Friday, October 30, 2009

Next Generation Browser - Bots

Normal 0

I think it is interesting that while few have dared to go out in the market with new products like botbox.com ,

rather many companies have chosen to offer web-monitoring services on a corporate basis and that this is further become a buzz around making money from buzz- social media surveillance.


At some point these guys have to develop intelligent, directed web-bots to go and find the new content and keep on feeding in this and the meta-stats on how hot something is.


Web-bot – spiders or crawlers are the principle types of web-robots which search through URLs and find key words, links or metacontent and store them for indexing as lists on the search engines.

A distributed web sprider/crawler is one operating on decentralised processing nodes with usually a central machine allocating domain names and MIME types to look at. This is exciting because it could be integrated to specialist groups web browsing behaviour, searches and conscious wishes in building more relevant listings on SE and directing updates on particular topics, sites, themes or ”web rings” ie interactivity.

What is exciting to me is to create a personalised web bot system which enables a user in a specialist field to get to more relevant data per search minute! Also to let them keep updated on those site or page finds, and gather new closely relevant data from the web.

Web bots and indexing are bandwidth, memory and processing time heavy items but if the tasks are spread out over a cluster of like minded individuals active in a search area, and spread out over time when their machines are on line but doing very little then we have the basis for something which can truly be personalised, efficient and a product or service which can attract revenue streams.


The key principles in reducing actual live-search times is to metacrawl and screen out links which are undesirable. Users, or the user cluster, build on the efficiency and relevance by having their actual behaviour monitored- the system learns by AI like processes to frm what the user finds relevant and what they discard or look over. Successful filter builds from metacrawling lead to directed and ’temporal’ (return for updates, expansions, deletions) crawls in slow-time.


It is a sad fact that maybe only 25% of the web gets indexed on the main engines, and this is largely due to the pathway rules the bots obey and the inclusion of top level URLS to crawl down. Partly this is due to the duality of being ”linked in” – the principle of links in and out ’catching’ the bots (having been googles founding algorythm –mantra ” the more linked to relevance you are, the higher the listing”) as they explore outside the URL list. SO they miss material, but of course much of that material is going to be the vanity-web-logging which so many of us do, as I am right now. Proportionally to the traffic of say 1997, are search engines really any more useful to us now, than say following web rings or installing those channel buttons on your desktop was to us back then?

I see spam listings covering at least half of any simple key word search and end up doing my own, old fashioned web ringing to get to new unlisted or ’burried’ content in an area or simply resorting to several BOLEAN search alternatives- both tedious if someone could do this for me while I am away from my keyboard!!!

I am also guessing that in conducting new searches, there would either have to be a screen on URL names, MIME content tags and so on OR a randomly generated domain name engine which uses key words, and web ring to construct domain names and test them for real content.

We have sites like – compete, technocrati, google labs and so on which do something for free but they are apparently metacrawlers and some want paid as soon as value added data is approached. Also metastats are of course useful stuff to marketeers and criminal /terrorist intelligence, and you have to pay.


With the advent of appstores on several platforms and the predominace of book and music buying on the web for under 30s I think that revenue streams from sales and advertising can be secured for either international companies or those with some local-knowledge / language advantage.

Corporate Strategy and Quarter Four Forecast

CEO's Opening Statement

Now we are well into the last quarter of 2009, it is a good time not only to report on our financial status, forecast and after tax results for H1, but also it is an appropriate point to reflect upon our corporate strategy embarked upon August 2008.

Summary of 2008 -2009 Strategic Pathway

To summarise qualitatively, I am pleased to report that we have achieved much of our intended financial and family-strategy in the last 14 months. However as an immediate warning to investors it is in this Q4 that a major turning point will disrupt normal trading and this is a late part of the strategy which is being implemented in record short time. In effect it is to take advatnage of opportunity in the economic environment - more on this below.


In 2008 a strategic decision was made to relocate the corporation in order to reduce costs and stablise the company with the necessitated rise in personell, this being a factor of + 36%. Inflationary pressures in the Oslo area and poor availability of premises in end Q2-startQ3 created a problem, but also presented the opportunity to relocate to an area with far lower cost basis for doing business. Costs of physically relocating were kept low but there was some orginisational stress which was unavoidable if we take any realists perspective. We consider, in balance, that the positivity outweighed down sides and counteracted this stress.

Key Gearings and Results Relating to Change in Strategy

We appreciate the maturity our stakeholders have shown in bearing with us through a radical change in the corporate missioning for 2008. However our long term goals were to reduce cost of premises and increase time in actually conducting high value interactions. So to remind our patient investors, this move is not tactical. Rather it is a key part of fulfilling a longer term strategy and we have taken the pain of relocation now rather than later. We did what we said we would be doing, just a year earlier.

On the downside, our corporate earnings form h1 2008 were reduced with the removal of one main revenue source. However we have a stable stream of income which maintains us in the black and we predict our cash burn not to exceed our operating income and thus we will avoid burning reserves as working capital. When a larger revenue stream is identified from our main income-silo, reserves will be used to purchase new capital items in the IT department. Budget is earmarked for this and aligned to expected extra revenues from this investment.

Q1 2009 was marked by a lower than anticipated revenue stream from a contract in the local area. Upon realising this, an immediate reduction in committment to the customer was taken with a 20% reduction in man hours dedicated to this contract. Not only was ordinary income lower than expected, there was actually no bonus -dividend rewards from the effort used.This was clear breach of contract which would have been costly to persue by legal means and costly in terms of '"loss of forward focus" but the experience and visibility of acting in the local market is not lost on us. We did under perform in this contract. Sometimes it is good to make mistakes, recover quickly and learn what a wrong direction means to the corporation.

Forecast q4 '09- H1 2010

In q4 we expect a major new revenue stream to come on line. This demands committment and we must take the view that it be a profitable contract otherwise be prepared to keep to our basal income levels following up with renegotiation or alternative customers. The new potential customer is a major actor in the internet surveillance and web-bot market on an international scale and becoming a supplier to them is a shinging possibility. However we must be realistic and not be a "cinderella supplier" - in other words a poorly paid servant who does not get to actually play in the real innovation and management of the company.

Strategic Appraisal 2010 H1

Looking into Q1-2 2010, I consider that we will secure either a contract with this major potential customer or take a direction in line with our corporate abilities whilst diversifying offer in our other skills base. Our current run-rate income, as stated, retains us in the black with no capital cash burn. However this limits our expansion and growth in equity. New, high value and long term contracts will be secured by end Q1. If not, then you can expect my resignation as CEO!


Yours faithfully

Damp Freddie
Household CEO

Monday, October 26, 2009

Take Control of Your Own Brand Communications

To summarise a little on what I have included in several bloggs....

You have the power to take control of what a potential employer thinks of you to a far higher degree than you may expect. Take control- don't let them itnerpret, read between lines or skim over things or misunderstand the relevance and specific abilities you offer for the job.

Let's consider it from the two usual approaches - open application ('on spec') and usual advertised job.

In both instances you have to make sure the employer knows what you have to offer and why you are motivated for this job. Either situation means that an employer is trying hard to get rid of time wasters (many in marketing applications) and get down to someone who really has enough to offer the company. It is really easy to leave too much to 'between the lines' from your CV or to write to succinct an accompanying letter such that you lose the opportunity there.

Advertised Job Applications

The employer ( or the hateful recruitment consultant) has a list of qualities and skills they consider important in the job- of the advertised list only maybe half are DEMANDED skills, another quarter are DESIRABLE while the last quarter of the job list is just paff- padding, HR speak, crap. So you have to phone up to find out which are DEMANDS, which are also important -maybe mostly in personality terms or track record - ad which skills can be learnt!

For example, the job ad' may specify a years experience but is that really necessary over the greta knowledge of marketing and tool-set you have from the MSC Marketing at Strathclyde Uni? The hard skills may be in use of data, formulating market research, breifing agencies and writing strategies....The soft skills may include ability to churn through data, or a bubbly 'can do' personality . So Call!

The purpose of your call is NOT to sell yourself- it is enough you call and leave your name as a selling exercise, or e-mail even is ok these days to pose questions. The purpose is to find out which skills / experience / attitudes are absolutely desired and which are also-rans. It is to find out anything like say, which CRM they use, which you can offer a USP in reply to.

THEN in your application make sure you give answer to these key areas in the letter and cover as many of the other ALSO DESIRABLES you have on your CV. Make sure they are not open to interpretation or could be read over.

No one usually fulfills all the requirements- for example "MS PRoject and seibel v 7 an advantage' - you can write- Find it easy to use new datasystems for direct marketing, analysis and planning. In marketing there are often only a couple of really needed things to cover: mayeb statistical ability, maybe an idea of branding.....most often they won't get someone externally who is used to all their datasystems, their market, their marketing mix and of course their product.

Better yet for an advertised job which you can fulfill on several points, take those key DEMANDS and DESIRABLES and make a third sheet on your application - a tabel which lets you give direct, prose answers to their requirements.

This will improve your chances of getting interviews, along with checking the decision maker has your CV and it hasn't been lost, screened out early by a co-worker/gate keeper or skim read.

In interviews you want to continue uncovering what the job actually entails, and which skills are pre-requisite whilst which can be learnt (for that read ANY database, CRM, accounts package or ISO documentation and project control system!). Steer the interviewer to talk about the job itself NOT the comopany- butt the hell in when they begin ranting at the chance to say "and so you are in the happy position to have a new vacancy because of this investment?". Find out even if they have defined the tasks in the job or just have extra budget (OFTEN the case!)

Given you get a goodone2one interview, and not a recrutiment day, then you have the chance to start STEERING THE POSITION AROUND YOUR MOTIVATIONS AND AMBITIONS! Especially in marketing - discuss areas of responsibility, routine reporting, forthcoming projects and steer them around YOU when you see felxibility. Otherwise when you come on board they will STEER you. You will get various monkeys on your back and also some people will just want a piece of you! They will presume authority over you because you have 'new boy syndrome'.

In summary- cut to the qucik, understand the salient skills and the actual tasks in the job and then set your skills and personal brand against that- lead the discussion when you can and make it clear why you fulfill criteria in your letter & CV, your follow up call, the interview and then at the offer stage even! Steer the job around your motivation and take control!

Open Application ( on spec')

This is kind of the opposite from a closed-circuit application in answer to an advert with defined tasks. In an open application you want to avoid letting them exclude you because so much of your CV does not fit in with their little sphere.

You want to sell yourself more as a person and let them decide on the positivities of your 'personal branding' to take you further.

I recommend as in the last point, to have a mini-'teaser'-CV with a good photo of you. Send this by e-mail to a decided target person who would make decision to employ you or just give you work experience. So probably marketing manager, group brand manager or marketing director.

DO NOT send to any vague or old e-mail address. Send it by post.


BUT- wait! Before you lick the stamp- it has to be read by the decision maker if possible- hence you have every right to write "Private and Confidential, Addressee only" on the envelope. Thus you get roudn the jealous temp or the condescending menopausal secretary!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Din CV

  • CV en skal være god reklame for deg selv

  • God reklame er ærlig og positiv!

  • Målet med CV’en er å gjøre din mulige nye arbeidsgiver interessert og invitere deg til intervju.

  • Våg å satse på enkel
  • tilpasser det jobben du søker.




Hvem er du, hva kan du og hva vil du videre?

Bruk i størst mulig utstrekning et aktivt og positivt språk når du skriver CV.
”Innførte”, ”gjennomførte” og ”bidragsyter” er slike stikkord. Det at du har nye mål er også viktig å få frem.


Beskriv innholdet i det arbeidet du har utført i form av ansvarsområder, arbeidsoppgaver, oppnådde resultater, avdelingens størrelse, bransje og eventuelle kundesegmenter.

Hvem er du, hva kan du og hva vil du videre?

En ny arbeidsgiver er opptatt av hva du kan bidra med fremover i tillegg til hva du har gjort frem til nå.

Sats på en basis-CV
Det er mange forskjellige måter å skrive en god CV på. Uansett må den være oversiktlig og ryddig satt opp og uten skrivefeil. Sats på en basis-CV og tilpass denne til hver enkelt jobb du søker på. Sjekk at det er sammenheng i det du skriver i søknadsbrevet og det du fremhever i CV’en.

Det vanligste er en kronologisk CV, men en kompetansebasert CV kan også fungere meget bra i endel tilfeller. Vurder om du skal ta med en kort innledning etter dine personalia der du kort sammenfatter hvorfor du søker denne stillingen.

Fremhev dine fortrinn
Kommer din spisskompetanse tydelig frem, eller drukner den i ”allsidighet”? Allsidighet er bra, men våg å satse på å fremheve dine største fortrinn i CV’en. Vekker du interesse og kommer på intervju får du muligheten til å fortelle mer om din anvendlighet da.

Skal du legge den inn i en CV database på Internett bør du sørge for å få med kjente forkortelser som sikrer deg treff på dine kompetanseområder, f.eks. CRM, HR, SAP.

Du skal kunne underbygge alt du skriver i CV’en. Det du skriver blir garantert samtaleemne i intervjuet.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Working for me

What has really worked for me over the years?

In getting jobs that is, and possible a lot to do with getting laid...same principles, reverse pay off!

Firstly what used to work still does- get yourself fished out the pile of applications or inbox junk by calling up with a few salient questions.

Secondly - this is devious - the teaser Mini CV aka pesonal summary, personal resume. As a communication exercise it is very much personal branding Physically it is a nice little attachment, sheet or footer on an HTML e-mail which sums you up in prose without any direct reference to time periods, job titles etc. It includes a picture and full contact details, and is best sent as a media-rich e-mail.

What it permits you is to tease- to give answer to what an employer wants for their company without letting them 'hang up' on you by losing interest in your actual job titles - or lack of them!

It gives you the chance to sell your character rather than allowing an employer to deduce what they want from your list of jobs and usually incomplete list of responsibilities. It makes them want you and not the list of jobs you have, and in overcoming the 'hyperscrutiny' a normal CV goes under-you cut from black and white to colour of YOU as a person, not a list.

The mini or teaser CV must however not be flanel, BS or over playing your trumpet.

I sent out 30 - 40 open applications as HTML mail with a mini CV at the foot. I got over 80% replies and three likely interviews or discussions. IN fact I completely oversold myself to an industry sector starved of opportunities - they thought I could probably walk in with contacts and erm, contracts, clean up their ISO systems and get them bought out by a blue chip! BUT the response was huge, I mean it was more or less spamming people ! I targeted as many e-mails to personal e-.mail addresses, going so far as to send out a few enquiries to 'info@' addresses to shoe horn my way in further to director level. The end result was negative for me because I completely oversold myself in the prose, having followed the James Hoseasons route to self inflation!


Missing CV.....

Employers often skim read a letter and cut straight to your CV. A sly trick I used to also tease with was sending e-mails WITOUT the attached CV or just sending an application letter with "I will be delighted to prepare a CV highlighting my exact relevant experience".

In this way I at least got their interest and if I was a serious candidate from my letter then I would get a polite note- if they were assholes then I would get to know that from a terse reply. One boss gladly avoided!

Keep it in the Bag.....

I often write that sending your CV is the kiss of death.

What I think actually happens psychologically is the following-

When confronted with having to assess and judge a person the one responsible for the process wants to on the one hand be objective consciously and on the other stay in the comfort zone which is (variably with individual):

1. Avoiding true eye contact
2. Avoiding discussion which could reveal their personal or positional weaknesses
3. stay shy until they have to stick their turtle head out
4. avoid being judged by their own bosses, peers and those prospective coworkers under them! Exactly the fear a candidate may have!


The thing to crack is to break down the resistance to dialogue, number 2 above. Eye contact and some relaxing body language can be achieved not only in person but on the CV- your photo and an appropriate, corporate-mirroring style of prose on your letter and maybe CV.

I am often afraid to establish dialogue, because when selling myself I feel i stand on a cliff with all to fail infront of me at the hurdle. I get over this by applying for many jobs and actually getting job offers I would rather not take- in other words my nerves are distracted.

But those of you who can establish a dialogue and over come the bland objectivity being undertaken with yuour papers, will have allways the benefit in an equal fight. That is to say a position where you are equally qualified and there are no nepotistic candidates long up the feeding chain infront of you. Unfortunetly marketing has plenty of that, being a profession that many are not professionally qualified to get into but are!

So as stated this means most of all that you do most of the talking. You actually want them to talk more and ask the fewer questions. This is done both in your precalls, your follow up call, your call to ask for a cancelled interview...(need I go on) and of course in the INTERVIEW

So keep the CV in the bag- if you are presenting to an open application get them talking about their company first, then interupt them a little to steer them on to personal areas- hiring? downsizing? RIght sizing is a good thing to say- both out wiht dead wood and in with good new timber for the joists!

In an interview where they have your CV, try to spin sell them- get always away from YOU and onto them and what problems have been posed to lead to a vacancy. Get them then talking about the job tasks, demands and goals ahead. Then you stand armed to point to relevant facts on your CV, better yet brushing over your CV by mentioning a job or situation where you had responsibility and results which bode well for your potential employ here !

I remember my very first sales call, as good as it would probably get in a cold-appointment sale, where I was alone and I did not take out the brochure until we had established a bit of dialogue, and to the doctors, which patient group and problem-stilling I would like to discuss. I kept it in the bag.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Tips for Job Hunting - Msc Marketing class of 2010 / 2009 also

10 Toptastic Tips for getting You that First, Illusive Job in Marketing!

1. Look back in the papers and marketing magazines a YEAR ago to fifteen months for 'marketing assistant' level jobs. Mysteriously they come up again because of course, those who have used them as a first rung on the ladder have moved up or out! Phone up, ask about any possibilities or just send a spec letter asap before they need to bother advertising again!

2. Look at ad' agencies / web / PR etc company web sites for lists of clients, especially new ones. Find the marketing manager at those clients! They have a spend at least.

3. Work around recruitment consultants! Find out who the employer is, and why they are recruiting, say you are not interested, and then go direct. Especially when they are recruiting a to a new or expanding marketing department. I have landed three really good jobs this way - two by later follow ups having gone through consultants, and one by completely going direct after meeting a brick wall at the consultants Also if you have to go through them, get hold of business cards from the clients and leave your own...brings us on to 4...

4. Make a simple visit card aka business card with your contact details, what you study/have graduated in, and a photo. Leave it at all interviews and networking contacts. This is a lot more discreet than people actually keeping and passing on your CV. Print out on sticky back paper, stick to card and cut with a good guilotine. Or get a printer to do them for as many of you as have cash towards a couple of hundred quid.

5. Make a list of questions you have on a job as your first point after you see the advert. Always call the point of contact and remember to let them talk and describe what the job's actual work-tasks will be.

6. i)When doing open applications, give most emphasis on why you are interested in that company, industry and job function.
ii) DON'T SEND YOUR CV! Send a quick summary of you as a person with your first degree, dip marketing when you get your exam results and MSC marketing when you finish. A mini CV with a photo of you in business dress.

7. Go to sales job interviews at large (blue chip) or otherwise interesting companies :

i) Why bother ? ? ? Interviews for sales jobs are easy to get at large companies which are otherwise fortresses for marketing graduates!

When at the usual 'selection day' you can use some time to network with any marketers there
or at least get names out of personnel- marketing managers, brand managers and so on.

But remember - Discuss about being a rep and be positive. Do any group work or presentations as well as doing the best possible effort you can to impress all present.

ii) When they inevitably grill you about marketing as your choice, either agree and say maybe sales is only a short term route to marketing ( sales managers really hate this) or that on hearing more about the job, maybe it is not sales you want to work in- especially if you have a one to one with a personnel boss. Ask about working in marketing with them, not sales managers.

iii) If all their marketers have been in sales, or there are no opportunities right now in marketing, ask about temporary territory sales ie. cover jobs as a way into the company. These are ok paid, but the big pluss is that you get your expenses for living out a suitcase and a company car (otherwise forget it!) Your face is in the company, you get to meet marketers at training and conferences and you are available without the sales manager letting one of his prodigies leave to the temple of marketing.

8. Get into the local enterprise companies, Technology transfer offices, venture capital, and other government bodies or consultancies helping companies establish, grow and do marketing. Look for graduate placements or blagg some advisor work. Find out on companies who are really growing. or at least those doing a marketing project.

9. Try to find a previous MSc marketer, in a decent sized company, who will consider taking you on a two week shadowing. At the very least you will gain invaluable knowledge on the job, and you may get your face known and asked to put in a CV on spec.

10. i) Find out when interviews will be for an advertised job when you first call, or just phone a week after the deadline. Say you are very interested and would be able to come to a cancellation at short notice, even travel to the location just on the chance of getting in.

If you are a snake, when other class mates have interviews find out when they are...sometimes they will get another job offer and leave a gap, or you at least know which day to ask for cancellations on. At big interview days, ask other candidates what forthcoming companies they have interviews with and try it on there!


ii) another snakey thing is when you get an inteview but no further, is to wait about two or three weeks and ask if they managed to get the person employed or not. If it is an assistant level job then quite often there is an arguement about pay with the person under offer who has that ellusive work experience. Also really good candidates quite often have a choice of jobs and turn down one or other. Finally some companies suddenly refuse to pay decent relocation costs and candidates tell them to get stuffed.

If at fist you don't suceed...try, try again! Never place all your hopes on one job ,career route or company. Always have a couple at least on the go, and if you do get a knock back, you can ask if they will have other opportunities coming up soon. If you don't get an interview then there is little point in asking what was wrong with your CV actually- extenuate the positive by asking about future opportnities. Follow up a month after. With my previous advice, 5 second interviews will land you a great first job, or as in the recession today, a first job in marketing of some sorts! If you get a lot of first interviews, without progress, go back and ask them all what you could have done better or what experience you would need to be as good as the actual winner.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

More on Getting into Marketing-

To`The students of MSc Marketing, Strathclyde 2009-010! Relax! Floss...

I think I will take a bit of a radical departure from my previous advice on maybe taking (or needing to take) a sales job as an entry level to a larger or interesting company.

In outset you have the education in front of you which will equip you to work at a strategic level or at least understand much of what is going on around you in terms of this. You lack some of the practical, functional skills and much of the negotiating, presenting and convincing soft skills which can only come with life experience.

What you do not need is to sit in a car and drive about somewhat dissinterested potential customers all day, and what you may learn from a sales job can be in fact condensed into a very short period of ’placement’ for a month or two or even just work shadowing a rep in the field.

Rather than selling, it is a far better prospect for you with the MSc to get into a marketing department which has a decent budget ( spend of more than 300 000 € for b2b or over a million for consumer goods) Even if you start at the photocopier.

Why ? Well it is just use of time and brain cells, in context of all the others without any marketing education who can slug it out in sales. In many sales jobs 90% of your time is wasted in mundane travel, fluttering eyelids, wining and dining or offering big cash discounts for volume upsales and bring-forwards. The best sellers almost without exception in my own experience, have the biggest potential customers and use discount to get more out of them and make their targets on the top line.

The fact that the customer knows of their company through media channels, and furthermore has a product suited their needs to a reasonable starting price is all the hard and fascinating work that marketing do. The sales rep ”only” closes the deal if you ask me, in any form of a large market of customers.

Marketing in most respects, talks ”one to many” but more importantly ”listens many to one”- so anecdotal crap from sales reps about a new product or what customers really need must be taken in context of the many thousand customers you may have and the prospects out there.

However if your research and networking into a given company you would love to market for shows up that most everyone has to go through sales, find out the average time. Find out if there are temporary placements in sales on a larger graduate intake scheme. If everyone is in sales five years then do you really want to work in that kind of department (NO!) ??

With intakes to sales, the perspective to take is not to make yourself the worlds best seller within 2 years then try to get into marketing. The stand point is, from day one I am here to get asap into marketing! There are three ways-

One: flirt, network, suck up and be all over marketing if you are attractive, likeable and fun to be with! Make sure your new wee pals or flattered manager drop you a line when there is a marketing department job on the way. Get in early before the other reps.

Two; get some ’quick wins from the low hanging fruit’ ie ignore all the crappy customers and identify the biggest potential to grow or get in a new. Spend your time on them and forget those which are just small or intransigent. Sales managers will soon like your style, despite their wish you ”get round all the customers” as a newbie. When you have a couple of quick wins, flag them round a bit and blow your trumpet high up, then ask for a transfer into marketing there and then!

Thirdly, keep on looking for a marketing job, and when you even get an interview, start talking to personnel about your move into marketing in a casual manner. At six months in the job either threaten to leave, say you would much rather work in marketing or just use your company car to get round job interviews and land a job! Then either take that job or ask for an immediate move to marketign otherwise you will take that job. If you have a particularily valuable ’technical’¨background, then just threaten to leave if you donøt have a clear path to marketing within a year!

There will be a que of other sellers after jobs, but many will have the problem of being mortgaged or childrened up out in the sticks and not want the upheaval, not to say the probable drop in salary, in moving to an HQ marketing assistant, APM etc role.

In all three cases it is best to take a sales job near head office- you will have more meetings there, more excuses to drop in and more social possibilities with marketeers. Second best is being a ”commando seller” or covering a territory for a maternity leave person. There you maybe have an upper hand in being quicly available and not lost to the company. Companies ”like” to promote internally but usually marketing jobs, even photocopying, are roundly tied up as soon as they appear by networkers.

Having said ”start at the photocopier” I don’t mean being taken for a fool. Ensure you have secured some interesting and meanigful work- that is to say both some form of project work where you sit on a team and get tasks to do, and some departmental work such as helping with dataentry, analyses etc.

When you come into a department, or an ad agency, there will be plenty of first and second rung managers there who will feel a bit threatened by your MSc because in fact they have no actual education or are in the long slow book chase aka the CIM! So they will take this chance to dump on you a bit! Make sure you have real tasks to do and don’t let yourself get landed with crap all the time! If someone wants a pile of folders put together late one night, instead of just saying ”ok I’m the over willing little intern, thank you for shitting on my hair”, turn and say, ”well that would be a bit outside the usual, is there something a little more in it for me if I do a good job? Maybe some work in your brand groups?” If you get shat on, then at least you know to say you are too busy with that guya gain.

Avoid ambushes where you get called into your bosses office with the offending dumper being there smugly levering you into some mundaneity using the boss. Tacitally say you will think about it, and ask for a word with the boss when they rise up to leave, then complain like hell about being used for some shite like this and ask for payback or no way! Use it as an excuse to ask for more demanding, higher value work and say that the non educated interns can do some more donkey work while they learn marketing from the first step!!