How to Build a Strong Design Team
28 May, 2025
3 reasons stopping people securing roles in Media Agencies
25 Sept, 20195 minsAnd 3 top tips to land your dream role... 1. Your application and first impressions wer...
And 3 top tips to land your dream role...
1. Your application and first impressions were poor
- Many candidates are let down because their CV is vague regarding their personal responsibilities and don't show off their skill sets.
- Employers want to know exactly what YOUR responsibilities are and what YOUR role entails on a day-to-day basis.
- Balance your experience: don’t include more information about your client or the team you work on than you include about your role and how you impact both the client and team.
- 2. Leaving a bad impression on a telephone interviewAvoid excessive background noise and bad signal wherever possible as it makes it hard for you to concentrate and hard for the employer to hear what you have to say. It also shows a lack of preparation for the call by not being in a quiet room!A lack of research into the company you’ve interviewed for
- Look up the person who’s calling you on Linkedin/ company website
- Research the agency, client and the employer in order to be able to ask thorough and relevant questions
- Know why you want to interview for the role in the first place!
Failing to build rapport often means that employers struggle to make a connection with you.- Just because the interview is over a call doesn’t mean there should be no pleasantries
- The aim of the call is for your interviewer to want to meet in person, so make sure you're building common ground
Some candidates I speak to struggle to explain their experience clearly and succinctly and it can be more challenging to make this come across clearly through a phone call- Practice beforehand (you can use your recruiter to help you!)
- Have your CV in front of you as a prompt
3. Your face-to-face interview went badlyIt’s important to build rapport with the person interviewing you: you’re in their office environment, and they’ll be picturing whether you’ll be a good fit and someone they want to see on the team every day!Equally, a lack of research into the company/role can be a problem at this stage too.Not asking enough questions is often the number one for negative feedback from our clients- It shows a lack of interest and enthusiasm for the role and company
- They may have answered the questions you had but do make sure to have lots more questions to ask – it shows an interest and enthusiasm for the role and company. Acknowledge that they’ve answered some questions you had, and say what it was they answered, then ask further questions around these topics or others.
It can be off-putting for employers when candidates are overly negative about previous or current employers- Being negative can cause employers to feel as if their opportunity doesn’t excite you enough as a reason for interviewing
- Or that you may be equally negative in your next place of work.
The difference between two candidates can often be as simple as producing an on-brand response to brief.- All presentations at an interview should be branded appropriately for the agency and client
- It is all about putting yourself in the position so that the employer can start to see you working with them
- Presentations should not have grammar/spelling mistakes in them (run a spell check and ask a friend or family to read through it)
- Many employers (especially within media) will be looking for a high level of attention to detail and will be judging this presentation as a way of seeing how you would present to clients – presentations should be thoroughly checked!
Happy job hunting…To apply to live media roles, please click HERE.If you have any further questions, please contact Amy Spring, HERE.
