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I was in the exact same position when I graduated. I can’t speak for everyone, but what worked for me was reaching out to people (usually ACD to GCD level) whose work I admired or who worked at agencies I was interested in. Sometimes I got no response, sometimes it led to a coffee chat. Eventually, one of those conversations turned into my first job at a good agency.
One thing I will say, it’s a lot of work and can feel pretty soul-crushing (especially when you see your peers landing jobs left and right). But hang in there, and try to use those coffee chats to polish your book as well. If someone takes the time to meet with you, stay in touch. It can take time, and it’s not always linear (in my case at least a couple of months passed between my informal coffee chat with an ACD at my first agency and being invited to a formal ECD interview and receiving a job offer.)
Just try to be kind, interested & interesting, and eventually it should pay off. Also, tap into any connections you have, from your old profs to classmates who’ve already landed jobs.
Fingers crossed and good luck!
Thank you! Definitely going to try and reach out to some people to get some conversations started!
My advice is the only real one you’ll get in this thread. And it’s going to get shouted down. The answer is “Don’t.”
Don’t waste your time trying to break in. Trust me when I tell you every smart creative is trying to break out of this industry. Most of us are desperately trying to go client-side while we figure out our next move.
You’re still young enough (and without a family to support) that you can go back to school for something else.
DM me. Let’s talk.
I will say getting your first job is the hardest! After that it becomes a lot easier. Push yourself to make spec work in the meantime.
Thank you!
I had a similar experience trying to break into brand strategy right out of school. Ultimately, the route I took was to get an entry level job in analytics (which is not so top heavy). Then after I had made a good name for myself within that department it was easier to volunteer some of my time in brand strategy and eventually jumped departments.
Short answer: just get in the door in any dept and work your way over
Good luck!
Yeah, I have definitely been applying to other departments to hopefully maybe later on move into more of the creative side
Does your school/program have an alumni program? This could be a helpful way to get folks to look at your book or help with a referral. It is tough out there, I know people with awards and years of experience who are still looking.
It’s not a very big network and the ones I can find haven’t really answered. Been talking to some professors on where to go and was told to come on here for more help and possible connections