Ding Ding - Round Two...

So. The likes of AMV and BBH have spoken. How were the first rounds? There'll be some of you who thought it all went swimmingly, who dazzled the interviewers, who said all the right things and have heard..... Nothing. Or just bad news.

It's tough when that happens. Sometimes you just can't understand why they didn't want to ask you back. Hopefully they'll offer some feedback, but most won't for first rounds, which is even more frustrating when you can't pinpoint where things went wrong. And as the interviews are so subjective, even asking other people in the industry what they think of what you said (if you can remember after all those nerves died down...) may not reveal any answers. If you'd like any impartial advice, do message me at admadillo@googlemail.com, but again, it will only be my subjective opinion versus that of your interviewer.


But, there'll be a lucky few of you who probably thought it all was a bit dodgy, you didn't quite say what you wanted to and you had a strong feeling when you left the building that the interviewers thought you were an idiot. As far as you were concerned, their next move was almost certainly going to be to ring up all the other agencies you applied to and tell them to put a big red cross next to your name and draw a dunce hat on your photo. Maybe a comedy moustache. That's how most second rounders felt when this humble blogger went through all this malarkey. But, after all that, you've got a second round interview, and you're so close to getting on a grad scheme! It's now the final furlong. Here's some advice about getting to the winning post.

Most second rounds happen over one day. JWT was slightly different, in that theirs covered two days and they put you up in a hotel overnight. Some of you might be unlucky enough to have a clash in second rounds, such as that between M&C Saatchi and JWT last year. While this makes very little sense to anyone applying and really should be orgnanised better, you simply have to choose which agency you want to work for more. It's tough. Again, if you want inevitably subjective advice choosing between two, drop me a message. There'll be more about what to do if you get more than one job offer in a few weeks, but for now, on to the experience of the second round interview.

If there's one thing to remember at a second round interview, it's that you can probably all do the job. The agency is looking for people who will fit into their business. they've approved and personally checked your academic credentials and extra curricular interests during the application and first round interviews. They want to give you a job. They want to trust you with the future of their business. They're not going to do that until they like you, see potential in you and are sure that you'll do well working and, more importantly, learning in their business.

When you turn up at the agency, there's a feeling of achievement among everyone. You've all done very well to get there. Often there will have been over 1000 applicants, in some cases as many as 1300, and you're now down to the last 30 or so. Most second round days will not have more than 15 - 20 people there and they will probably be running two or three separate days. People tend to be friendly because there is no point competing against each other and anyone who has an air of tosser about them will have probably been weedled out at first round stage. If you want a job in advertising, you have to be nice, because however much working in one is about working long hours and getting a job done well, people want to know that if they're sitting next to you you'll be a friendly face on a Monday morning to have a chat with. Advertising is full of very clever people who could be making much more money in management consultancies or law, but they stay in advertising because they like the atmosphere. They can be quite intimidating, but you'll be expected to add to that atmosphere. So be friendly or be gone!

What you do first will depend on the agency. Often you'll have a chat from someone senior, who might fire questions at you, which happened at DDB. He or she is just there to get you warmed up and give you a feel of the agency ethos. You'll be told what the day will consist of and possibly shown a showreel of their work, which you should have researched and viewed on the internet before anyway.

At most interviews you'll be asked to do a spoken, stand up presentation. At AMV this year, for example, it's on 'Something You're Proud Of'. At M&C last year it was 'My Hero'. You'll be doing these in front of a group of other second rounders, so don't be thrown when they tell you you won't be just in front of a couple of interviewers. The presentation topic is important, but what's more important is your demeanour, structure and communication. Choose a topic you genuinely care about, as they'll want to see what you're like when you're enthusiastic about something. If you can show your enthusiasm can be effectively communicated, you will be setting off a little flashing sign in their heads that says "If s/he can transfer this enthusiasm to my business, they'll be an asset'. Be confident in what you're saying and rehearse. If you don't, you'll feel like an idiot. If you've ever done drama or presentations before, you'll be at an advantage, but don't worry if you haven't, everyone will be on your side and wanting you to do well in them. After you're done, there will be questions from the audience. This is your time to shine, as how you answer them is hugely important. In a real life situation, clients will only ask questions after a presentation if they don't understand something. You must understand what they're asking, by asking what they mean if necessary, identify the problem the client (or interviewer) sees and address it promptly, without waffling. If you can do this in your second round, you'll get lots of ticks, gold stars and smiley faces next to your name.

After the presentations, there will be, in most cases, a mock pitch. You are given a business problem, given an hour or so to come up with a solution and then you present back to senior people and possibly the other interviewees. Depending on what the problem is, you'll have to address different aspects of communications, but I advise doing the following:

1. Identify the business problem and where you have to get from and to. Tell your audience this, ie "I understand you are trying to launch a new Russian beer in the UK. However, the problem is that nobody knows that beer in this country and people associate Russia with vodka. We are aiming to make people aware of the brand and change their perception that Russian alcoholic beverages are limited to vodka.' It's simple stuff, but doing this will help you build your brand campaign.

2. Manage your time. The person who keeps checking the clock is not anal. They are employable. You have been given a time limit for a reason. divide it up sensibly and stick to it. You are given too short a time period on purpose to see how you react.


3. Don't push. The problem with mock pitches is that you all sit in a room chatting about ideas, often without an observer. When the observer comes in, there's a huge rush to 'show off' all the ideas each person has had. It gets a bit bitchy. Remember, you're working as a team. Don't claim every single idea and do not, under any circumstances, try to cut down or publicly humiliate someone else in hope of getting one over on them. The tallest tree in a forest gets tall by growing well, not by poisoning all the other trees.

4. Know when to cut the crap. If an idea is rubbish, get rid of it, don't plug away at it. Cut it. Start again. Don't hold onto a rubbish idea just because it's yours.

5. When it comes to the presentation, work as a team during it and show off during the questions, as above. Do not undermine other members of the team. It's better to say 'I'd just like to add..." rather than "I actually don't think that's right..." after a team mate has just buggered up an answer.

6. Make sure everyone's happy. Understand what your team members want and what the audience expects. If you don't know, ask. If you get a job, you'll be encouraged to ask about anything you're unsure of. It's fine to do so now and shows interest and common sense.


There may a short maths or reasoning test during the day. There is no way I can give advice about these, suffice to say it is better to do five out of ten and get them right than do seven out of ten and get three wrong. Take your time. They're not expecting maths geniuses, they just want common sense.

When you eventually get to interview with senior management, try and work out what each one wants. If it's the MD, they want to see ambition because they themselves were ambitious. If it's the planning director, they'll want to see some analytical and intelligent thought about the future of a brand or analysis of a past campaign from a strategic point of view. If it's account management, they'll want some business knowledge and to know that you'll work your socks off for the company. So tell them you will. Remember what each person does for a living and try and 'fit' their idea of a good grad. Show interest in them and they're more likely to be interested in you.

Finally, you do not have to know whether you want to be a planner or an account manager, but it helps to know what they do. Planning is strategy. They find out what the consumer wants. They do research and analyse market conditions. Managers are much more practical. They represent the client to the agency and the agency to the client. They make sure everything happens on time and on budget. They are a 'safe pair of hands' who tend to get blamed if something goes wrong. It's the best way to learn about advertising. I would always suggest a safe answer is 'I know account management is the best way to learn the ropes, so I think I should try that for a year or so and then decide'. It shows you're realistic.

Good luck, more to follow.