ADjacks Blog

Alum writes blog for young professionals

Check out Renee Halgerson's blog at Cooper Ink Designs. She offers interview and resume advice, along with sharing interesting articles about the job environment and trends.

Copper Ink Design Blog

Have you started branding yourself online with a blog and social media strategies? If not, it should be at the top of your list of New Year's resolutions.

Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs

Many employers in our industry rely on networking and word-of-mouth to fill positions, however, following are a few sites to check out during your job search.

AAF Job Bank, Talent Zoo, and The Big Shoes Network are three great places to look for internships, and entry-level and senior level jobs. Talent Zoo touts itself as “the #1 site for Ad, Marketing and Media Professionals." Search for jobs nationwide in advertising, marketing, media and digital. Big Shoes Network’s primary focus is Wisconsin and Illinois. AAF Job Bank provides options to search by state and category. The job bank at MinneADpolis isn’t very comprehensive, but provides some listings for member agencies in that market. 

Local media are obvious and essential places to look for local opportunities. Another good strategy is to check out the local American Advertising Federation (AAF) sites for cities you are interested in working. For instance, the South Dakota Advertising Federation web site offers a few internship and career opportunities in Sioux Falls. AAF Omaha does the same for the Omaha market. A quick search for AAF and the city name will uncover the local AAF chapter, or go to AAF.org for a directory of member clubs.

Find seasonal and full-time state listings for South Dakota at http://bop.sd.gov/workforus/. The city of Sioux Falls has an "Interns in Industry" site that may provide some leads.

Another trick is to use Google maps to find listings of local advertising and marketing firms. Specific jobs aren't listed here, but it is a good way to research a local market. Go to Google maps, type in “Sioux Falls marketing” or “Rapid City advertising,” and check out the listings.  

Good luck with your job search. Post any additional sites or tips under comments.

SD Legislature Internship Opportunities

The SD Legislature is seeking interns for the 2010 Legislative Sessions.  This is a great opportunity to get involved in government, doing the actual work of a legislative staffer. Interns will work in Pierre from January 12 to March 12. Some of the jobs involve newswriting and/or public relations. Students can earn up to eight internship credits in political science and/or complete the MCOM internship requirement. All majors are qualified, upper-division students preferred.  Apply online before October 15, 2009.http://legis.state.sd.us/intern/

Internship Insider

This post features Mark Morgan, a December 2008 graduate. Mark graduated from South Dakota State University with Honors College Distinction and a double major in Journalism with an Advertising Specialization and Economics with a Business Specialization. He interned for Lawrence and Schiller in Sioux Falls, SD, during the summer and continues to do freelance work in research. Following are Mark's words of wisdom for internship seekers.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Lawrence & Schiller. I was a part of the Strategic Planning and Research Knowledge Team or SPARK. On SPARK a majority of my work focused on competitive research, electronic surveys, focus groups, and presentations. L&S granted me the ability to work independently and bring my creative touch to research.

When hunting for an internship (and you need to hunt aggressively, none of this “looking”) I believe it’s about 50/50 what you know and who you know. Earlier in the semester, I was able to meet with an employee of L&S to chat about advertising. He later served as my connection to the agency when I was looking for an interview. Make sure you’re utilizing everyone you know in the field to get your foot in the door. Also, don’t underestimate the power of an informational interview.

Don’t be afraid to take risks too. If you want to work in account planning and the agency doesn’t have that listed as an internship possibility, apply in that specialization anyway—you’ll stand out. My resume landed on Scott Lawrence’s desk because I explained my interest in account planning.

My other advice to students currently looking for an internship is surround yourself with advertising. Understand and use blogs, podcasts, social media, RSS, etc. While you may take those technologies for granted, a deep understanding of new media will be greatly appreciated by your employer.

Agency life is fun and hectic. It’s an atmosphere I will be looking to find again. Speaking of graduation, anyone have job-hunting advice?

Best of luck to everyone on their own internship hunt,

Mark

Links: Mark's LinkedIn Profile

Internship Fair a Success

We held our annual internship fair for MCOM students today. Regional employers filled the labs in Yeager Hall in search of summer interns.

Since this is our seventh year of holding the fair, students understand the value of attending and are getting into a routine of getting their resumes and portfolios done early. As they talk to a variety of employers, they discover opportunities they may not have considered or known about.

 Hopefully some lucky, talented students will go home for Christmas break to tell their parents, “I have my summer internship all lined up!”

 Thanks to all the employers who took time out of their week to attend. If you are an employer and would like to be part of the fair next year, contact our internship coordinator, Dr. Dennis Hinde.

Internships are a key part of our program. Students are required to complete a 400 hour internship between their junior and senior years.

A foot in the door

Some agencies use post-graduation internships as a way to train and test potential entry-level employees. The grueling internship application process is worth it. Check out the IPG program in Minneapolis at  http://www.lucky13internship.com/. The “Lucky 13” work at one of the following agencies: Campbell Mithun, Carmichael Lynch, Weber Shandwick or Jack Morton. This is one example of the many internship opportunities available in the Midwest. While many students who achieve this internship are post-graduates, don’t wait until your senior year to start participating in internships. Employers will wonder what you’ve been doing until then. Our program requires students to complete an internship between their junior and senior years. Jobs and extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership skills and initiative are important steps in gaining an internship.