Online advertising is an exciting and growing industry. If you decide this is where your interest lies and you hope holds your next career, than take a couple of tips from someone who has just entered the online advertising agency world this year. Here are my simple suggestions to get to know the industry and build your resume for that oh-so-crucial interview!
#1: Know, understand and breathe Excel
Pivot tables are second nature at an online advertising agency. Data comes into Excel, and is then organized and pivoted to be easily analyzed by the team and reviewed by the client. To sum it up, Excel is the backbone. So if you don’t know much about all the uses for Excel or are a little rusty, here are some resources to help you get up to speed:
#2: Learn about 2 of the big interfaces, DoubleClick & AdWords
Unless you have already decided you would like to work in either PPC/search advertising or display advertising exclusively, it would be good to know a little bit about both. Make yourself a double threat! You can learn about how both of these interfaces are structured with just an email address. You can also watch a few tutorials, and if you are feeling really ambitious you can get yourself Google Certified for AdWords. Think about everything you’ll be able to talk about in an interview! Here are some ways to get started:
DoubleClick for Advertisers Training
# 3: Know the Industry
One of the lures of online advertising is the constant change. The industry always has new and exciting changes, whether it’s to platforms that we use, advances in design, or moving around of clients. Stay on top of this news with a few helpful blogs or set Google alerts for certain topics like PPC, online advertising, display advertising, and Real Time Bidding. Some good industry blogs to get you started are:
With some Excel skills in your back pocket, knowledge of the general workings of trafficking and reporting interfaces, and a little industry news to add to a conversation, you will set yourself up for online advertising success on your resume and in that interview! Good luck!
