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I tripled my salary when I went in-house. This is my 5th in-house job and I don’t see myself going back, unless I absolutely have to. If you’re interested in doing the switch but struggling to get your foot in the door, here’s a few tips:
1) Don’t wait for job postings.
My first in-house gig I just reached out to and they happened to just be looking for someone exactly like me. Pure luck.
I started making a list of 50 companies I was interested in. Looked up the recruiter names and even researched the companies’ email formats. Sent a mountain of emails and got just a couple of responses, but one turned into a job.
2) The Freelance Shortcut
Getting hired full time is hard. There’s hundreds of applicants on each job. Two of my five in-house jobs started as freelance, and then after doing good work I was asked if I wanted to be converted. Had to interview and all that, but it’s way easier if they know who you are from contract working here. Also it pays really really well, and you can do it for up to two years.
3) Get referred
If you know someone at a company you want to work at, hit them up and have them refer you. Ask nicely of course. If you get hired, they also get a little bonus so it’s a win-win. If you don’t know people first hand, it’s not really worth pursueing this. Only matters if the person can vouch for you.
4) Work your way up
I didn’t get hired at Meta 10 years ago, but kinda worked my way up to it. If your goal is f.ex Airbnb, why not apply for Vrbo or Expedia - or something very different even and work your way up to it. The likelihood of getting into Apple right off the bat is low, so work your way upwards towards it.
Unless you’re at Wieden, this is your most likely route.
5) Move to SF and start socializing
There’s just way way way more in-house jobs in SF than anywhere else. Sign up for a comedy class, or join a running club or whatever, the likelihood of you making friends at OpenAI, Apple, etc etc is high. Now you have a friend who can refer you. ;)
Thanks you so much for this!! I live in SF (moved in 2021) and def need to figure out how to network and socialize in the city. Any other tips/tricks you have would be appreciated!
Yeah, I left my agency job, took a step down, and am making 2K more a month (take home) than I was at an agency.
Pro
Not tech but I went in-house (alcohol) and my salary jumped 50k for the same position.
Which company?
True. It’s why as a creative producer I left the agency world and went to a tech company for double the pay. The work normally isn’t as exciting and you can usually forget about any awards. But who gives a s**t about that when you’re making a big fat paycheck with lots of stock.
Pretty tough to get in those though.
Chief
How much does your friend make and what level
Pro
Heck yes, good for that person!
Are you envious of their work output?
Basically, Agency you will have fulfilling work but not fulfilling pay - In-house gigs is the opposite, with an occasional cool project.
And if the creatives in advertising are talking about making peanuts, the rest of us are lucky if we get to eat the shells.
Thank you! If you could spare a drop of water, too, my day would be complete.