June 2018 - Blog - Henry Nicholas

Entry-level positions in creative agencies are highly sought-after, and with a fresh batch of graduates entering the job market this summer, the race is already on to secure that all-important first role. In addition to this intense competition, employers are managing the amount and quality of applications they receive by demanding candidates possess one or two years of work experience. With such factors at play, what can entry-level candidates do to secure their spot on the first rung of the agency ladder? First of all, know what you want Many entry-level candidates make the mistake of assuming they need to apply for everything and accept the first offer they get. In fact, this scattergun approach only works to dilute your efforts and you’ll probably end up in a job you don’t want. Instead take the time to think about the factors that are important to you, such as the location, the type of work you want to do, workplace culture etc. This might narrow down your search to a handful of businesses, but that’s a good thing. Research these businesses extensively to find out what they do, who works there, key competitors and, most importantly, whether they’re currently hiring. Also remember that a lot of agencies use specialist recruiters (like Henry Nicholas, #justsaying) and a quick Google search can help you to identify the recruiter they’re working with. Get in touch with the recruiter, explain you’re looking for your first position with that company and ask if they’ll help you. If all of this sounds like a bit of a long-shot, think again; you’d be surprised how many people get placed, regardless of their experience level, by demonstrating such initiative. Internships and work experience placements Recent years have seen more paid internships and work experience placements than ever before. Although some only offer short placements, they are still helpful when it comes to proving to a potential employer that you have the necessary experience needed. If you do land a placement, make sure you live and breath every aspect of the business. Imagine it’s your permanent job and you want the boss to give you a promotion. Although it doesn’t happen every time, you may end up impressing them so much that you get offered something permanent. At the very least you’ll stand out for all of the right reasons, and you never know what opportunities might arise in the future. The side door If you’ve got your heart set on a particular organisation, it can be worth considering a position that isn’t in the precise area you’re looking for. While your dream is to be an account executive, the only role they might have on offer is in the post room. An opportunity like this can help you accrue valuable office experience along with the chance to learn more about the business and what everyone does there. As long as you make your intentions clear from the start about your desired career path and your reasons for taking the job, an employer is more than likely to find your passion and commitment to being a part of their business impressive. Check your attitude Graduate or not, the chances are that you’ve worked extremely hard to get to this point, and you should be proud of everything you’ve achieved. That being said, try not to let it go to your head. While you’ve just reached your educational peak, you’re only just getting started in the world of work, and although some entry-level tasks may seem easy (and, dare we say, menial), you should remain enthusiastic about the opportunity to embark on your career path. Always remember that if you’re great at the job, you’ll be earmarked for progression from day one. So, when the job spec says you’ll be making teas and coffees for guests, do it with gusto! Get inventive Sometimes you’ve got to think outside of the box to get your first agency job. Instead of sending your speculative applications to HR or a general recruitment email address, head to the agency’s LinkedIn page to see who works there. If you want to become a designer, contact the Head of Design. Looking at a social media position? Find out who oversees this area and drop them a message. And don’t be afraid to get a bit crafty too. Instead of asking if they have any roles, why not see if they’ll meet with you to tell you more about the company or offer advice and feedback on your portfolio. If you get a meeting, use the opportunity to tell them how much you admire the company and the work they do and ask if you can leave your CV for future consideration. Agencies receive A LOT of CVs every day, so an approach like this means you’ll stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking to land your first job in a creative agency, get in touch with the team at Henry Nicholas to find out more about the agencies we’re partnered with and the opportunities that are currently available.

As sponsors of a certain global football event and long-term FIFA partner, Visa has been everywhere in recent weeks with its Zlatan Ibrahimovic adverts sharing the benefits of making fast payments with Visa. However, on the 1st of June, a card network crash left millions of people unable to pay for goods and services across Europe. Major retailers quickly started confirming card purchases were failing and huge queues formed at petrol stations and supermarkets across the country. Visa apologised later that day, stating they had fallen "well short" of their goal to ensure cards worked reliably at all times. So serious was the incident that the Treasury Committee Chair Nicky Morgan wrote to Visa's chief executive officer in Europe, Charlotte Hogg, to demand answers over what led to the failure. With the World Cup kicking off this week, you might say the system failure couldn't have come at a worse time. However, Visa isn't the only company to have been a victim of a badly-timed PR nightmare. Here we take a look at five recent publicity catastrophes that have hit the headlines. Prepare to cringe... 1. Snapchat mocks domestic abuse In March, Snapchat came under fire when it ran an advert that mocked pop star Rihanna’s domestic abuse. Advertising an app called “Would You Rather?” it asked users, “Would you rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown?” Following a flurry of complaints from its users, Snapchat issued an apology and claimed the advert was approved in error and it was quickly removed. The PR nightmare didn’t stop there, with Rihanna posting a response to the advert on Instagram that condemned the app for its handling of domestic abuse: “Shame on you. Throw the whole app-ology away.” 2. Lady Doritos anyone? During an interview on the Freakonomics Radio podcast in January, chief executive of Doritos parent company PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi discussed the differences between men and women when it comes to eating crisps. She stated that women “don’t like to crunch too loudly in public” and “don’t lick their fingers generously” or “pour the little broken pieces and the flavour into their mouth.” Nooyi said the company was brainstorming women-specific snacks that would be marketed and packaged differently. It didn’t take long for the jokes and the anger to spread across social media, with people asking why snacks have to be gendered. PepsiCo issued a statement to assure people that Lady Doritos will not become a reality: “We already have Doritos for women - they’re called Doritos." 3. London Dungeon's grim Valentine's tweets Top attraction the London Dungeon found itself in hot water back in 2017 when its “Dark Valentine” social media campaign backfired following allegations of sexism and misogyny. The posts included jokes about Jack the Ripper and dead prostitutes (yes, really) and the company only made matters worse with an apology issued in the same branding as the offending campaign. People attacked the brand, accusing them of being insincere and misunderstanding the severity of the situation. 4. Currys PC World: Attention! Proof that the actions of a few can affect many. Currys PC World came under fire thanks to an unfortunate sign that was hung outside of a branch in Wrexham. The sign in the bin area behind the store read: “Attention Tramps - stop looking for valuables in our bins and start looking for a job.” Needless to say that passersby were less than impressed and quick to share it on social media. The manager of the store Iain Yarwood said: “I apologise for any offence that may have been caused to anyone who may have seen this sign at the back of the store. It is in no way an official notice and is not representative of the company’s or the store’s views. The sign has been removed and the matter is being dealt with internally.” Oh dear. 5. Thameslink gets burned Proving that brands always have to be careful when it comes to injecting humour into social media posts, Thameslink got into a spot of bother with execs at Poundland over a mocking tweet. Responding to a passenger, Thameslink tweeted appreciation that its service was “less Ferrero Rocher and more Poundland cooking chocolate”, which understandably got the back up of Poundland’s retail director Austin Cooke. He issued a statement directed at the chief executive of Thameslink’s parent firm, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which stated the retail outlet had successfully served 8 million shoppers last week: “But if we ever fall short, perhaps we’ll describe ourselves as a bit Thameslink. If you don’t want to hear from our extremely twitchy legal team, we suggest you remove your tweet.” Of course, Thameslink swiftly apologised for making the comment and deleted the offending tweet. Despite the media furore around these events, the real story comes from how these brands recover from such PR missteps. Are you a PR or marketing professional looking for your next big challenge? View our latest marketing and PR roles today.

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Visa’s own goal and other ill-timed PR mishaps

Talking Angular with Proctor + Stevenson’s Head of Front End Dev

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