Some agencies have creative recruiters. Some do not. Most of the big ones do. Here are some of the things you need to know about them:
- Not all recruiters have a creative background.
- Not all recruiters have an impeccable eye for great creative.
- Many recruiters do have a creative background and an impeccable eye for great creative.
- Almost all recruiters will be the main gatekeeper you must pass in getting an interview at an agency.
Should you send your work to the agency recruiter? Absolutely. Should you rely on the agency’s recruiter to follow up with you? To stay in contact? To call back? To remember your name? Nope. Those are all up to you. Send your pdfs and web links to others in the creative department. Sow as many seeds as you can.
How do you find out if an agency has a recruiter? Call and ask. But don’t stop there. Ask to be transferred to that person. Ask them questions. Their job is to get talent in the door, so they should be happy to talk to you. Build a rapport if you can. It’s not politicking. It’s getting a job.
MAKIN' ADS 
On adcritic’s website, they recently had a discussion about the industry and where we are at with this business and where we are going. Some very fortunate VCU students got to sit in on the discussion and had the opportunity to ask questions. One of the questions was what piece of advice would you give to someone coming out of school. Gerry Graf and Bob Greenberg both answered about finding a job and being persistent about it. Mr. Greenberg said: “You have to be relentless, that’s the only way you’ll get in.”. I think that’s very true. I remember a post where Greg had interviewed Gorz and he had said there’s a fine line between being a persistent and being obnoxious. I think that there’s an art to finding a job. I love work and love this business, I hate looking for a job (there’s a difference). Good post to identify a little more insight into an agency.
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