Graduate Schemes 2012/13...

You, in about nine months time?

Hello all.

If you're thinking about getting a job in advertising, this post will hopefully be a helpful guide to this year's intake. Now, there are other schemes throughout the year, but the bulk of them happen between September and December. NB - the majority of these schemes are for account handlers and planners...most agencies have creative teams/lone creatives in on placements, which usually require a book/contacting the agency directly.

Also, I may have missed one or two. If I have, please tell me in the comments. Right then:

AMV: This has opened via their Facebook page (here). The main deadline's the 19th of October at 6pm - their twitter account appears to have died a death, so I'd join the group, if I was you.

BBH: BBH have no ‘formal’ graduate scheme running; they run BBH Homegrown (the link's here), which is a year round initiative.

BMB: BMB have yet to open any kind of scheme yet this year. Last year, they opened their scheme on the 1st of November, so it's worth keeping an eye on their twitter account to see whether it'll open this year.

CHI: CHI&Partners Graduate Scheme is now open. You can apply here.  Applications are open until 4th November 2012. Their twitter-stream should also help keep you informed.

Chime: The Chime group (which comprises of Ad Agencies - VCCP - design and PR) will open their scheme in November 2012. Keep an eye on this page.

Dare: Dare’s grad scheme has yet to re-open this year, but it looks like it's also going to open in October. Check this page out.  Again, their twitter page is a good place to look as any.

DAS Accelerate: The DAS scheme has just launched. It shuts on the 2nd of January 2012. You can find out more about it on the DAS link above, or go straight to the application page here. Alternatively, you cancheck out their twitter here.

DLKW Lowe : My old agency is has yet to open its graduate scheme, and I can't find any mention of it on their site. It's worth keeping an eye on their twitter account to see if anything is announced.

Elvis: Elvis have yet to announce this year's graduate scheme (I'm actually not clear if it's happening this year - can someone from Elvis confirm?). Last year's opened in the Autumn, so it's worth keeping an eye on - again, check their twitter-stream.

JWT London: JWT's graduate scheme is happening this year - find out more here. Applications shut on the 1st of November.

Leo Burnett: Another that's yet to open, the agency runs a mini agency called 'The Foundry' that provides the bulk of the training/experience on offer for new graduates. The Facebook page is what you should keep an eye on, as they've recently posted they're about to open. UPDATE - they're just about to open, and the applications close by the 31st of October.

M&C Saatchi: M&C's site indicates that they are going to be recruiting graduates this year, and the form's live on their separate grad recruitment page. I can't find a deadline, but be quick.

McCann: McCann have been quick out of the blocks this year - their site has been live since the 10th of September, and closes on the 28th of September. Not long. Check out the site here, as well as their twitter-stream here.

Ogilvy: Ogilvy's much lauded 'Fellowship' programme is yet to open for 2013's intake. However, the separate site is here - worth a read, as it explains neatly how to get into the business - there are some very good tips there. The twitter page is here.

RKCR/Y&R: Rainey's grad scheme is due to go live on the 1st of October. More can be found here. There's also separate Facebook and Twitter page/s.

WPP Fellowship: WPP's 'golden ticket', 3 year, multiple country and marketing discipline scheme isnow open. It shuts on the 8th of November at midday, GMT. The twitter account is here.

Good luck with all of these, guys. Again, let me know if I've missed any.

Guest Post: 'Getting In & Knowing Stuff'

This could be you...

Hi all.

As part of the start of a new influx of AdGrads writers, below is an account about how to prepare for interviews by Jen Meyerson Dubbin. Take it away, Jen:

“They aren’t going to expect us to know stuff, right?”

by Jen Meyerson Dubbin

Your blood is pumping. You are hopefully not sweating through your suit. You nervously tap your foot against your leg while sitting on a modern chair that was clearly chosen for design instead of comfort. After having applied to every grad scheme and junior position under the sun, you have landed an interview.

You’re an ad grad who knows their stuff. Your lecturers and professors have prepared you. You brought your portfolio of your previous work to show, and yesterday you reviewed pertinent materials from your lectures to refresh yourself.

You start talking to and sizing up the competition whilst you all wait for a chance to break into Adland. There's someone with a BSc in Biology from Edinburgh, BA in Medieval History from Cambridge, BA in English from Sheffield, and then there's you; an ad grad. When the group finds out you are an ad grad the whole dynamic changes to you versus everyone else. The guy from Cambridge anxiously asks, “They aren’t going to expect us to know stuff, right?” While the girl from Edinburgh reassures him by saying, “They know we aren’t ad people.”

This should be obvious, but make sure you prepare for your interview. When I went on interviews, I was surprised at the number of people who didn’t seem to think they needed to do anything to prepare. Yes, ad agencies do expect you to know about advertising. You aren’t being hired as an account manager or planner for your ability to make a decent cuppa - especially in this economy. There is nothing wrong with never having taken an advertising course, but that’s not a valid excuse to not know about advertising. You wouldn’t expect a lorry driver not to know how to operate a vehicle. No-one expects you to know everything and it's okay to be wrong. However, it’s essential to have an opinion - make sure you're more knowledgeable than a general consumer. 

There are several things you can do to prepare for an advertising interview. It might take a bit of work to get there, but knowledge is empowering and a confidence booster too. Obviously, I can’t cover everything in this post - those who've gotten in, please feel free to post additional recommendations in the comment section.

Knowing how an advertising concept works and having knowledge of a little bit of history is essential; especially if there is a team task involved in the interview process. Sometimes you will be lucky by being informed before the interview the type of task you will be given. Use that information to focus your preparation - for instance, I was in a team where one of members was trying to explain to the team that the target market should be as broad as possible when it should actually be narrow and specific to be optimally targeted. He obviously didn’t do his prep work and it hurt the team. In these situations, you don’t want to be the weak link in your group.

What's more, you should try to find out what the person in the position you are applying for does. There are a lot of websites and blogs that should have the information available (Linkedin, for example). If you can’t find anything, note that some agencies do have quirky job titles, so be sure to ask in the interview. Use what you learned to sell yourself by connecting your skills and experience to the position - most things you've done can be related to advertising in some way - you've just got to know what the job entails.

When it comes to research, look at the agency you are applying to online. You can learn about their agency culture, clients, current & past work, people, and history. You can also find information in trade publications and websites such as (e.g., IPA, Brand Republic).

Learn about other agencies. Agencies are brands with communication products just like Coca-Cola is a brand with soft drink products. Other agencies are the competitors of the agency you are applying for. You don’t need to do SWOT analyses for each, but basics like what they offer, who their current & past clients are, current & past work, and agency culture should have you well covered. In the end, you should be able to talk about what differentiates Agency A from Agency B.

Finally, when I set off in advertising school I thought Planners & Account Managers went to college and Creatives went to portfolio school, but the ad world isn’t like that. There are no extra points for having a communications and business background. No specific mold of what makes an ad person exists. 

Advertising is incredibly diverse. Some people have degrees while others don’t. Those who do have degrees come from a variety of disciplines. Regardless of their discipline, ad people are willing to put in the work to stay current and knowledgeable because they genuinely like what they do.

An important post..(updated)

Yes, you, dear reader.

Hello all.

You'll have noticed that AdGrads has been curiously quiet in the last few months; a combination of pitching and clients have kept me from updating as frequently as I'd have liked.

As such, I think it's the right time to ask for a hand.

AdGrads originally consisted of four people writing about how they got into the business.

However, as time's moved on, we've all had gradually more busy jobs, and all dropped off, save for yours truly. And, in truth, it's been tricky, these past few months, what with various new pitches and otherwise.

Also, when we founded AdGrads, the intention was always to help those who were near us in age get in, as we weren't a bunch of hoary old gits who had no idea what was going on at the sharp end. Well, I'm 28 now (a dinosaur in ad terms), and AdGrads needs an injection of younger folks to help it live on.

I'm very proud of what the site's achieved (I still feel absurdly flattered when people email me to mention that AdGrads has been helpful), and don't want it to wither on the vine as I have less and less time.

What AdGrads needs is the following:

• A pool of writers (ideally about 4 or 5) from an account management/planning background, ideally aged between 20-28 (preferably, recent or current grads - you don't have to be on a scheme). Must be able to write well.
• Not creative grads, as the YCC has it pretty well covered.
• An agreement as to who writes what.
• Ultimately, a separate URL (this site, annoyingly, has remained the same as one of the guys I founded it with has the details/I haven't been able to reach him). I'd love for it to become the definitive grad site for adgrads for the foreseeable future.

I will still be involved with the site, but I'm conscious you'll be doing most of the writing

Post something in the comments or email me at william.humphrey at yahoo.co.uk if you'd be interested in meeting up for a coffee to chat through in a month or so's time.

UPDATE: I've been overwhelmed by the number of people who've been in touch. We're up to about 10 now. There's still going to be a demand for more writers, but let's close it for now.

Thanks for reading, folks.

Anomaly need a runner..(redux)

Hello there.

Would you like to work at my current place of work, Anomaly London?

Details of the job are below, and ideally, you'd be available to start mid June. It is paid.

"We're after a runner for our London office, based in Clerkenwell. The runner's job is to keep the agency running smoothly, primarily assisting with office admin..

Examples of the sort of duties you'd be expected to perform include:

Answering phones

Dealing with post

Booking and setting up meeting rooms with tea and coffee

Running errands

Keeping the place neat and tidy

Booking out meeting rooms

Ordering stationery, paper and other office supplies

Booking a variety of things - travel, couriers, taxis, IT/AV equipment

Helping organise office parties

Additionally, you're more than welcome to get involved with other agency work, but the duties above take priority."

The deadline's the end of the day on the 15th of June. Email uktalent at anomaly.com to apply.

LBi need YOU...

The lost boys need you...

Hello all.

There's a new opportunity from LBi that you guys should be aware of. They've sent through quite a detailed graduate spec, with a few questions to answer. Have a look, and get involved:

"LBi is a global marketing and technology agency blending strategic, creative, media and technical expertise to create business value.  We help our clients to understand ‘What’s next?’ on their digital journey to ensure their customer’s needs are being met in an ever evolving marketplace.


We call what we do ‘Building Exceptional Things’. What that means is that we’re set up to solve our client’s business problems using a number of different digital initiatives.  We develop creative concepts that translate into digitally led advertising campaigns, transactional websites, loyalty programmes and social media campaigns and anything else along the way.  Our client list includes some of the UK’s biggest and most exciting brands such as Virgin Atlantic, Coca-Cola, Compare the Market, BT, Lloyd’s Banking Group and many, many more.


The Opportunity


To manage such high profile clients, we need exceptional people to join our 600 strong UK team, the majority working from our Brick Lane office in London.  We’re looking for up to 4 amazing graduates to become part of our Client Services department.  You’ll join our graduate training scheme where you’ll develop your skills over a 9 month period with a view to becoming a fully-fledged member of the team working as an Account Executive within one of our portfolio of clients. As part of our structured programme you’ll be given a background in all of our departments, work with some high profile clients and be sponsored through an industry recognised professional qualification with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).


Given our dedication to developing new talent, we’re not solely looking for applicants with a background in marketing or digital (although this would be a bonus).  We’ll ensure that through training and on-the-job learning, LBi will help you become a well-rounded member of the agency with a solid background in all the essentials it takes to become an account management guru.  


The Application Process


In order to be considered for this opportunity we need you to send us your CV along with your responses to the questions outlined below by 25th June 2012.


1. At LBi we help our clients through their digital journey, describe some of the key challenges you think they may face and how we could help. (200 words) 
2. Our Client Services team are considered to be the face of the agency both to our clients and to our internal teams.  Why do you think you’d be a fantastic addition to our client services team? (200 words) 
3. What excites you most about working in the digital industry?  (200 words) 
4. Our values are expert, collaborative and provocative.  Give us an example of when you have embodied one or all of these values. (200 words) 
5. We are known for putting on amazing parties.  If you were to be in charge of our next party, what would be the theme and how would you ensure it would be a success? (200 words) 


You can either apply directly via our website at www.lbi.co.uk/join-lbi or email your application to careers at lbi.com with the subject header ‘Client Services graduate scheme’. If your application is successful you will be invited to take part in an assessment day in our Brick Lane offices on 17th July 2012."

Sound interesting, gang? Good luck.

Grad Down The Track: Di Caplinska

We haven't done one of these profiles for a while..

Hello all.

Something a little different today, but a feature that's something that (hopefully), older AdGrads readers will remember. We've got a fairly recent grad, Di Caplinska, who is a planner at Euro RSCG, to write for us about how she got into the business.

So, without further ado...here's Di's account:


"On a number of occasions recently I have found myself on the receiving end of questions from soon-to-be graduates about how to get into this tricky industry. A number of paths can be proffered, but how people get into their first advertising job are always interesting - and never straightforward. So with some encouragement from Will and AdGrads, whose contribution to my journey has been invaluable, I have decided to write up mine, as long-winded and frustrating at times as it was.


Coming from Latvia, a small country loved by British stag dos, feared by Scandinavian ice hockey teams, and hated by the IMF, advertising was never really on my radar. Being born in a family of Soviet engineers and spending summer holidays in Maths camps didn’t exactly further my exposure to the industry that is, frankly, still in its infancy anyway (as you’d expect from a country dealing with a communist hangover). My love affair with advertising kicked off when I moved to the UK for University and studied Business, later switching to Marketing - focusing on Brand Management in my final year. At the same time, suddenly finding myself in a new country provoked a deep interest in all things ‘culture, people, and the way they think’, so I started observing the world from an outsider’s perspective to an almost scientific degree. One would have said that is a pretty clear path into Planning, but not before I spent a year in the corporate world of B2B Marketing; something which helped to confirm that it’s not for me. 


My first exposure to advertising in practice (as opposed to through books, blogs, and newsletters – all in this deck) was with JWT London as part of their 2 week Account Management placement just before the start of my final year. Apart from meeting great people, having to squeeze a gigantic papier-mache cow into an elevator, and running 5k in holey Converse, it confirmed my intuitive leaning towards Planning, as well as teaching me very valuable lesson. Namely, that getting in was going to be painful, especially if you don’t have any relevant family contacts, and even more so if your alma mater is outside the Russell Group. And…let’s just say I felt like I was doomed as I wasn't born speaking English and wasn't able to master some eloquent assessment centre banter. With this positive outlook, I decided to harass the finest of JWT’s Planners for advice. Some shared interview wisdom, others bought me encouraging cups of coffee, and one pointed me towards Miami Ad School’s Planning Bootcamp in case graduate schemes didn’t quite work out.


And they didn’t. In the interests of putting my dissertation first, I limited my applications to Planning positions only and managed to secure two final rounds – at Dare and Leo Burnett, but sadly, I didn’t land the coveted gig. In parallel to this, in the climate when redundancies were far more popular than graduate schemes, I pulled out at all stops. I ran a cheeky recruitment Facebook ad that got blogging exposure and some LinkedIn introductions, I milked what advice my lecturers had to give, crashed semi-relevant industry events with a handful of (pretty embarrassing, frankly) business cards, and watched agency twitter feeds for internship opportunities. And when my university wasn’t part of the advertising recruitment milkround, I blagged my way into the one that was - Oxford, which was conveniently next door.


Unemployment panic aside, my graduation week culminated in shooting a cringeworthy video about how geeks are the new mainstream as part of my Miami Ad School application. Less than a month later I was in their Hamburg office trying to shake off that ‘Business School student’ look and soak in all the ideas flying around. Probably the most tangible thing I came out with a few months later was this ‘Junior Planner for Hire’ presentation that has been viewed over 1,000 times since. And then I came across The Planner Survey, an annual report on the state of Planning in the world lovingly crafted by Heather LeFevre, which provided a handy list of relevant recruiters in the UK. In the end I got a break with the help of wise, genuinely interested, and very well-connected people at Copper who helped me land an internship at EuroRSCG London which eventually led to a permanent position.


There it is, a very happy ending! And now, in the interests of keeping karma on my side, I’ve put together this presentation of ultimate tips on getting into the industry. Enjoy it, pass it on, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions."

From AdLand with Love: A Motivational Tale

View more presentations from Di Caplinska

Thanks very much, Di. I hope that was interesting for you, AdGrads folk.

Karmarama need YOU...

Karma's a pretty big thing.

Hello all.

The lovely people at Karmarama have got in touch about their 2012 grad scheme, Karma Kadets (now in its 2nd year), which is now open. It is an 8 week internship that runs from the 9th of July to the 31st of August, where one person will be given a job as an account executive after the scheme.

Since their recent acquisition of Crayon, the Kadet opportunity has become even more exciting. From June the entire group will be contained within one floor of their new office in Farringdon, and the scheme will provide a full rotation throughout Karmarama, Kream, Kaper and Crayon with experience in areas including production, PR, data, planning and advertising.

According to the entry page, the application closes on the 4th of May. There will be interviews between the 21st and 25th May. Applicants will be informed on the 1st of June.

Good luck, all.