El Gaffney

Out and Out

I just can’t deny the coincidence of all these stories being passed along within days. If you haven’t seen any one of them, it’s worth reading on.

Two amazing job exits and two gay- and comedy-related links.

Obviously, Steve Slater takes the cake or beers (literally) when he curses out JetBlue’s passengers and exits down the emergency shoot.

But he’s given a run for his money by this lady, who emails her company a photo-story using dry erase board, quitting and exposing her Farmville-playing boss.

Update: I got got.

Terrible transition, but maybe what Steve needed is a Sassy Gay Friend. (via Dana)

Oh, come on. It’s a joke, man! (via Aziz Ansari)

Tags: arsenio, jetblue, jobs

How to Get an Entry Level Job in Advertising

We have groups of students come in to get an inside look at an advertising agency (and drop off their books/portfolios) fairly often here. Last week I spoke a bit with prospective planners in the graduating class of Miami Ad School. That’s when I decided I should write this post. Today’s when I’m actually getting around to it.

I had fully intended to write a list of advice for those children hoping to be advertising’s future. As recently as when I interrupted myself writing that first paragraph to type this fun use of “JOB”:

Embrace the best of what it means to be JUNIOR
Find OPPORTUNITIES where they’re not obvious
Take a BOLD approach 1 out of every 3 attempts

But I’m realizing more and more that my opinion may not be as valuable as I think it is. It seems they’ve heard it all before, and though I make it a point NOT to talk about the difficulty of finding a job in this economy, I don’t get the sense that I’m helping. Even when I give these students a short list of tangible action items (Mike K. would be proud), there’s still no inspiring going on. And when I boil it down to one thing—it’s all about forming relationships—it somehow feels both too narrow and broad.

Plus, there’s lots of recommendations and information out there on this subject already—on the web, in-person, from industry experts and insiders, from your parents. There are books on cover letters and blog posts claiming they’re a waste of time. There are resume services and professional networking sites and job posting sites.

In a lot of ways, I feel like it has gotten so easy (with the amount of options and ideas out there) that it is almost impossible for these students to find direction and focus. And in a lot of ways, I feel like the singular and uncompromising focus on being a “planner” is part of the problem. I, like many I know in planning departments, not only weren’t sure they wanted to work in advertising but also had no idea what planning was/that it existed. I mean, these wannabe-planners have already been to school become planners, so how do you suggest they may be better suited for an account or creative position? Or a job outside of advertising? The easy answer is: I don’t. But I do seed the idea that you can be strategic in just about any career you choose.

And I do believe in the J-O-B and forming relationships (vs. networking) advice, and I cannot overemphasize the importance of embracing “Junior.” That doesn’t mean accepting shit work or buying into the “paying of dues.” Fuck that. It means bringing enthusiasm and fresh perspective to projects. There’s nothing worse than the student that’s already jaded about advertising and trying to relate to me on that level. I love this shit and when I don’t it’s because of people’s complacency or egos. If you’re genuinely looking to learn AND teach (through work ethic), you’re already a step ahead of many of your counterparts.

Another thing that will keep you ahead of your entry-level job competition: doing what some would call “little things” in an interesting way. Honestly, doing them – period – puts you in a small elite group. I may not provide the silver bullet to getting a job when you come in, but I always provide my contact info and an open invitation to get in touch. And what do you think happens every time? The same thing that happened last week. I get an email saying, “I’m sure your inbox is filled with emails after our visit, but I wanted to drop you a note to thank you for hosting our me and my classmates…” or something similar from…3 out of 20 students. Really? Come on, you can do better than that. I don’t need appreciation or hand-written notes, but even after all these times, I still expect the next group will take me up on my offer to start communicating – especially if they’re dying to get into planning like they claim.

But I digress. The third paragraph was going to say this:

So instead (rather than write up advice – oops, my bad), what I’ve decided to do is share something that I’ve kept stashed deep down in folders on my hard drive. Something I’ve saved and shuttle from computer to computer. Something that, quite frankly, makes me cringe when watching it. It’s not embarrassing as much as it’s painful. But as painful as it is to see, hear, know is now out there for judgment, I think it’s important for those looking to get hired as well as those hiring.

It’s the video I submitted at 21 years old to be given the chance to participate in “Account Executive Survivor” at a boutique NYC ad agency called DiMassimo (now DiMassimo Goldstein). It’s the start of my journey through advertising. Things to note: I lived and worked in the agency for a week with 7 other people. I came in second place. I wasn’t hired to be an account exec; rather, I was hired as a copywriter/new biz person/receptionist for $27.5K. I took this ambiguous position that I just as easily could have viewed as beneath a Georgetown grad in title and pay. And perhaps most importantly, an agency (Mark and Lee) took a chance on hiring me WITHOUT PREVIOUS ADVERTISING EXPERIENCE, invested in my development and allowed me to find my place in this [insert adjective here] industry.

Okay, no more delaying the inevitable. (Sorry for the crappy quality – I don’t have the original videocassette tape.)

That’s the last time I watch it…and hopefully the last time you do as well.

Tags: advice, jobs

Dear Recruiters

If you’re calling or emailing me about a job and you don’t mention the password, “SWEATER!”, then don’t expect me to return your message.

I do not want to seem ungrateful, especially in this tough time. I feel fortunate to have attracted your interest. I appreciate that you (at least a one or two of you) want to understand my needs first – before telling me about the search you’re conducting for “award-winning agency with blue-chip clients.” And I even appreciate that you’re being upfront about “finding me on LinkedIn.”

It’s just that doing a search for planners/strategists on LinkedIn and blanketing us with half-assed “this could be a great opportunity for you…or if not, can your recommend a friend or colleague” messages, is lazy and insincere. Yes, I’m easy to find, and I don’t want to change that – though if you had checked a little farther down the page, I’m not open to being contacted about career opportunities or job inquiries. But I’m also pretty easy to find things out about, including hopefully (for you) a connection to make the introduction. While you weren’t looking at my contact preferences, you also seemed to miss the link to My Blog (that’s here). Admittedly it ain’t the most professional place; yet, you can learn more about me/how I write/what I think about/etc. than on that template page that you didn’t even bother really reading anyway.

Unlike Chris Mortensen, I don’t feel like it’s a privilege to chat with me. However, I do expect some level of working for it. I do expect you to care enough about knowing with whom you’re about to make unsolicited contact to do a little bit of research. Shit, this blog is the first result for a Google search of my name. I do more digging about people I may end up meeting through friends that than you have for a person you’re about to ask to consider making a major life change. Sure, maybe I’m a little weird but that’s just weak sauce.

In case you are wondering, I’m not looking for a new gig. I know, you “don’t care” since it’s about my future career path and potential. Sarcasm aside, I’ve worked with recruiters in the past and had fantastic experiences. I understand this may be a difficult time for you. But I do not believe desperate times call for desperate measures. I even hear what Paul is saying in his recent article in AdAge, “What to Do When a Headhunter Calls,” about recruiters vs. ’senders.’

But in response to his advice (and final sentence), “Answer the phone”…

Sure. Now, what’s the password?

—
Eliminated passwords/passphrases:
- “Plethora”: It’s not inconceivable that you would start the conversation off by telling me about the plethora of opportunities you have available.
- “My Little Buttercup” (or “Rrrrraped de horses”): I’m not looking for a lawsuit.
- “Invisible Swordsman”: No fun, and I thought this (below) was a little too complicated…

Tags: jobs, movies, threeamigos

You So Want My Job

Well, besides for mom and dad and Noah (who has got a cool new gig) and my rich private equity friends – oh wait, blogs and YouTube get blocked at your company. So when I print out this post and bring it to you at dinner tonight – oh wait, you work a 120 hours/week, so you won’t be there. So check your mailbox at your ridiculous, modern doorman building and then be jealous of my hours and freedom for about 3 seconds until you take the elevator up and turn on your 60″ plasma.

Anyway, Heather LeFevre conducted and finished putting together the results of the fourth annual Account Planning Survey into a sweet PowerPoint, which she then made available to all on SlideShare. With just under 800 completed surveys (up from 466 a year ago – congrats, Heather!) and questions ranging from salary to experience to blogging to schooling and even negotiating, it provides a global (US-centric though just to manage expectations) and detailed snapshot of the planning world.

This included the answers to one question I couldn’t help but notice…and be proud of:

To be clear, I was in the stay “where I am” majority (just in case my boss or head of HR is reading this and is thinking of an upgrade – it would not be an upgrade of an ingrate). I know why I’m a fan of this place but would still love to know what the outsiders think led to this lead.

Tags: jobs, planning, wk

Working at Wieden

I never made a formal announcement because I told the 15 of you who read this at least somewhat regularly in-person. However, given that every once in a while Google Analytics shows me that someone from another part of the globe drops in (on?), it behooves me (yes, behooves—I’m always jealous when other people get to use that word , so even if there’s a better verb here, I’m going with behooves) to post to the world that:

(1) I now work at Wieden + Kennedy. (Day 12)
(2a) The nonsense expressed here is all me baby.
(2b) Neither Wieden nor Kennedy know I have a blog. (But a few AE’s do)
(3) Just rounding the list out with a number 3, so it looks prettier and officialier.

I’m working mostly on ESPN. You’ve probably already realized a bit of an increase in sports-related posts. And this trend will likely continue as the job requirement to “be even more of a sports fan” is one I’ve been gladly fulfilling.

Finally, for the many of you who aren’t in the industry, definitely go check out the agency’s site. But let me highlight a few things of the things (in addition to the kick ass work on ESPN – I’m saying that as a pre-job fan) that drew and now continue to draw me to this place:

Coca-Cola and Nike and Honda. London’s blog and holiday card (well actually it’s not PC in that regard; it’s a Christmas card). Portland’s school, and the fact that they get involved with things like Ignite Portland, the premise of which is this: “If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds?” (You can see videos of the presentations here)

But just like any place, it’s all about the people. They are some of the most creative people I know and have done some of the work I admire, yet they’re all approachable and importantly not territorial. In 13 days, I’ve concepted with a writer, brainstormed with digital media, written briefs, and played pipeball (more on that See for yourself below where I’ve embedded a video of some of the guys I work with (in our offices at the start):

Be hooves.

Tags: jobs, planning, wk