Prosperity. Happiness Works.

Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, do I look like a top marketing professional? If you are in marketing, image is important, you are your own brand, make sure if you are on an interview you look like a million Euros.

Learn everything you can about marketing, read all the industry magazines, Marketing, IMJ, also you could get Google alerts on marketing news Ireland

And marketing jobs Ireland. Keep an eye on appointments page, when marketing directors move into new jobs often jobs are created as new teams are built around the new appointment.

Register on all jobsites for email alerts in Marketing

Network, this is a great way of getting known in the industry, the Marketing Institute run great events, they are not that expensive and will give you an excellent opportunity to mingle with industry experts. Make the effort to introduce yourself to people at the event. Often people will be happy to have a chat with you and you never know you might be chatting to your next Employer.

Carefully prepare your CV for each job application you apply for. Read the job specification a number of times and if you feel that this is a job you really want, look at your experience that you have had in relation to the spec and high light that part of it in your CV. HR people are busy, and will really scan the CV to see if you are relevant so first impressions on your CV in relation to your experience are critical.

Persistence is key in your Job search. The expression “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” comes to mind when finding your first job in marketing. If you are politely persistent, employers will see this in a positive light and will take note.

Pre interview, when you get the interview, a good pre interview tip would be to do what the top athletes do. Sit back take a deep breath, relax and visualize your interview going really well. See everything working out well. See yourself sitting there, happy, confident, enjoying the interview, do this for 5 min intervals as many times as you can.

Interview, I presume you have prepared for the interview, you have researched the
company and you look the part. Now, the first thing to do is relax, smile, and LISTEN, just listen to what they ask you, and answer them, keep your conversation upbeat and positive, don’t express any negatives whatsoever.
Employers may ask you about your weaknesses – well then your weakness should be a benefit to the company. An example of this would be, “I can’t leave a project till it finishes even if it means I have to work late on it”. Firm hand shake at all times. Make good eye contact and again, smile. Your personality is a huge part of the decision process, the employer is thinking, would you get on with the team - you might not have all the skills needed for the job but the employer may hire you because they think that you have the right attitude.

Attitude is everything, Thank as many people as you can, even a quick note to thank them even if you don’t get the job. Small acts like this can hold huge dividends in your career going forward. Stay out there, meeting companies, recruiters, and eventually you will get the job you really want. Stay around people who are supportive -  if someone starts telling you how hard the industry is, run a mile, right now you need encouragement and support.

Best of Luck
MM

Late November and into December is a slower time for recruitment. Actually, in Ireland it seems that Christmas is  now a month long festival where the notion of having to attend an interview or start a new job is tantamount to  stressing with the turkeys.

No, this is the wind down - a chill out time of year. Why forfeit the bonus or miss out on the Christmas party and the boss wiggling his bare corpulent torso in some cellar in Leeson Street?

It is amazing how recruitment takes off again in January, people have their bonuses, their new year’s resolutions, and many of them like post party refugees, fleeing their shattered reputations.

MM - Prosperity

Seems a lot has changed since the days when bosses were called sir, and they could dole out corporal punishment or exercise the right of droit du seigneur.

I was down in a media company yesterday where staff and bosses kick back on bean bags and slag each other. This was a company that offered fresh juices at reception and reception chairs that had electric rollers kneading the considerable anger out of my back.

I remember when I first started out in recruitment, sitting in a training session with bright eyes and bright acne, and the trainer saying that he would not work a job spec if he could not see himself working in the place.

That statement elicited a major “Yeah right” in my brain, but since then I have realized that if I get that feeling that I would really like to work in a company I am recruiting for, I know that I will usually place good candidates into the company, and that they will stay in.

I am experiencing more and more of these companies – it seems more and more employers now realize that it’s not just about paying a salary and issuing directives. Staff loyalty / commitment is now seen for the commodity that it is. Actually, some Polish friends of mine have remarked that in Poland the staff address bosses by the salutation of mister (there was no mention of any female salutation), and they find it very refreshing that they can come to Ireland and address the boss by his or her first name – who knows, maybe this is the reason they show such loyalty and dedication to their Irish employers.

MM- Prosperity

Having recently completed a salary survey for the Irish advertising agency sector, we see that salary increases across the sector have risen by an average of 8% over the past twelve months.

The top line figures show salaries as follows:

Lower          Mid             Higher

Account Director           €80000        €96500       €125000

Account Manager          €40000        €58000       €77000

Account Executive        €26000        €34500       €43000

Creative Director          €85000        €108000     €130000

Art Director                 €48000        €62000       €85000

These figures were calculated in August / September 2006 based on industry research by telephone and face to face meetings with candidates from the advertising agency sector. For the purposes of this survey, salaries were based on the following number of years of experience in advertising agencies in Dublin:

Account Director:          Minimum six years agency experience

Account Manager:         From three to seven years experience

Account Executive:       Minimum one years experience

Creative Director:         Minimum seven years agency experience

Art Director:                From four to ten years agency experience