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I ran an advertising agency for 13 years. This is a thread about what every owner / manager wishes their employees would do more, but forgets (or neglects) to tell them. I added GIFs because I'm down with the kids.
1/ When you apply, talk about how you'll impact the agency, and show me you've done your research. Talk specifics ("I've seen your research, I think I can add a new dimension to that thinking"). Ask questions about the aspirations and values of the business. Challenge me.
2/ Negotiate your salary. Not just up front, always. If you don't know how, ask someone financially astute or Google it. Negotiation, and communicating your worth, will be a key part of your value proposition to the agency. Be assertive.
3/ Show me that you want to learn. Ask for reading material. Dig up old decks and strategies and study them. Ask how and why we did things the way we did them. Read blog posts. Book meetings with senior members of the team to understand what they do. Be a sponge.
4/ Know what makes money and what costs money. Every decision you make in your work has a bearing on profitability. Know the difference (and cost) between "good enough" and "perfect". Sit with the accounts team. Learn the mechanics: it'll make you smarter. Be commercially astute.
5/ Be a team player, but also have a life outside of the agency. I loved that our business was like a family, but I also realised it had down sides. You need to separate work and home, or work will go with you everywhere, and you'll burn out in a flash. Care for yourself.
6/ You need to understand that when you do your work, on time, and to the expected standard of quality, you get a salary. That's your job. You don't get a cookie for doing your job. If you want bonuses and promotions, do more than your job. Be tenacious and ambitious.
7/ Be a teacher. Share your wisdom with your peers. Encourage juniors and new starters. Lead in your team. Nurture the client who's taking five meetings to understand. Be patient and generous. Somebody had to be that person for you, once. Be kind.
8/ When you leave, it's sometimes easy to forget the good and only think about the bad. The grass is seldom greener. But even if it is, share in an exit interview the ways we could have done better. If not for the benefit of management, do so for your ex-colleagues. Be gracious.
And yes, at some stage I'll do a similar thread for agency owners on what I think their staff want from them, but don't communicate. Happy to take pointers on that. Advertising is one of the coolest, craziest industries in the world. May as well make the most of it.
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