Hire learning
In this ultracompetitive town, hard work is as important in a job search as it is in an actual job. We asked some of New York’s top headhunters to share tips on how to land a position in several of the city’s most desirable fields—and how to move up once you’re there.
By Scot Meyer Photographs by Meghan Petersen
Photo: Nikolaevich/Getty Images
Plus:
• Nice gig: We corral eight people with enviable occupations to find out just how they got where they are.
Art and design
Envision your desired career path early—that’s the suggestion of Rita Armstrong, a recruitment consultant with Roz Goldfarb Associates. Design schools are so specialized that the one you choose can affect the kinds of jobs you’re eligible for when you graduate.
Getting started
Do a lot of research. Adjust your portfolio to fit the work of companies you apply to. The Internet makes it easy; design studios post their recent work online. Be open to internships, which can provide experience and lead to good jobs. Don’t overprice yourself. Consult a headhunter—or a headhunter’s website—to find out about hot jobs and what they’re paying. “Be open to working outside New York,” Armstrong says. If you ultimately want to work here, spending a few years at a top design firm in, say, the Midwest may help you build your portfolio and gain the experience that’ll make you easier to place when you return.
Moving up
Figure out what you do well. “It sounds simple,” Armstrong says. “But a lot of people don’t know.” Listen up during performance reviews. Realize that climbing the ladder often means more management and less involvement with design, so you need to show that you’re capable of supervising people and projects. Freelancing can give you that experience, letting you interact directly with a client and oversee the work. Those satisfied customers will also be potential references.
Ditching your career for this one
Making the switch may go more smoothly if you have a marketing background or some experience with trend spotting. That might pave the way for a position in corporate design, perhaps as a design manager. The key is to show a record of innovation and a history of boosting product sales, whether they are online financial instruments or cans of soup. “You can end up having real input on the design direction based on that,” Armstrong says.
Marketing, advertising and public relations
To succeed in these fields you need the ability to create compelling brand identities—so start with one for yourself, suggests Peter Fitzpatrick, president of the international division of Gundersen Partners. Figure out what makes you special and then market those assets.
Getting started
Recognize that at the entry level, “everybody’s résumé looks the same,” Fitzpatrick says. To stand out, it helps if you’ve done an internship overseas, learned Spanish or Chinese, or put together a Web-based business with a couple of friends. In marketing and advertising you want to demonstrate a fresh perspective. For a job in public relations, which involves evoking good corporate citizenship, it’s good to have handled publicity for a local nonprofit.
Moving up
Specialize. In PR, that could mean becoming the expert in legislation affecting your organization, or cultivating relationships with people in government. Raise your profile by participating in trade organizations, such as the American Association of Advertising Agencies or the local chapter of the Direct Marketing Association; look for opportunities to speak or be part of a panel. “Improve your brand by developing a network of contacts that extends beyond your company,” Fitzpatrick says.
Ditching your career for this one
Expect a difficult transition, unless your reputation for being special transcends your industry. The person who developed the iPod could probably move easily from a consumer products job into advertising, Fitzpatrick says, while those responsible for the Geico gecko would likely be welcomed in most marketing departments. Lesser mortals should emphasize their product knowledge—for instance, by presenting their experience with a drug maker to an ad agency that specializes in pharmaceuticals. A journalist’s writing skills can be useful in public relations.
Internet and information technology
Don’t be discouraged by stories about jobs going overseas, says J.B. Homer Associates president Judy B. Homer: “Companies are not outsourcing their core competencies. And good technology people are actually in short supply.”
Getting started
Earn a degree in engineering, mathematics or computer science; combine the credentials with some business skills. While in school, intern with a big company to get corporate experience. But when you graduate, consider a small firm or a start-up, where you’ll probably work harder, but learn more and boost your visibility.
Moving up
Don’t let fear of failure prevent you from taking risks. “You’re in far greater jeopardy if you’re doing the same thing over and over again, staying in your little cubby,” Homer says. “The routine jobs are the ones that do get outsourced.” Learn new skills by taking advantage of certificate programs—usually about 17 credits— offered through Pace University and other institutions, or at technical schools like DeVry Institute of Technology. Consider pursuing an M.B.A. Recognize that your real value lies in promoting a profitable business and not necessarily in advancing technology’s leading edge.
Ditching your career for this one
Realize that your current job—whatever it is—has a technological component. “Pull back the curtain and see the technology behind what you do, and educate yourself about that,” Homer says. Build on the abilities you have. Organizational and leadership skills, coupled with the right courses, could set you up for a career in project and program management, for example, which allows you to concentrate on people and processes rather than the fundamentals of high tech. Or study to become a certified network technician and break into the business that way.
Nonprofits and philanthrophy
If you want to do well by doing good, prospects are excellent. The nonprofit sector is growing and needs new talent, says David Edell, president of DRG Executive Search Consultants.
Getting started
Try to find an organization that deals with a service or an issue you care deeply about. “If you’re a young person who’s not bringing many skills or experiences to the table, that enthusiasm will often be a determining factor,” Edell says. Take advantage of the fact that, like their counterparts in the private sector, many nonprofit organizations offer summer internships. Look for a position that will give you the most diverse areas of activity and responsibility.
Moving up
Don’t try to go elsewhere until you have a record of achievement. “Often people jump too soon, and when they’re asked what they accomplished in their previous job, it’s all unfinished business,” Edell says. Be attracted to a position—don’t just run away from one you hate. Take advantage of the master’s-degree and certificate programs being offered in nonprofit management; good options include NYU, Columbia University and Baruch College.
Ditching your career for this one
Be sure to volunteer if you haven’t worked in the nonprofit sector or served on an agency’s board of directors. You need to show that your interest is sincere; otherwise it looks as if you’re trying this because you couldn’t find a job elsewhere. Recognize that some work experience transfers more easily than others. You’re more likely to succeed with a background in sales, marketing, public relations, or finance and administration. Be realistic about what you’ll earn.
Media
Contrary to many young college grads’ expectations, this field offers more grunt work than glamour, according to Karen Danziger, executive vice president of industry specialists the Howard-Sloan-Koller Group. You’ll pay some serious dues if you want to break in or get ahead.
Getting started
Entry-level jobs are scarce, so be on the lookout for internships. Try getting a foot in the door as a freelancer, and offer to do anything for little or no pay. Start with small or regional publications, and don’t rule out trade magazines covering arcane industries like plastics manufacturing or mobile homes. If an interview yields an offer for the wrong job at the right publication, consider taking it. “It can put you in a position to do what you want there later,” Danziger says.
Moving up
Come up with story ideas beyond your usual scope. Take classes offered by the New School or Media Bistro; the latter also holds regular social and networking events. Attend the events put on by organizations such as the Magazine Publishers of America and the National Association of Broadcasters. “If you show that you’re ready for more and capable of doing more, good companies will recognize and reward that,” Danziger says. If your employer doesn’t, you’ll need to bring it up, but be diplomatic. Emphasize your urge to learn new things And don’t take shortcuts—plagiarism or dishonesty can destroy your career.
Ditching your career for this one
Leverage your strengths. If you have a medical or legal background, try to work for a publication that covers the field. Or write freelance articles that take advantage of your unique knowledge, and build up your clip book. “The most important thing is having ideas and knowing the audience,” Danziger says. Lawyers, accountants and financial planners can get into publishing if they can show that they are truly familiar with the magazine’s content, they know what interests the readers and can come up with fresh ways to provide that.
Financial sector
If you want a job that’s money, stay focused and be specific about your aims as you begin the networking process. “Don’t assume your family or friends know what a trader or an analyst does, or what arbitrage is,” says Dale Klamfoth, senior vice president at WJM Associates Inc. If the people you’re trying to network through don’t understand what you want to do, you’ll just waste your time.
Getting started
Don’t wait until you graduate; do an internship and start networking. Go to the alumni office and find people who work for the companies you’re interested in, and call them up. Get information and referrals. Look beyond the top-tier firms; smaller companies may give you more experience in less time. Don’t exclude venture-capital or private-equity firms: Many are small but they do big deals. Some freshly minted M.B.A.’s from top schools have an attitude of entitlement, Klamfoth says: “My advice is to lose it.”
Moving up
Look for a job inside your company before you consider leaving. The best move may be sideways rather than up; a job that pays a lot more is going to have higher risk. Emphasize your accomplishments and not just years of experience. “Don’t have a résumé that looks like an attendance report,” Klamfoth says. List things that you did faster or better—or innovatively.
Ditching your career for this one
Play up transferable skills. The ability to manage people is appreciated in any industry, as is tech savvy. Describe your capabilities and responsibilities using the language of finance. If you’ve worked in retail, don’t talk about sales per square foot or merchandise turns. Talk about loss and risk. If you lack management experience, think about the way you’ve “influenced without authority,” by which Klamfoth means getting people to do something when you can’t pull rank. Networking is critical. Find someone already established in the industry to guide you.
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