Entry Level jobs in Advertising

Most companies in media and advertising offer entry level positions, often though they may not be the job level that recent grads or those looking to change careers want to consider! However, they are an excellent way to get your foot in the door and decide what career path you may find is best for you.

“I wanted to be an Account Manager in an ad agency and accepted a job as a basic ‘gopher’ upon my college graduation,” says our founder Laurie Kahn, “and it better prepared me for all of my future jobs and helped me decide my career path. I joined a really small ad agency and was doing some design, creative work, account management, reception, billing, media buying and cleaning, etc. and found that I was most attracted to sales, which started my radio ad sales career.  That overall experience has helped me immensely in working with clients, running my own business and understanding how clients operate.”

The most common entry level jobs that are open would be in an ‘assistant position’ – production assistant, sales assistant, executive assistant, traffic coordinator, promotion assistant, etc. Depending on the area you are targeting, skill requirements may vary.  The following are general skills that a hiring manager will look at in hiring a new staff member in advertising and media:

• Strong computer skills especially in MS Office
• Research expertise (especially on Internet)
• Desire to learn and grow
• Professionalism
• Ability to work in a team
• Drive to “do what it takes to get the job done” (working extra hours if needed)
• Solution oriented
• Detail oriented (make sure that work is correct) with strong follow up skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Not being afraid to ask questions or what else needs to be done