The delightful Christopher Moon shares his tips on job hunting, interviewing and his first impression of working at an agency.  This ambitious and enthusiastic recent college grad made the move to agency life after a year of interning on the client side.  Welcome to the dark side.

You were interning on the client side during college… and now you’re at an agency for your first full-time job. What made you choose to come over to the dark side? 

I wanted to experience both sides of the business to understand and appreciate what each party does in order to design, plan, and execute these marketing campaigns into reality. It has been such an interesting switch for me so far, and I’m glad I made this choice!

“The contacts you have made through friends, internships, professors, and mentors will all help you in the end.” ~Chris Moon

Do you have any tips for recent college grads on looking for a job?

Most definitely. Take your what you learned in college seriously. The contacts you have made through friends, internships, professors, and mentors will all help you in the end.  Apply, follow up, and never lose hope. Right now, your full-time job is to look for jobs. Each and every position you apply for should have at least a slightly different resume and different cover letter. Set realistic goals for yourself. One of the worst things you can do is to wait till tomorrow.

“Right now, your full-time job is to look for jobs. ” ~Chris Moon

What tips do you have on interviewing?

Research the company. Know what position you’re going for, and what the company does. You aren’t a superstar, but you aren’t an average Joe either, so stay humble and sharp. Use the STAR approach to questions. If you don’t know what that is, Google it. Use common sense in each interview, like turning off your phone, arriving 15 minutes early, and dressing appropriately. There are loads of information out there on the internet that will help you. Do your due diligence and don’t expect the company to hold your hand through each step of the interview process.

“If you don’t know what that is, Google it.” ~Chris Moon

What do you love most about working at an agency?

This is a hard question to answer. I suppose I love the freedom we get as an agency the most. We have the freedom to express ideas in a very collaborative environment to hear from each side of our business like IT, Creative, Production, etc. to come up with realistic solutions for the client. We have long processes, but most of us here in the account side are down to earth and understand when the client would need to get things done and will do anything to make sure we meet deadlines, and we’re given the freedom to do what we can to meet those deadlines (given that it’s not an impossible task).

“We have the freedom to express ideas in a very collaborative environment…” ~Chris Moon

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned about working at an agency compared to working on the client side?

The most surprising thing I’ve learned while working in the agency was the amount of processes we go through in order to get a simple thing in place. After working in an agency, I have gone back to apologize to the people I used to work with when I was on the client side. Some admitted that they wanted to shoot me, over the phone, due to all the changes or criticism I might have had. I wasn’t a nightmare client, but I definitely do not think I was the easiest.

“I have gone back to apologize to the people I used to work with when I was on the client side…” ~Chris Moon

What advice would you like to give to someone before they become an Agency Addict?

I’d say to be open and ready to learn! Each and every person or job has a story or lesson that needs to be heard.