So you want to work at an ad agency? You just gotta do an internship.

In recent weeks I've been on the hunt for Creative Civilization's next round of interns for our award-winning ad agency. In my pursuit of the best candidates around, I have utilized the traditional outreach to the universities, created buzz using our agency's social media platforms and even went to a university campus to recruit students face-to-face.

One trend I have noticed is that everyone wants to work for an ad agency, but there's an overall lack of familiarity with the dynamics of agency life. In general, I find that most students, no matter what university they come from, seem unaware of the difference between disciplines in a full service ad agency.

I usually hear a lot of versions of this: "I'm interested in account service. Or PR. Or copywriting. Media? Whatever!"

Ah, no. Not whatever.
Public relations, media, creative and account service are separate areas. Although we work together to build integrated marketing campaigns - our disciplines are different and most of the people who work at an agency have diverse backgrounds that prepared them to do their specific jobs.

This is why I encourage students to partake in internship programs before graduation. The beauty of doing an internship before you graduate is that it provides students with a hands-on experience that will help you decide if you're on the right path and if agency life is for you.

One university that does an excellent job of educating its students on the importance of job training and internships before graduation is Texas State University - San Marcos. (Twitter @txst) Our agency works closely with Charles Kaufman the Internship, Scholarship and Career Development Coordinator for Texas State's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. I wish more universities would use Texas State as a model for preparing their students for the workforce. So, hats off to you, Texas State!

For students who are interested in working for an ad agency, I encourage you to talk to professionals who are already doing the work. Don't be afraid to contact them and ask questions. Don't have time for an internship? Maybe you can job shadow for a week. The point is: get familiar with your talents and try to match them with the needs of the organization you want to work for.

Whether you are looking at an agency, a corporation or non-profit, you should know your audience and know yourself. You can always contact me at theprblog@gmail.com if you have any questions.