Here’s a typical advice for anybody applying for a job:
1. Research the company you’re applying for
2. Write a cover letter and resume to showcase your skills and talents
3. Send them to HR
However, applying for a job at an agency requires to do a whole lot more. The reason is simple. The agency’s business is about marketing, communication and branding. It’s about influencing people to buy products or services and turning them into advocates and fans.
When you’re applying for a job at an agency, you have to understand how an agency would evaluate you. You are essentially selling your brand and you’re trying to influence the hiring agency that you are worth being a fan off.
Doing what everybody tells you do – the cover letter, the resume, etc – will not get you very far. You can count on at least a few hundred people doing the exact same thing. In fact, almost 9 out of 10 applications we receive at BRANDTHINK almost follow a similar pattern. It almost felt that everybody bought the same book on applying for a job and use the template provided by the book.
To stand out from the crowd, you need to look at the whole application process like a marketing campaign – and advertising, direct marketing, social media and PR will be your tools.
Filed under: 1. Getting Started
