Job Responsibilities
Before starting both undergrad and grad school (I worked for three years out of
high
school), I worked at a project manager at an advertising company. I was
responsible
for selling advertising at sporting events around the world to major
international
companies. As a manager, I also negotiated all the deals for everyone on my
team (8
people). I was responsible for training, motivating, and managing my team.
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Job Requirements
I didn't want to work in advertising forever, even though my bosses had said
that they
wanted to send me to Australia to help set up a new branch of the company over
there. I always intended to go to college, and I didn't find advertising
fulfilling. It
was a lot of fun, but I knew I was not accomplishing anything terribly
important. So, I
did my undergraduate degree at Northwestern, sociology major, economics minor,
and am now pursuing my JD at Northwestern University School of Law.
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Uppers
I loved the rush that I would get when I would negotiate the final price of of
my team's deals. I often spoke to managing directors and presidents of major
companies, and it would be just me and that other person. I can't believe I had
the confidence to do what I did. It is good that I was young when I was doing
that, 19-21, I had nothing to fear. After I would close a deal for someone else,
I loved the feeling that their trust in me had paid off. I was the youngest
person in the office and the only girl, so I worked really hard to establish my
credibility.
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Downers
I ddn't feel like the product of my work efforts was making the world a better
place. I
was just making money. Also, after a couple years, I felt that I had learned
all i could
at that job, I needed something more intellectually stimulating.
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Lifestyle
We would work rather long hours. Sometimes we would be selling advertising at
sports events in South America, or Europe, which is in a very different time zone
from Hong Kong. So we would get in at 9 am Hong Kong time, but stay later to
communicate with clients in other countries. I worked on weekends, but this is
because I wanted to be a manager. I was the only girl at the company, and
acceptable practices in Hong Kong is very different from the US. My bosses were
both British, and most of the other people at the company were Brits, too. There
was a lot of drinking and going to strip clubs. I didn't join them at the strip
clubs - I felt alienated at times, but my job didn't suffer - I was still
promoted over the boys because I performed better. The company would also take
us out to comedy clubs or for dinners, and there were some cruises, too. It was
work-hard, play hard environment.
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Compensation
I made only $200/week in base salary. I made 15% commission on each of my
deals,
and 2% commission for every one on my team. On a slow month, I would make about
$1,500, on a good month, I made $15,000. The Asian recession hurt the
advertising
business a lot, though. We always had better luck wokring in Europe. I was
most
successful selling to the Middle East. Kind of weird for a bi-racial American
girl of
19, but true.
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Advice to Jobseekers
Advertsing sales and management? Good to make money. But it's a charm game.
It's a lot of fun, but if you are intellectually incluned, you will learn all
the skills you
need in about three years. Also, you aren't contributing much to the world.
One
more advertisement or less is not affecting people's lives. I hear people say
that
advertising is important, because it informs the public about their choices,
etc.
Maybe every know and then you can make that argument, but it's mostly baloney.
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