Looking back, what do you wish you had known or done as a junior? Got laid off and looking for advice to continue learning about advertising and keep my copywriting skills sharp.

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1. The best writers read. Make it a habit. Challenge yourself with the literature you choose. You’ll improve your writing without realizing it.
2. Practice daily. Writing is a muscle, work it hard. Poetry, short stories, fantasy, a script. It all helps. Don’t be a copywriter that chose the pen because they couldn’t design.
3. Look at award winning work, learn the formula. It’ll keep you on top of industry trends and alert you to the best agencies (so you can be precise with your job search).
4. Stay attuned to culture. Watch TikTok even if you hate it. Go deep on YouTube. Spend some time on Twitch. It broadens your horizons and might even inspire you.
5. Don’t feel sorry for yourself. Your lay-off likely wasn’t your fault. Stay positive. Good things happen to good people. If you are doing the above 4, you’ll be sharp for your interview and prospective employers will feel your electricity. Look at the downtime as an opportunity.

Good luck!

likehelpful

Sorry to hear you got laid off. Get the book Junior by Thomas Kemeny. It’s a book written for this exact question.

likehelpful

The worst thing about Thomas is he searches for his own book on Fish Bowl. Also “he’s alright” is pretty much the biggest compliment any creative gets. :)

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Be open to all opportunities. I really regret letting what others thought/big agency names influence my decisions as a jr. I chose the worst client at a great agency over a host of ok clients at an ok agency. Ended up getting one mediocre piece produced in 3 years.

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How you pitch your idea is just as important as the idea itself. Even if it’s just a Round 1 check in with the Creative Director. The best campaigns out there only came to fruition because of how they were presented to the client and originally the CD. Show you have passion for the idea, what’s the insight that lead you to it, and why this will drive business for the client. Starting out I would spend so much time working on ideas that when it came time to present them I just rushed through them.

helpful

Never present ideas without everyone in the room. Your ideas will be stolen left and right.

I wish I had left advertising much earlier on in my career and gone client side.

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