Send your cover letter and resume with clear direction as to which department you are interested in joining. When letters come in saying the writer wants a job “anywhere” in an ad agency it is clear that they don’t know the business well enough to know where they fit in. Do your research and know the departments and the department heads. Send your information primarily to the appropriate department head and secondarily to the HR person.

Do not write a cover letter telling the agency contact person why it would be great for your career to work in their company. Tell them why their company is a place in which you aspire to work.

Do not immediately invite the contact person at the agency to be LinkedIn to you. It’s too presumptuous. Reserve that invitation for after you’ve spoken to that person if you’re confident that a strong enough bond has been established.

Do not call the contact person at the agency and leave messages asking them to update you or tell you if they have received your information. They receive hundreds, even thousands, of resumes and will not look favorably on potential candidates who waste their time with requests that do not benefit them.

Do not inconvenience the agency contact person in any way. Make it easy for them to contact you, interview you and hire you.

Do not ask them to supply information – find it yourself!

Do call the agency contact person to introduce yourself and spend a minute (do NOT waste their time on the phone) to tell them a little about yourself and how you are passionate about becoming part of their company.

Do ask for an informational interview so that you can get in and meet with various people within the agency. It may help them to decide that you’re someone they should consider for the opening in question.

Do not show up early for your interview. Show up exactly on time. If you arrive 15 minutes early – stay outside and walk in right on time. When you arrive 20 minutes early the person you’re scheduled to see will get interrupted in what they’re trying to accomplish for the next 20 minutes as people keep telling them “someone is here to see you.” You will throw their schedule off and they will not appreciate it.

One Comment