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| how will you make them pick you |
Or maybe I should ask,
What are you passionate about?
What are you knowledgeable on?
What will people want you on their team for?
Here's a tip to take with you to any job: (Or any scenario actually. You never want to be that loser picked last for the football team.)
Find something you're good at/passionate about/ knowledgeable in and multiply it by 100 trillion.
Learn it. Know it. Master it. Become an expert of that thing.
Hold seminars in your living room. Do reports for your family. Whatever it is, whatever it takes, become that person people want to go to for xyz.
Take that thing and make it your thing.
Immerse yourself in it and then use it to sell yourself.
Read the blogs, books, reviews, trades, trends, history, projections - anything you can find on said topic.
Watch videos, movies and documentaries.
Join organizations, go to meetings, talk to other thing-lovers.
Practice if applicable.
Blog, tweet, email about it.
Stay relevant and stay involved in the world of Thing.
Show everyone how smart, in tune and up to date you are.
This is the important part - you have to be able to prove yourself first. You can't just wake up one morning and say "I'm a social media maven" just because you spend 9 hours a day on Facebook and Twitter.
Bring ideas to the table, share articles, quote facts, make your case.
Be the one people call into a meeting.
Be the person they say has to be on this project.
It doesn't have to be specifically advertising focused, as long as your Thing something to the work, the agency and the client, at the end of the day that's all that matters.
So whether you're super into music and know every album ever made ever, or into making things and can macguyver anything given two sticks of gum and a paperclip or you're up-to-date on every buying trend of Asian women aged 19.5 to 22, be an expert* at that, be the best, and show your skill so people know they can use you.
Whatever you can bring to the table, get all high school cheerleader and bring it on.
*Warning: no one likes a know-it-all. Just because you know the right answer doesn't mean you have to yell it or force it on people. Use your discretion and practice timing and tact.
