Anyone have experience turning down an interview at an agency you really want to work at but it’s for a client that you’re not interested in (and ethically opposed to)? Agency itself seems great just don’t want to work on the client. Ideally want to keep the door open if there are future opportunities on a different client.

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Take the interview so that you get to meet the team and build the connection. If the conversations do continue to progress, just be honest about your ethical concern and say you’ll jump at the chance to work on a different client with them in the future.

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The HR people will forget you in 5 seconds. The only way to build a connection is to meet the actual team. Always take the meeting.

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I bet they hear that all the time. “I love your agency, I just dont want to work on your one (Im guessing big?) client that compromises peoples ethics. Could I START on that client, but let it be known that I expect to move off of it and join the cool teams?”

Theres no way youre the first person theyve heard that from. My guess is they have so much trouble finding people to work on their “Cigarettes for Babies!” account that they would make it very clear theyre looking for someone who doesnt want to move. It sucks but you should probably decline—if only so they know theres a real ethical problem with them having the client.

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I overlooked an ethical conflict at a previous agency and guess what....got in and the one iffy client I knew about was just the tip of the iceberg. It depends on what the issue is, but I would think carefully about what they are saying they don’t value by taking that client and whether you’re truly ok with that.

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Nah. If the place is worth it, take the gig, kick ass until you make yourself indispensable, and move to another client after you’ve built up enough capital to make the ask.

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“Dont just forget your ethical concerns, work extra hard at going against them.”

What in the world does “worth it” mean in this context? Im shocked how little support there is for trying to have some personal integrity about a job.

(Oh and “make the ask?” gross—just say ASK Johnny Buzzword)

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I told an agency that I wouldn’t work for this one client they had that I worked with ages ago because he was a pig. They were still ok with interviewing me and offering me a job.

likesmart

If you have an ethical problem with the client then you should have an ethical problem with the Agency for taking on the client. Otherwise what’s the difference?

If you are the type that has ethical dilemmas full-stop, then good luck finding any agency that doesn’t have one single client / category on their roster that you would have a problem with...

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