Another Interview, Another Paradox

entry-level

en·try-lev·el

 

[en-tree-lev-uhl]

–adjective

1.

of, pertaining to, or filling a low-level job in which an employee may gain experience or skills: This year's collegegraduates have a limited choice of entry-level Jobs.

I want experience more than anything. I want to be able to sit down in front of a Hiring Manager and tell them what I did with a company and what the outcome was and how my efforts positively effected that outcome.

But tell me, "How is it that I need experience to gain experience?" And, to take it one further, "How do you get the initial experience to further your experience?"

See? And the paradox continues...

I always thought that the point of an internship was to get that initial experience and that it becomes your foot-in-the-door. However, every advertising agency internship I was interviewed for held the same outcome, "The other candidate has more experience under their belt." 

How did they get the experience? Did they know someone?....Is it an accurate assumption to make that the only reason I have not become a "chosen one" for this experience in the industry is because I have no one pulling for me on the inside?

Maybe...

I don't know anyone personally in the industry; I have no connections. The thing is... I know I am destined for great things. I am. Advertising is my calling and I'm passionate about it. Even better, I have more drive and determination that anyone else I know.

I am a fast learner, a great listener, and I take criticism well. I am always looking for ways to improve my work. Most of all, I'm a dedicated employee and I'm reliable. I've covered for my supervisors more times than I can count because they know I can get the job done accurately and in a professional manner. And, they know they can count on me.

Basically I need a chance to prove that my lack of experience has no correlation with my qualifications. I am a qualified and competent employee with a desire to succeed. I also write well. (Well, you read down this far and I kept your attention, right?) I'm talented and creative and I'm looking for direction.

...

I believe that things happen for a reason. Maybe it's not my time to shine yet. But to get my time to shine, I might need a little more experience under my belt...

Till next time,

The New Ad Grad

Budweiser has done it AGAIN

My newest achievement is landing the full-time receptionist job at a radio station in Miami. It's a great company atmosphere with amazing people and seriously fantastic connections and... well... it's full-time pay. And, if I'm ever going to become Ms. Independent again, I need all the income I can get. So 40 hours a week I'm listening to Country radio while at work.

As you probably know by now, I listen to commercials. Not all commercials, I have been known to change my station when a horrible commercial breaks through the clean atmosphere in my car with its noise pollution, but most catch my attention and are the not-so-hard-to-listen-to kind. It's not ordinary for me catch a commercial I actually try to listen for though, and lately I've found it. It's so entertaining that the first time I heard it I almost cried laughing. The new Budweiser pep-talk commercial...

that seems to be no where on the Web. But I'll try to keep looking...

In the context of a football coach hyping up a team, it's entertaining in the way the Budweiser campaigns have always been. Attention grabbing, holding and owning- I still can't wait to hear it again. The commercials are cute and lovable and I wish I had a clip to show you here.

All I can do now is recommend listening to the radio commercials, because, believe me, you'll be glad you did ...especially when you catch the different versions of the same Budweiser pep-talk commercial. And, I've heard it on different stations too so you have choices.

Good luck, a thousand times! Let me know if you hear it and what you think!

Till next time,

The New Ad Grad :)

The Art of Imagination... taking a step away from general advertising

I found this new Web site the other day, Abduzedo, and I just needed to share it with you. It's a site dedicated to design and art direction. There are so many different topics, forums, blogs, and ideas being thrown around- I get blown away every time I visit the site and I leave with a smile on my face or a new design idea to tackle. 

Yesterday the site posted a "daily inspiration" entitled Awesome Colorful Oil Paintings. Of course I think they could have chosen a more fitting title for the post, but that's a different story. The paintings featured are from Sebastien Feraut, or Niark1, who instantly reminded me of one of my favorite artists, Jacek Yerka. Jacek is very Dali-esque in style [yes, I just made up my own word :) ]. His paintings are imaginative and fun, like windows into his mind through the different worlds he creates. I remember finding some of his peices years back (in my Polish Sci-Fi and Fantasy film class) and searching through his Web site hungry to see and find more. I could stare at one of his pieces for hours, picking out new discoveries time and time again... 

Anyway, so this artist, Sebastien, holds to the same reality-warping mentality. He uses an intense primary color theme with notes of secondary colors thrown in to explode his images. He depicts crazy cat-like creatures with multiple eyes and his painting's literally gaze back. They are intense and new age and full of emotion.


Check him out.


Till Next Time,


The New Ad Grad