What are some red flags 🚩 to look out for from an agency interview? Specifically as an art director

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Make sure you get along with and respect the CD who will manage you, and/or their work (that there is a fit - it’s like dating). Otherwise if they don’t care for you, no ones going to help you get ahead in your career.

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If you’re a woman:

“Are you comfortable being the only woman creative? How do you feel working with men?”

Yes, this was an actual question I’ve received.

Yes, I took the job and quit a year later because I “couldn’t hang”.

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Gross, I’m sorry

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“We’re like a family.”

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My last job ranked me out of 5 on my level of ‘family’ during my performance review, I did not do well 😂

“We work hard, but play hard”

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"we have a start-up vibe" - no pay
"we're a family here" - we'll treat you like shit
"we're looking for someone not afraid to get their hands dirty" - you're doing mostly grunt work since we're understaffed as hell

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The first and last one hurt so bad. Salt in the wound, followed by pepper.

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If neither your CDs nor anyone else on the creative team has work in their book from the client you’re being hired to work on.

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What if its a brand new win?

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Find out if they also employ Designers. If not, you’ll be 5% an Art Director and 95% a Designer.

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Yes. So much this. Sorry former Desi. . . ADs

“Do you work well with strong personalities?”

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This one is a personal fave! I was told by one agency that I didn’t have a big enough personality to work there. Am women. Interviewed by men.

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If the CEO, without prompting, tells you the agency is healthy from a revenue perspective, it might mean that the agency is not healthy from a revenue perspective.

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From a revenue respective. Utterly unhealthy in every other aspect.

"work life balance means different things to different people" ...

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Also “what do you consider work life balance?”

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The agency itself is the red flag.

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“No egos allowed.”

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“How are your PowerPoint skills?”

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For an Art Director, “Are you good at comping and building decks?”

You should be of course, but that’s for you and presenting your ideas, not to be a service to them.

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“test” work = they don’t trust your work/word

on-site work = it’s the old way of working. not innovative. hybrid model at least.

low ball offer = they don’t respect you. they’re testing you.

paying you based off where you live = they should pay you based your value. how you think. (not your awards/experience/years)

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