Thursday, January 21, 2010

Making a career switch into advertising

We’ve got some tips dedicated to those who want to make that career switch but are wondering about how they can go about it:

I don’t have a related degree or diploma. How can I enter the industry without these qualifications?

It’s not required to have design skills or a paper qualification related to advertising to enter the industry. There are several job options in the industry such as copywriting, strategic planning and client servicing, where all you need are:
• people skills
• the ability to analyse & strategise
• posses strong general knowledge
• good writing skills
• ability to work with tight deadlines and late nights

– however the challenge is to apply these skills into the advertising context.

The advantage that you have is your life experience and skills obtained from your previous jobs that would add a fresh quality to your work as it is a very people-culture industry.

The bigger question is whether are you willing to build on your skills and immerse yourself into the advertising just as an ad person would?

What do I need and where do I start?

Like every job application there would be your resume that lists your experiences and achievements during the course of your career. However if you’re coming from a totally different industry you may not have certain experiences that ad agencies are looking for. The answer lies in your portfolio – the ticket into a career in advertising.

An advertising portfolio will consist of work that reflects your creativity, ability to strategise (even in the creative industry you need good solid thinking) and understanding of the brand-positioning approach behind a particular product. Basically it is where you are able to showcase your abilities and catch the attention of your future employers!

If you’re not sure about what it takes to build an impressive portfolio, join us in our “A Portfolio That Gets You Hired” workshop this Saturday. You'll understand how to start building your portfolio and prepare yourself for an interview that could change your life. Email felicia@95percent.com.my or call 03-2287 7095 for more info!

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