After we’ve deeply explored the waters of SEO and Social Media careers, let’s now hit the Online Advertising career industry. All of us are witness to how the Advertising industry has been changing its form to fit the shoes of modern day customer needs, and so are the people who are hiring! With state of the art technology at hand, Advertising has spread its wings far and wide in to your lives. Our lives start with an ad in the morning to another in the night. So what makes this line of stream all the more dynamic and what does it take to be a pioneer in this field is what we’ll see today, because there’s always more to Advertising that what just meets the eye. So, as we’re going more and more digital, the advertising and media and marketing industries also have made their place in the virtual world, in order to not miss out on opportunities but only climb up the business ladder. Inventive technologies and strategies are constantly being worked upon to find out how it can benefit their clients.

Firstly

With digital marketing now amounting to more than 30% of the ad spend in certain countries, the required skill sets are very much in demand. So more than what you’ve learnt coding ever since you were in college, a socially engaging and a passionate mind to drive a digital or an online advertising knack within you – be it back to back developing and discovering how to make your advertisement more penetrated and accepted.

Secondly

There are no limits and bounds for being creative in the Advertising industry. The industry has raised the bar so much that it’ll unleash your creative strength only for the best things to strike. It basically is expanding and diversifying the horizons to look out for a coder on the couches or a java genius in conjunction with those who have the minds to give birth to strategies that sell. This is the right combination of talent the industry is looking for, who can imagine BIG ideas and not just creating them.

Thirdly

Companies don’t always look for 22 year olds with 32 years of experience. Sure, they have their arms open for a fresh wave of talent, who could see beyond the textbook scripts and fit in multiple roles – analysts, relationship builders or digital designers. Employers not only need people to have the ability to optimize their productivity with the given amount of resources but with a human touch! Somebody who could explore human behaviors and adapt themselves by tailoring their strategies keeping the stature of the client in mind – only to deliver nothing short of the best! All this again, with an eye for design and a hand for the right words. Passion, curiosity irrespective of what your bachelors was. So, how do you stand out and acquire an edge over your peers is what the daunting task is. Here are some of the many things you can do to make yourself not only employable, but also indispensable to the best of advertising organizations on the planet:

Know your stuff well

There are three easy ways to get it all right.

• Research
• More research
• Research again!

Before applying for a company, keep track of their old campaigns and jot down your favorite ones from them. Also try to know who was the managerial head, creative head, copywriter, designer and who bought the media. Know where they stand out when compared to their peers, difference between big and small agencies, between media, digital and creative and also all that goes in between. Get your jargon right and never exchange acronyms for one another. Get to know what people do there and their roles and guess how your role could be – that’s a way to impress the employer, because there’s a lot and it’s just as tough. Remember, advertising is not being able to draw or knowing to use paint or Photoshop. It is a game of brilliant and passionate minds to conquer the markets.

Sort your social

When you’re applying for something that breathes bandwidth, you better sort your social presence before anything. Your Facebook wall, the way you use those 140 characters on twitter, your LinkedIn connections and everything speaks volumes about you as a person and your potential. Clean them up before it’s too late and turn them into a virtual praising mouthpiece by discussing something worthwhile happening in the industry.

Perfect your CV

Keenly observe your CV with a hawk’s eye. Check if it’s concise. Nobody wants to know your MS Word accomplishments or the flash mob done in your 7th grade. Rather see how good does it weigh when it comes to the position you’re applying for? Check if it’s easy to read and grammatically correct. Typos, spelling mistakes or bad formatting could mean your resume will be in the bin even if you’re better than the Greek gods themselves.

Get your foot in the door

Nobody really gives any extra points for your double PGs or double degrees but only for what you’ve learnt practically. What has your CV more than classroom qualifications to it? Internships, on field experience or something that you’ve done on your own on the internet and for the internet would sure count. To do something as such, keep checking twitter and facebook feeds, get yourself registered with job offering sites and keep a track of their websites, because most places offer placements of one sort or another. Don’t forget to follow career blogs which mostly lists all the available opportunities in allied agencies and can be a great place to start with. People with such a practical and a real time skill set are more often considered than those who are just lost in the books! Try looking for places that offer university students and graduates a chance to combine work experience with a scrupulous industry education from the best in the business. Have an eye open for these, and these kinds of opportunities should never go amiss.

Network

Get into a startup or a small agency instead of simply dreaming for the big one. These little steps you take today will help you in growing your contacts and building a web of network. Build some enviable contacts that will take you places. Let your work and potential speak more than what you do. This is a sure shot way to ease the process of chasing your big career dream! And, not to forget something, always keep in touch with the people you meet. You never know, billion dollar deals may spill over a decent cup of coffee sometime!

Impress

Learn to genuinely impress and not fake a plastic smile. Employers are always wanting to know not the skill set you have for the job but if you’d still like to be trained for a couple of months. Instead of giving a plain yes or no, wear the wisdom cap and prove it to them how curious, interesting, passionate and knowledgeable you are. The rest will automatically fall in place.

Missed the deadlines?

It’s also okay if you’ve missed a couple of offers by a mere deadline. Don’t lose hope and start lamenting. At such a juncture, don’t back off to apply speculatively. There are lots of companies that hire their entry-level positions like this rather than a mediator or a formal recruiting employer.

Don’t worry

Like how they say every dog has its day, you’ll also have a time to be proud of. If plan A doesn’t work, there still are still 25 letters left in the alphabet. Similarly, search for another that suits you down to the ground. There is no dearth of advertising agencies until the sun rises in the east. And if there’s some best time to get into the advertising industry, it Is now! According to a report, “the number of IPA agency employees under 25 was up nearly 10% last year to around 3,900, and the latest High Fliers research showed that roles within the media sector as a whole are up over 7% year-on-year.” Advertising has evolved. It isn’t just about great inventiveness or creativity. It’s about great efficiency, it’s about great business and it’s about the zeal and great fun meanwhile. To churn the best of online skills out of you, Digital Ready is one of the leading institutions to train you to rule the Online Advertising industry. To know more about their courses and training programmes in several aspects of Digital Marketing, contact – 040 – 65894499 and get started!