The great thing about the advertising industry is that there is more than one way to break in. The bad thing about advertising is that there is no specific roadmap to follow to get your foot in the door, and you are competing with quite a few other people who are all vying for the same opportunity to break into the industry. You have to be persistent and leave no stone unturned, because there are opportunities - you just have to make them.

Each agency has its own culture, and usually has its own way of starting people out in the business. A relatively common policy at smaller creative boutiques is to start everyone as an administrative assistant first. This lets them get a sense of your talents, and allows you to see where you'd really like to go. The downside, of course, is that the work can be boring. The upside is that you tend to be promoted rather quickly (many times within six months).

Larger agencies tend to have formal training programs that rotate you through a number of departments to see where you fit in, and with whom you "click." These programs are very structured, very competitive and great training. WPP Group, for example, offers a three-year fellowship to give a lucky few the chance to work across different disciplines in any of the agencies within the WPP family (Ogilvy & Mather and J. Walter Thompson, to name two). You can find information about specific job openings on agency websites such as J. Walter Thompson, BBDO, Leo Burnett and Fallon Worldwide. Some large agencies recruit on campus - although this is the exception rather than the rule. (You've got a better shot if you go to school in New York City or at a very top school.) Finally, no matter what the policy or culture, if a friend or a contact within the agency recommends you and you effectively use your network of contacts (more on that to follow), you have a great shot at landing a job.