is a fun and social environment employers may get skeptical if you seem to be a bit shy and up tight tell them about your hobbies what’s life like outside of your work life are you active in the community, do you travel, do you have a book club, blog, singer, etc? Its always perfect to have different personalities in the office. What most people love about advertising agencies is the people! This is your family away from home you spend most of your time in the office working on team projects. This is an environment where you can express your individuality. I love the swag! We literally can wear anything we want. Bring a positive attitude, be confident and let your personality shine! 

Always Follow up

It’s not over yet! Follow up and send hand written thank you cards make sure you make it more personal not the typical generic “thank you for taking the time out to interview me” try to remember something in the interview you discussed for example your manager loves to travel. Thank you emails are the typical boring thing to do. Also, managers receive so many emails daily it's easy for yours to get overlooked. So remember do whatever it takes to make yourself stand out.

I’m routing for you! Take charge and go after your career. Please don't let multiple no's discourage you from chasing your dreams. It’s a process be patient, confident and have faith in yourself. If your going on interviews but struggling to land the job comment below. Let’s talk about it.