Posted by Sting Communications on May 18, 2017 in Agency Life
Like many of you, I will be transitioning into the “real world”, as I start my first real job. I’m satisfied with everything I accomplished in the last 4 years of my life, pursuing what I wanted not knowing how well I would fare at that.
But today I’m writing about my experience working for advertising. I initially heard about STING through a friend who coaxed me into applying for an internship with them, which would be a great learning experience and I eventually applied with them. I got the internship, but I knew I wanted to explore what goes around and how things work in the real world. I only thing I knew was that I would have to be a little creative in my approach. I don’t know if it is necessary to have studied advertising to get a job in an agency, all I know is it needs people who have determination and fabulous communication skills and more than that a passion for the communication world. Standing out is key- through experience and content, but also in the presentation and delivery. The thing to do is to campaign like crazy for an opportunity, also accepting that I will be up against the odds. I don’t know how creative I am, but surely have the willingness to go that extra yard. It was very easy in here, the people I work with are beyond amazing, making me feel at home. I get to work here at my own pace, still trying to learn, enjoy and understand how this industry works.
To flourish in here, you need to do your homework and know what’s going on in the ad world- track the major agencies and what they are producing, and be the most informed person out there and have your own ideas. You’d only need your ability to think creatively. Part of my duties contain writing communication for the campaigns, and probably because I understand (and care for) the language, I am able to be a little experimental. And I am yet to be fully exposed to the people, the culture and the work.
I realize I can apply my mind to any brief here – not just the ones I have been assigned to, coupled with the most up and coming art designers always trying and teaching me things I know nothing about. There is a huge temptation to try and fit in with the other creatives and rest of the culture. But if I do that, my work will look and feel like everyone else’s. This means I have to be brave and understand this about advertising that it is a business of opinions, there is no real right or wrong: the one with the best ability to convey her / his opinion wins. Give your thoughts an opportunity to win. That is what the last 15 days at work have taught me, I’m being true to myself and I want my ideas to be heard , because I know I will hate myself when somebody else will pick up my accolade.
Everything is easier said than done, it is hard to boil down to what I’ve just said in my very little experience, But let me try…
Naorem Antra
Management Trainee