How many years of experience do you expect to see at Jr/Mid/Sr etc level?

like
Posting as :
works at
You are currently posting as works at

Depends entirely on the person. Ive met truly exceptional creatives that have gone from junior to CD in 7 years - it’s more common now for agencies to bump up senior creatives to CD’s so that they can double their workload and give them an incremental pay rise. Hermeti & Ana Balarin at Mother London went from placement to ECD in 7 years. But those are exceptional circumstances where you have an agency founder / ECD believing in younger talent.

The average is 2-3 years at Junior, 3-5 years at Mid-Weight, and 5-10 years at Senior. The step up from Senior to CD is the most tricky one.

The best creatives seem to get to ECD in 11-15 years.

Anna Arnell at 18 Feet and Rising was made Creative Partner at the agency 4 years into her career. It all depends on the place. Luck plays a part. So does taking a risk on a scrappy upstart.

likehelpful

👆 It’s not about years, it’s about the qualities people pick up in those years.

like

I’ve seen a few promotions to Senior _______ recently, all people who have MAYBE three years of work experience in their role. Am I being an old grump for thinking that this is totally inappropriate? I’d expect minimum 5-7 years of experience for a Senior title.

like

Depends on the person. I've seen genuinely bright, exceptional people make director in 4 years and so a good job at that level.

like

0–4 Junior, mid-level, senior = The juniors
5–15 ACD CD GCD = The seniors (still in the weeds)
16–20 ECD = The actual CD
21–25 = Involuntary retirement

likefunny

I will speak completely from personal experience rather than generalities so take what I have with a grain of salt. Some people in my office have show a little animosity towards me as I went from Intern to SAD in around 2 years, which I feel is understandable. “Years of experience” is something often brought up, but as advertising wasn’t my first career, I feel this isn’t the best method in which to judge. I had no previous advertising experience per se, but shouldn’t overall talent and personality be the reason in which we place people in said positions? I of course am biased here, but in a world moving away from awards, away from large holding companies and the like, I feel that the stuff we produce should be the deciding factor as opposed to how much time we put in.

like

I mean I think that is a separate conversation entirely so I won’t put too much here, but there are quite a few articles on how awards mean less today than 10 years ago, same with holding companies. More nimble groups and small shops are seeing great success in today’s climate that focus heavily on social/ strategic digital productions. At the end of the day most brands don’t care about the awards we win or the title on the building, they care about the creative representing their name and how the public reception to the creative is received, and I feel our industry is slowly realizing that.

It’s not about time. It’s about the work. Whoever says differently, says wrong.

likesmart

A lot of responses re creative here, but I’ve seen several quick promotions for producers and strategists lately and I find it hard to believe they have enough work experience under their belts to warrant the title. They graduated in 2016-7 for crying out loud!

like

A lot of the time it’s about doubling someone’s workload and giving them an incremental pay rise. That way they don’t have to hire someone experienced from outside the company - which is expensive.

Things bottleneck anyway when it comes to promotions in strategy and production. There tend to be more CD’s than Strategy Directors and Exec Producers at agencies.

I agree agism should not be a factor to titles any longer. Should be production and experience based. Not simply production (hard work, output, hustle) but a level of experience, net worth in network / maturity to manage the tough relationship nuances and politics that can occur on the job. Age has some correlation there but should not be considered the gold standard here! It’s tougher to evaluate against but we should be at a point where we are doing a better job of evaluating production and experience not just age which is certainly tough for HR to deal with but we need to be better!

likesmart

If you’re talented and depending on the agency, they may promote you to senior position earlier to retain you. I’ve been nearly 3 years at my agency and I went from coordinator to supervisor while another colleague still at associate level. Also, one of our interns holds an associate title, and she has been with us for nearly 1.3 years. (We work in digital space, so the promotion curve could be faster as well)

Related Posts

Hi can anyone help me what kind of questions comes and their level in HSBC psycometric test ? .

And from where I can prepare HSBC India HSBC

like

Anyone have any idea what bonus (%) usually looks like for a first year C?

like

Hi fishes...I had quoted my expected CTC as 22 lpa to Citi , I am still awaiting their offer. However now I have another offer in hand with 21.2 lpa fixed with variable of 7lpa. How much more can I ask from Citi . YOE 6.9 yrs CTC 16

What is the slary range for level 25?

like

Anyone hiring for a PM role? 2 yoe in tech consulting + internships. Preferably in NY and DC or remote but willing to explore anything. Mainly looking for a place to grow and a team/company that will help develop my PM skill set

like

Hey everyone! Could you recommend any good materials/books/courses on IT services, B2B marketing?
Thanks! 🙌

like

What is the best florist for delivery that isn't extremely expensive?

like

Is lead position in Cigna/Evernorth equivalent to Sr. Mgr? How is the Hierarchy looks like from this position onwards ? Cigna Evernorth

like

Anybody work within the ABS space? I just received an offer for a CMBS Origination Associate Banking role, and was wondering what the hours are like. Thank you!

like

I found out I'm making nearly $20,000 under my salary. I have a scheduled 1:1 meeting with my Director in 2 days - How do I best ask for this kind of raise? Is it too much?

like

😳Does that means Twitter will go private? Will they still need auditor? What will happened to their employees if they stock can no longer trade at public market?

Post Photo
likefunnysmart

Hello 🐠ies!
Asking for help, my sister has lived at my parents’ for 24 y and they’ve always taken care of her. She’s about to leave home for her grad and she just got a loan to pay for all her expenses for the next 3 y. The money only arrived 3 w ago. She hasn’t even left yet and my parents have noticed online deliveries and spending receipts. We are worried that she might empty her account by year 1 at that rate. But just telling her to be careful doesn’t help. Cont’d

like

Is there anything in the employment contract of PE firms that would prevent you from having a small side business that doesn’t interfere with your day job?

like

Hello everyone! I'm looking for Recruiting Coordinator roles that are fully remote. If anyone has any opportunities or can point me in the right direction, please let me know!

like

Hi fellow desi fishes, I am 29 M looking for a F in Houston area preferably for a long term relationship. Please DM if interested!

like

Morning folks. Has anyone done an assessment of the CRMs out there and the best kinds? I have some information but there seems to be so many out there. Love to hear what folks are using. Or recommendations. Thank you!!

like

Hey fishes.,
Anyone knows about denodo (Product based MNC, chennai)?

like

Bain & Company Is Bain & Company actively recruiting? Really only heard M and BCG making the push

like

Looking for a men's watching ~$350, any suggestions?

like

Additional Posts in Advertising

No lies detected.

Post Photo
likefunnyupliftingsmart

As a creative, what are the best kind of agencies/jobs for higher income? Im tired of the hunt for awards with low $

like

What type of panel or talk do want to see at SXSW?

like

Just got a one year contract to work in London UK for 1 year. Where should I live in the city? (30y.o woman)

like

Technology reimbursement - who gets it and what are your buying with it this year?

like

What's the email format for Facebook employees?

like

“We will remain open because it’s the right thing to do for our clients and to keep the business moving. Let’s make our clients love us now more than ever.” - the bbdo way of handling a pandemic.

likefunnyupliftinghelpful

know cool places to do wood work, cooking, pottery class in Chicago? need a new hobby

like

I’ve been laid off and, as I embark on my job search, I’d like to keep my marketing skills sharp. Any recommendations on must read books, or resources?

like

I just heard the word "edutainment" used 2x in a sentence. What industry slang do you hate hearing?

like

What's your day start time? Let us know if you're in house / agency / HCP or Patient healthcare / onsite freelance / etc

like

working from home? say Aye!

like

If I finish top...5 in young glory can I expect competitive job offers?

likehelpfulfunny

What are the benefits like at Droga5 vs Widen + Kennedy?

likesmart

How hard is it to move from freelance to full time in an agency? Chatting about a freelance strategist position at R/GA but don’t really want to give up the benefits of full time

like

What are the pros/cons of moving from WPP to IPG? I can’t give specifics about which agencies but I’m curious in a general sense about benefits, compensation, career growth, culture, etc.

like

Hey y'all, I'm a copy acd at a mid size agency and wondering if anyone wants to partner and make some ads? Maybe enter some chip shot awards or just be creative together. Last few months have been bummer clients and I wanna do something semi-fun. Open to any level juniors to whatever.

like

With layoffs slowing down. Does that give anyone reassurance of things going back to normal?

likefunny

This billboard is for the subdivision I live in (ugh, suburbs) and I hate it SO MUCH. “Differently Different.” Different from what? ALL OF THE HOUSES LOOK THE SAME 😡

Post Photo
likefunny

When a lackluster creative director complains that they’re never on any projects but continually bails on creative briefings....? 🤔

like

New to Fishbowl?

Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
That was just a preview…
Sign Up to see all discussions
  • Discover what it’s like to work at companies from real professionals
  • Get candid advice from people in your field in a safe space
  • Chat and network with other professionals in your field
Sign up in seconds to unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.

Already a user?
Login here

Share

Embed this post

Copy and paste embed code on your site

Preview

Download the
Fishbowl app

See what’s happening in your industry
from the palm of your hand.

A phone with Fishbowl app

Send download link to your phone

OR

Scan your QR code to download
Fishbowl app on your mobile

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Messaging rates may apply

Download app

Sign up for free to view this conversation on Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Already have an account? Log in

Sign up for free to continue using Fishbowl

By continuing you agree to Terms of Use(New) and Privacy Policy(New)
Messaging rates may apply

Already have an account? Log in

For account settings, visit Fishbowl on Desktop Browser or

General

Legal