Is it normal to have an extremely difficult time getting a job in brand strategy?

I have about a year's experience in the role but I keep getting rejected after final rounds even when I have people pulling for me within the department, consistently improve my elevator pitch, ask plenty of relevant questions, try to connect with interviewers, etc.

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Early years in Strategy can be very challenging because “Strategists” are often looked to for their expertise and guidance - that’s the nature of the role. At the junior level you simply don’t have that yet. Instead, consider other ways to expand your expertise - can you speak to an online Strategy bootcamp you’ve taken or things you’ve learned from a strategy book (maybe Mark Pollard). Find interesting case studies that inspire you and even if you didn’t work on them be able to speak to why they’re strategically interesting. Find ways to demonstrate your strategic thinking skills beyond years of experience. It might just be how you worded your question, but the list of things you’ve checked the boxes on sounds more focused on ‘smoke and mirrors’ of the interview process and less about your fit for the role (although maybe that’s in your elevator pitch). Wishing you all the best and I hope you get the next job!

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as a junior/mid-level strat focus on selling your curiosity and intuition, rather than your hard skills. i don’t care if you think you know how to write a good brief (chances are you don’t). i’m more interested in knowing how you see the world and if you’re sharp/teachable.

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Disagree. For juniors, I’d prefer to hire someone who has a solid hard skill like research or someone who has strong presentation skills over someone who is just curious.

Maybe you have more time to mentor at your agency, but all the ones I’ve worked at we need people to be productive quickly.

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Essentially yes

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Getting an actual
Strategy / Planning role can be hard. Especially if you’re green. There are agencies that lump strat into account management. Do not fall for that. If you want to be a strategist, work for a proper strategy team.

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I would argue that brand strategy is probably the most selective department even at a junior level.

It’s not enough to be smart and curious — lots of folks qualify on those merits — you need to have a track record of generating real insights that lead to creative ideas. And even then, I’m hiring the person who has most diverse client experience.

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I disagree, there’s no hierarchy of types of strategy teams for juniors. Brand Strat teams are as selective as Experience/CX strat teams. If a brand strat department doesn’t have any young people - that’s a choice that department is making. Established brand strategy teams at agencies with expert brand strat teams like Ogilvy or W&K have a mix of green and established brand strats across their offices.

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Are you applying for roles that ask for 0-2 years of experience (in which case your 1 yr of experience is ok) or jobs that say strategist but really mean the type that has 5-7 years of experience? I ask because the title strategist varies wildly from place to place

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My team might be hiring, DM me!

Getting a brand strategy role is hard. How many years of overall experience do you have?

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