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Any ideas on the pay range for the US Regional Meetings Lead Amgen? I’ve been agency based for quite a long time. I have worked with Amgen previously, currently serving another pharma, but looking to make the leap to the client side. Trying to see if the pay would be worth it at this juncture.
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Rising Star
Conversation Starter
The job search is so nerve wrecking.
Do you regret accepting an early promotion?
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Interview and then decide
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This! Always take the interview!
What is important to you? The panache or work life balance. I think in this industry we get so caught up in what our careers look like to others in our industry, but really, do your friends and family outside of the industry even get it? Maybe you can pick up freelance or non-profit pro-bono to make better work while you have work-life balance?
You’ll have 4 extra hours every day to add to your portfolio on the side!
Easy:
Confirm RTO is really happening.
If so, see if you can negotiate an exception.
In the meantime, start discovery conversations with other places, including the agency where you have an in.
Make a decision when you really have to with all the info you need.
Pro
And by “meh” work, I mean it’s horrendous and embarrassing, and should I be hired and brought on, I would be the best creative on staff. I’m not being arrogant. This is my biggest barrier on formally applying. I feel like my quality of life would improve but my quality of work will nosedive, realistically. I have dozens of big awards to my name, my boss/the CCO who I would be reporting to is a “worse” creative than me, and I am not sure I know how to, or if I could, navigate that. ☹️☹️
There are some issues that could arise if you are a better creative than your boss and colleagues. They could grow resentful or jealous of you because of this. I’d ask some questions to suss this out when you interview.
Could you move closer to your in house gig? The pros of the current place seem to outweigh the potential new agency setup. And agency world generally is a dumpster fire right now so is it worth it to go back to that?
Not a terrible idea
Rising Star
Maybe at this local spot you can make the work better?
Just remember there could be a multitude of different reasons beyond talent the creative isn’t great
I would take the money and WLB. If the need to be creative is what’s stopping you use your newfound free time to do a creative hobby- it will likely be more interesting than advertising.
If it’s the cache of doing creative work I’d say the ad industry vastly overestimates the cultural cache of advertising. No one outside advertising cares about “the work.” As far as I’ve seen others are mostly impressed by client names. Like if I exclusively did basic banner ads for Nike my family would 100% find it more impressive and noteworthy than if I did a super creative campaign and spot for a brand they never heard of.
Depending on the role you’re hiring for at the agency, it strikes me that it could be a great opportunity to think big and treat your “job” as a way to transform “meh” creative to “wow” creative by applying your skills and experience. If I were in your shoes, I’d set up the interview process in a way that enables you to lead change for the better. Make your interest dependent on your ability to drive that change, transform the agency’s reputation, serve as a leader that can coach and inspire the staff, etc.
I’d start by having a direct conversation with leadership about maintaining your current schedule given the commute. If you’re a strong performer and have been productive in a hybrid setup, there’s a solid case to be made. I’m in a similar situation and plan to advocate for keeping the same schedule I’ve had for years rather than making a reactive move before anything is official.
I’m curious what spot it is for in house and creative
See if you can land that gig, unless you already have an offer?
Think of what’s benefiting you the most short-term and long-term. I quit without anything lined up from a fancy in-house role for multiple reasons, rto announcement was one of them.
Another good advise someone mentioned, if the current job is worth it and you see yourself there long-term, can you move closer?
Don’t jump before you know what’s happening and don’t make a decision based on speculation.