An interviewer asked me, “How would you begin to develop a campaign for breast cancer research?”
We sat in silence for what might have been one whole minute.
You know the feeling. We know the feeling. You just spent months putting the finishing touches on your portfolio. You proudly send off your book just as a proud father sends off his son to college. And just as that father will rarely hear from his son, you'll rarely get any feedback on your book.
If you are one of the lucky few to score an interview, you'll be on top of the world. Embrace this. It doesn't last long. You'll walk away from said interview with these key findings: you'd make a perfect intern, you're too junior, or there was never a position in the first place.
We welcome you. Use this forum to share in the misery of others or feel free to add horror stories of your own. Completely anonymous, of course.
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I went to an interview with a full waxed mustache. That one’s on me, but a person shouldn’t be judged by their mustache in the first place, just as a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover.
I was visiting New York and decided to drop off my résumé and portfolio at this shop. Later that day, they called and wanted me to come in and talk later in the week. I told them I had to fly back to Texas the next day, but the flight wasn’t till the afternoon so I would be able meet them in the morning. Then he said, “Oh…you don’t live here? Ok…well we just wanted to let you know that we got your stuff.”
Another aunt talked to me while I was at my part-time job working at the dentist office. She said, “You’re so good at this, you haven’t reconsidered being a dentist? You should go back to school so you don’t waste your youth. You need your art. I get it, your uncle’s the same way. But you need a career.”
I was approached by a recruiter for a junior position at a pretty cool shop. After a quick phone interview with the recruiter I was scheduled for my interview with the agency. After a successful interview with the agency I was scheduled for another. I was told that things went great and that they “loved” me. Three months go by and I cannot reach the recruiter for the life of me. Finally I get a response (4 months later). “They absolutely loved you but they decided to go with someone more junior.” FMYBOOK.
At a portfolio review, I spent 15 minutes going over my book with a creative director. He spent 15 minutes looking around at other people. When I was done, he said, he didn’t like any of the ads in the portfolio.
After going through a long period of unemployment, my aunt told me I should do something else besides advertising. I told her that I was really good at it. She said, “How do you know…you just make pretty things and brag about it. Go back to school.”
Not too long ago I discovered an opening at one of my favorite agencies. I happened to have the contact info of one of their well-known ECDs. I send in my work and get this reply a few days later: “Really liked your work…fact is, though, the position has been filled…unfortunately our HR Department is behind the times and it takes about a year for them to update our job board…hang in there.”
A few days after I was informed that the position I applied for was no longer open, I discovered the agency was having an open house to discuss the agency and their array of openings.
