urn:uuid:c157177e-221a-74ba-105f-b9874db8c23a 2009-11-28T03:43:09-05:00 AdAge Staff urn:uuid:62854ae6-a7df-d639-ce26-135eacf0de84

There's been a lot of discussion about my generation, known as Gen Y or Millennials, over the past several years. As we enter the workforce, we seem to have a polarizing effect and the conversation is sometimes tense. I think it's important for us to be aware of how we're portrayed by the media so we can highlight our positive qualities on the job and disprove the negative stereotypes.]]>

2009-11-11T12:31:11-05:00 urn:uuid:b8097e20-0703-9818-56f0-cc5549532791

There are many of us looking for jobs out there, and naturally we are encouraged to exhaust our resources. One of those less obvious resources is tapping into the world of multicultural marketing. Being a minority increases your ability to identify with other markets, in addition to mainstream markets, and this ability can lead to opportunities.]]>

2009-11-05T15:34:31-05:00 urn:uuid:2b6ae220-b2ea-d89a-2fd9-ba82699fcba3

What may seem so simple to us may not be for our agencies and clients, and our value-add as employees is how we can leverage skills, such as our knowledge of social-media platforms, in our jobs.]]>

2009-11-02T15:35:34-05:00 urn:uuid:7cf6dbd2-cace-ffb1-7d19-5033c5a3c9a2

Personal brands don't benefit from brand parity, so you need to manage yours exceptionally. One way to do that is by cultivating personal-brand advocates.]]>

2009-10-26T15:49:27-04:00 urn:uuid:ff2a3f05-5eb0-53fb-a918-df57ebc9a6f1

I feel sorry for everyone entering the workforce who is younger than myself. If I had been able to tweet and stalk people on Facebook in middle school, I'm not sure anyone would want to hire me. I would have left a digital trail wrought with misguided views, ill-informed statements and failed romantic relationships. I'm sure anyone else who has ever grown up would have done the same. So now that hiring managers are Googling as part of the screening process and everyone's life glows hot under the focused lens of their magnifying glass, what are the ramifications?]]>

2009-10-23T10:43:28-04:00 urn:uuid:271e616e-f8c3-6461-fe64-7bb85b2a3562

It didn't take me long after meeting Zach Canfield to realize he's the Zen Master of advertising recruiting. As talent director at Goodby Silverstein, it's his mission to bring the most talented people in the industry to his firm and he takes it very seriously. After an hour or so of picking his brain for my own personal benefit, I knew I had to share his wisdom with the world.]]>

2009-10-21T11:37:31-04:00 urn:uuid:460ae557-6e76-4d7f-d60f-2c7fbb61b9ad

My alma mater's advertising club really was one of the most beneficial things I did in college. I think any college student who's serious about a career in advertising should consider joining or starting an advertising club. Here's why.]]>

2009-09-28T13:28:35-04:00 urn:uuid:1248a45a-87fa-845e-7fd6-876e1fa101a0

Marketing to American Latinos is more than merely translating an ad and adding a more Latino-looking figure. It begins with the understanding that Latinos are multilateral and can be spoken to in English, Spanish or Spanglish.]]>

2009-09-22T10:20:55-04:00 urn:uuid:b497649f-59a6-df34-8053-f9a817eaeca7

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2009-09-18T13:57:02-04:00 urn:uuid:66096c62-7ad3-d2e5-6970-329a7760519d

A few weeks ago, I returned from one of the greatest adventures of my life. With a friend who couldn't care less about advertising, I set out on a motorcycle that I barely knew how to ride for one exciting month. What I found were answers to questions I didn't know I had, a deeper understanding of myself and what I want, and some new critical thoughts on advertising.]]>

2009-09-09T12:57:06-04:00 urn:uuid:36b3804c-39bd-f282-0e07-0220768d341b

In the last month, I hit 10 cities with the aim of talking to as many interesting people in marketing and advertising as possible. As an added perk to this quest, all this exposure -- to different voices, different cities -- helped me draw a few conclusions about how the business is faring.]]>

2009-09-08T13:40:41-04:00 urn:uuid:6fd9ca75-ff92-24f7-0af2-45a652d10df7

The first company I worked for after college went under in February, so I can say from experience that being unemployed sucks. Here are some things I did to stay in the game.]]>

2009-09-03T11:41:16-04:00 urn:uuid:206c8b16-f4a7-fd7b-b8d0-f56590b456f2

I often hear people my age say two things about a sales job: They are too good for it, or they don't think it stands out on their resumes. I beg to differ: A sales job could be just the stepping stone they need to a promising future in account services.]]>

2009-08-24T16:16:48-04:00 urn:uuid:da20044b-f6e6-696d-9c1a-b11106521ab0

Sometimes recruiters don't care where you come from; they care where you stay too long. Whether working for two years or 20, we all get stuck in ruts. It takes effort to be brave, stretch your backbone and show that you're not afraid to take on something new, but it's crucial. Bravery is especially important for the young -- if we don't have the guts to do something brazen when the slate is still clean, when will we?]]>

2009-08-12T16:09:01-04:00 urn:uuid:e5c6fc3a-7007-333d-5e8f-834881db79ba

Hopefully this summer's internship has been a great learning experience that gave you insight into the corporate world as well as a better sense of the career path you want to pursue. Before you head on out the door for that final time, here is a quick checklist to follow, so that you're remembered on a positive note and can begin cultivating professional friendships as you embark on your career.]]>

2009-08-11T12:27:16-04:00 urn:uuid:5940ea30-cd7a-2a83-5440-fe09bfe1d09a

When working for an integrated campaign, a consistent message across media is crucial. The same can be said of personal brands. When developing our virtual personal brands, we need to apply the same rules of integrated campaigns to how we present ourselves in social media.]]>

2009-08-10T12:29:13-04:00 urn:uuid:df66ca63-92a4-fc67-bc91-2bdcb66c4b92

One of the first things I ask new college graduates is which side of marketing they want to work in. Some look at me as though I've just asked an ridiculous question -- after all, marketing is marketing. Why should taking sides translate into different career experiences?]]>

2009-08-05T12:11:23-04:00 urn:uuid:2ee2274c-9718-ecf6-d07b-c0de2c7944c5

If you're new to the advertising industry or have just finished advertising school and have some money saved, it's time to look overseas. Stop looking at the agency next door or at the one everyone is talking about, ignore the herd instinct and search abroad.]]>

2009-08-04T11:50:02-04:00 urn:uuid:238f543f-6e0c-4d36-332a-47815b136bdc

I'm a big believer that marketing can't be taught from a book. Marketing is an ongoing socioeconomic experiment, changing and evolving every day. If you're starting your fall semester with a textbook that was written in the spring, it's already outdated. I would recommend taking control of your education outside of the classroom.]]>

2009-08-03T15:33:41-04:00 urn:uuid:a8970c2d-a880-a43a-125e-f08f491c6ec7

Forty years ago this week, we put a man on the moon. Young people everywhere watched in amazement and imagined that they, too, could build rockets and explore the depths of space. Too bad for them, when they graduated the Space Race was over, a recession had cut NASA's funding and manned space missions had come to a screeching halt. Though they had worked hard and were qualified, there were too many spacemen and not enough rockets.]]>

2009-07-21T14:09:49-04:00 urn:uuid:b1f41831-7fe3-3774-1fd2-bf3ced7478b5

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2009-07-20T13:08:27-04:00 urn:uuid:a47db65f-903d-93e2-50ae-f22cae5e2a12

During school or work, I find that I'm constantly connected and am always maintaining, growing and pruning my digital self. But when summer hits, when school ends or maybe just when the weather gets nice, I find I'm off the grid more times than I'm plugged in.]]>

2009-07-17T10:05:58-04:00 urn:uuid:3c8ec400-5164-8880-7580-dd75ce9e77a2

For those of us entering the work force, how, exactly, is the entry-level marketing role defined? Oftentimes, it's not. Not very well, anyway. Job descriptions are vague because marketing responsibilities are changing. The idea of not having a hard-and-fast job description is stressful to some people, but I look at it as a fantastic opportunity for us to get our hands dirty and really learn the ins and outs of a company.]]>

2009-07-14T15:39:05-04:00 urn:uuid:1694b6c7-e9bb-e5c6-8ff5-0b686e14f270

Although many agencies are cutting their internship programs in misguided attempts to remain solvent, some of the recent graduates and college upperclassmen have still managed to land that plum gig. For the rest of the Millennials who may be forced to find a job that is completely unrelated to advertising, there is still hope. After all, not everyone can afford to work for free.]]>

2009-07-01T16:43:49-04:00 urn:uuid:a6da7b50-fba9-4c9e-d7bd-f0ea8e43de2c

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are not the be-all and end-all of online interaction. Some of my best relationships and opportunities have come from small, topic-specific social networks. Here are five things I like about niche communities.]]>

2009-06-25T14:24:45-04:00 urn:uuid:83711b74-18e8-41ab-e4db-49b6f52e284a

The best portfolios take you one step above the rest of the applicant pool. Not only do they showcase your best work, they also give you a personality. But when an interview is looming, stressing to get your portfolio together isn't the way to get your game face on.]]>

2009-06-22T13:09:10-04:00 urn:uuid:76a17f10-d241-dee3-cd0f-0de9a95a4935

This time of year, on college campuses across the country, graduates are listening to speeches about success. But I think now is also a good time to listen to the advice of pioneering 20-somethings who decided to take roads less traveled and produce disruptive ideas.]]>

2009-06-18T15:38:59-04:00 urn:uuid:7abaad05-ea77-f693-fc78-8ac462a5920e

The launch of my freelance career can be definitively marked by the publishing of my first blog post. Literally days after that first post, I started getting e-mails and phone calls from people who wanted more. In addition to being a great tool for getting noticed in the saturated world of freelance marketing, a professional blog is a very useful addition to a job application. Here's why.]]>

2009-06-15T14:04:02-04:00 urn:uuid:793aac5d-c278-17d5-1746-c9982dda64c6

Among all the marketing jobs out there, how are we supposed to know which career path will be our perfect fit? I can't answer that question, but I do know a summer internship will provide insightful guidance.]]>

2009-05-28T15:27:09-04:00 urn:uuid:d33a5be7-e56f-a8fd-54a2-c411fbbcee46

The nature of our jobs coupled with the access to limitless online tools have turned getting a job into an exercise in self-indulgence. We are all guilty of it: spending hours on our blogs, giving ourselves titles and logos, selling our sanity to Twitter, manicuring our resumes and portfolios, making literal presentations for each potential employer, and pulling everything together in one masterful execution of brand meaning and consistency.]]>

2009-05-04T11:01:36-04:00