Working Freelance in the Agency World

Mark Bovey is a creative who spends his time between his photography and career. He explains his role and how he is able to work with different agencies as a freelancer and the benefits this has to his career and future career goals.

A Media Buyer/Planner identifies the best mix of media channels to deliver effective marketing or advertising messages to the targeted audience. He or she would negotiate with media vendors for media space and time, monitor placements and manage contracts.  A Media Buyer also uses research data to decide on the best media strategy for product/brand exposure within the allocated budget.

Media Planners must have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and they will discuss advertising strategy with clients.

Media Planners must have strong interpersonal and communication skills, and they will discuss advertising strategy with clients. They also analyze and research market demographics and collaborate with the communication team to best reach the targeted audience.

A degree in advertising, marketing, business management or communication is generally required for this position. Little to no experience is required for entry into this position, and training usually occurs on the job.

Creative Director with Vision Critical
Vancouver, BC

Marketing and Communications Officer with Nothern College
Timmins, ON

Freelance Editorial Designer with Mediaplanet Publishing
Toronto, ON

Marketing Coordinator with STM
Mississauga, ON

Marketing Director with Mayfair Shopping Centre
Victoria, BC

Marketing Co-ordinator (Contract) with Hopewell Residential
Calgary, AB

Communications & Engagement Specialist with BuildDirect
Vancouver, BC

Director of Communications and Marketing with STM College
Saskatoon, SK

Field Marketing Manager with FINCAD
Surrey, BC

<a href="http://www.freshgigs.ca/blog/graphic-designer-salary-by-province-infographic/"><img title="Graphic Designer Salary Infographic" alt="Graphic Designer Salary Infographic" src="http://www.freshgigs.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Salary_graphic_Canada_IG_FINAL_II-425x1024.jpg"></a>
<a href="http://www.freshgigs.ca/">Infographic brought to you by FreshGigs.ca</a>

Considering how much time we spend in the office, it’s no wonder occasional hook-ups or office romances take place. Especially at the end of the night, after those rare open-bar agency theme parties.

Hooking-up, getting it on, grown-up serious relationships, going steady, booty calls: whatever you call it, whatever you’re having – it’s becoming more and more prevalent, and in some circles, accepted in the workplace.

What if you have to attend the same meeting? Ride the elevator together? End up microwaving your Lean Cuisines at the same time in the lunchroom?

Did you know Michelle and Barak Obama met on the job? Back in 1989, he was a summer associate at a law firm and she was his supervisor.

Office Romance by the Numbers

Vault.com did a survey in 2011 on people’s perspective of office romance, and the results were quite interesting.

• 59% of respondents admitted to having an office romance.
• 23.3% of men report having short-term flings vs. 15.4% of women.
• 22.2% of women report having more long-term, serious relationships vs. 14.7% of men.

In our own FreshGigs.ca job survey, 20% of respondents said they had dated someone at work and 29% said they would.

When asked what makes an office romance unacceptable, respondents said it would not be cool if the relationship were between a superior and subordinate (um, Mrs. Obama.), if the two parties were in the same department, or if they are working on projects together. 

Click to Tweet: Take the Office Romance Poll

This research paper by Columbus State student Michelle Baron revealed that those who engage in office romance really don’t feel the need to keep it a secret. Which is good because as many as 31% of office hook-ups end up with a walk down the isle. (Mazal tov!)

Nor do I want to hear ABOUT my coworkers making out on top of the photocopier.

One Person’s Account 

Kendra has met her last two significant others at the office.  The first was while she was working at eBay. “Since eBay was a seriously corporate environment, when we made it official we told our bosses. We weren’t on different levels in terms of superiority so it wasn’t too big a deal but we wanted to make sure we weren’t breaking any rules.” 

I asked Kendra about some of the downfalls of dating a coworker. “Unfortunately” she said, “in this case, one of the few things we had in common was work so we ended up talking about that a lot. I think that’s a really easy trap to fall into when you meet someone at the office. You have to make sure you’ve got other shit to talk about or do together.”

Love Contracts

Each company will have their own sets of rules and guidelines when it comes to getting it on with your co-workers. Some companies go as far as making their employees sign what are called “love contracts”.

“A love contract policy establishes workplace guidelines for dating or romantically involved coworkers. The love contract is a required document signed by the two employees in a consensual dating relationship that declares that the relationship is by consent. Additionally, organizations may include guidelines on behavior appropriate at work for the dating couple.”

I suppose this isn’t such a bad thing as I’m really not interested in finding my coworkers making out on top of the photocopier. Nor do I want to hear ABOUT my coworkers making out on top of the photocopier.

If you’re involved in an office romance, do check your company’s policy about those sorts of things. Tell your boss if need be, but try to be a little discreet. Maybe refrain from grabbing each other’s butts as you pass in the hallway, or French kissing congratulations on landing the new client. No one needs to see that.

When Good Things Go Bad

Be prepared for some fall-out when your office romance comes to an end. Love contracts, and announcing your relationship to your superiors is one way to help the company avoid any possible issues with claims of sexual harassment. But it doesn’t always work that way.

Toronto employment lawyer Daniel A. Lublin wrote a special article for The Globe & Mail last year exposing a variety of sexual harassment claims in the workplace. Some were resulting from what initiated as consensual sexual relationships.

Mr. Lublin said “I get my fair share of calls each year from both women and men who believe that I can turn the mere presence of a sexual relationship (even the shortest kind) with a senior employee into a six-figure settlement.”

Oh, And You Still Have to See Each other Everyday

Ending a relationship with a co-worker can get ugly. And it can result in inter-office issues such as a lack of productivity (because you’re too busy hating each other), an inability (see: refusal) to work together, and all-together really uncomfortable situations for your coworkers.

If neither of you quit, the situation might eventually get better, but you have a long road ahead of you before you reach that point. What if you have to attend the same meeting? Ride the elevator together? End up microwaving your Lean Cuisines at the same time in the lunchroom?

The bottom line is that it might seem like a good idea at the time, but this girl prefers to live by the old adage of “never dip your pen in the company ink.”

This infographic was created by Julia Morra and Trevor Gourley. Originally posted here: http://bigorangeslide.com/2011/10/infographic-the-anatomy-of-an-agency

Art and copy never used to co-exist. In fact, they weren’t even neighbours!
The art department and the copy department lived in two different areas within an agency but they never worked together. You can see how far the role of the art director has come and how the position has become unified with the copywriter.

Where as once upon a time, the writer and art director may not have even crossed paths at the water cooler, today they are best buddies at the local watering hole.

Check out this short film on how life used to be in the advertising world:

(Update: The original film shared he from Youtube is no longer available. The film’s trailer has been added instead).

More details on the film available here: http://www.artandcopyfilm.com

13: Streamline Tasks With One List.

Whether you are analog or high tech, having your to-do list stored and easily referenced can keep you focused on the task at hand, save precious seconds on searching, and free your mind from having to remember items. Which equals focus for your current project. I keep my daily lists down to what I have deemed a manageable 7 items.

Favourite Tools: Clear, Evernote, spiral bound notebook and a pen.

Find a way to record your thoughts and reminders that works for you, create a habit from this, and stick to it.

12: Make Monthly Goals.

Whether you have a self directed or are held accountable externally, having monthly (quarterly, weekly, daily) goals and priorities help free you from being caught up “fire drills” and when you look back at all that you’ve accomplished, it can set you up for another brilliant month.

Goal Setting: I ask myself, what are the 3 things I want to accomplish this month? And then I reference this list as I build my weekly action plans.

11. Write It Down.

We can only keep so many thoughts in our mind at one time. Find a way to record your thoughts and reminders that works for you, create a habit from this, and stick to it. Freeing up your mind just might just yield a new idea!

My mind’s “hard drives:” Evernote, Google Docs, and a trusty notebook by the bed

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10: Do One Thing At A Time.

Being pulled in many directions simultaneously is par for the hyper-connected course. When you channel your attention (and avoid the distractions of social media) there’s a better chance of completing the task, followed by a sense of accomplishment, and a load off of your mind. Ever notice when you check a number of things off a list, how easy it is to just keep going? Laser focus is a productivity accelerant!

Searching for your own time bandits? I use RescueTime

9. Take Small Bites Out of Big Projects.

Let’s pretend you have an event to plan. To get started you list it on your to-do’s. But planning an event, or promoting a new feature, or any other multi aspect endeavor can feel overwhelming. Having small, easy to execute, and specifically written tasks make moving foward easier, which equals faster results.

Your inbox is not your to do list. Delete anything that you are not going to take action on, it feels good to hit that button. Do it often!

Here are a few examples of good and bad task names:

Bad: Plan Event. Good: Write a 10 step action plan for the XXXX Event.

Bad: Look into venues. Good: Email 3 potential venues for event.

Bad: Promote Event!!!! Good: Post Event on Facebook.

8: Your Mind Needs a Break.

There are times in the day when it can feel like we’re running out of steam. Instead of fighting it, take a break. Recognize when you need to step away, and actually walk away.  It may sound counterproductive, but breaks actually make you more productive. Many of my own “walk for coffee” breaks have resulted in the most creative spurts. And that’s before the caffeine jolt hits!

Try Dejal, and scheduling your Mac to shut down.

7: Get Your Sleep.

Studies and thought leaders like Arianna Huffington continue to tell us that we are not as productive when we are sleep deprived and tired. With a full night’s sleep, our decision making capabilities increase. Try it. And then in the morning, try tackling a problem/project that daunted you the night before.

6. Do The Thing You Loath First.

Mornings (or whenever you wake up) offers the clearest and most disciplined time of the day. So before you check your email, or launch into something mundane (and likely easy), tackle something that has been looming over you. You will have more brain power, resulting in getting it done faster and will have started your day off with a win.

5. Say No.

Part of successful project management is deciding where to focus your energy and resources. Once I let go of the fear of missing out on something it became easier to decipher what events, projects, etc would be wise to partake in, and which it was important to pass on, not necessarily just because they were misaligned with goals, but because in taking on too many, one runs the risk of doing a poor job on many, instead of a great job on a few. In my experience, people appreciate a well thought out “no” instead of a wishy washy yes, or worse, a no show.

4: Master Your Schedule

A calendar is a must first step in taking ownership of time, place and duration. Meetings, especially face to face ones, can derail a potentially productive day. To counter, I first decide if video or a phone call will suffice. Many people that I’ve met appreciate the brevity and convenience of a scheduled phone call — and often times it’s the suggestion of a phone call versus meeting in person that secures the connection! For face to face meetups, I block off 2-3 afternoons for out of office meetings, selecting one central neighbourhood to meet and building additional meetings based on the time and location of the first one booked.

3: Delegate And Delete.

My two favourite words. Delegate your inbox and your actions to yourself or others (if appropriate) and get it the heck out of your inbox. Your inbox is not your to do list. Delete anything that you are not going to take action on, it feels good to hit that button. Do it often!

My favourite apps: Boomerang, Google Tasks

2: Connect To Your Peer Community

Different from the communities you may manage, having a professional peer circle helps us learn, grow and offers support. Whether it’s joining a LinkedIn Group, attending meetups or taking time to meet offline for coffee, I’ve most often found having these connections helps “fill up” the idea cup!

1. Think About Time Realistically.

You (hopefully) have a realistic budget for groceries, rent, etc. Do you have a time budget? Set realistic benchmarks, based on your own personal history to set yourself up for time successes. Knowing the answers to the mundane “how long does it really take you to leave the house”, to the more work specific “how much time does it actually take me to write a blog post” helps us own our life’s schedule. And, at least for me, the more budgeted I am with my time, the more saved time I find to pursue passion projects.

I’d love to hear about your productivity tips. Use the comment section here are get in touch via Twitter.

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Bio:
Former Yelp Canada Community + Marketing Director, Crystal Henrickson spends her days helping Vancouver startups cultivate community while keeping her CM plate full with @ChimpFund – a charity + tech startup. You can get in touch with her on Twitter (@marketing_girl).

Speaker List

• Doug Stephens, Retail & Consumer Futurist, Founder of Retail Prophet
• Lyn Heward, Director of Creation, Cirque du Soleil
• Ryan Holiday, Author & Director of Marketing, American Apparel
• Tamara Mendelsohn, VP of Marketing, Eventbrite

The 3 Part Marketing Conference

This year’s conference comes in three parts:
1. Conference – from 8am to 4:30pm
2. Speed Networking – from 4:30pm – 15th floor.
3. Penthouse Party – from 7pm onwards on “The Roof”

Coordinates and More

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, 900 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W6 Canada | 8:00am to 5:00pm

Registration

You can find full details on the event and register here: BCAMA Vision Conference

Asking for a raise is one of the most important and necessary skills an employee can have (especially one early in their career). And yet despite the importance of acquiring this skill, it remains an elusive, terrifying mountain to conquer.

Many of us know what we should do in order to increase the odds that we get a raise. Yet knowing what to do and actually following through are two very different things.

If you’re trying to be average then by all means go ahead and group yourself with everyone else.

This article isn’t going to tell you what to do; it’s going to tell you what not to do. I’m writing this with the hope that you notice things you’re not doing, rather than seeing things you need to do. It’s a subtle difference, but I believe that shining the light on bad practices can be a better motivator than showing the perfect way forward.

If you’re going to take action after reading this article, make sure you do the opposite of what I describe. Here’s how not to ask for a raise.

1. Forget about timing.

Whether you’re still on probation or 6 months into a new job, it’s never too early to ask for a raise. The most important thing (really, the only thing that matters) is that you’re well compensated.

Companies look favorably upon employees that ask for raises early and often. Stand out from your coworkers that ask only once per year and make it a priority to increase your pay. After all, what else matters?

2. Ask your manager out of the blue.

One of the best tactics to get a raise is to surprise your manager with the request. If you book a meeting with them and tell them the purpose, they’ll have time to prepare their strategy to deny your raise request.

Surprising them puts them on the defensive and you on the attack. As long as you present a strong enough personality they’ll be compelled to give you what you’re asking for.

Plus, demonstrating how you can attack with strong negotiation skills will show management that you’re a rising star in the company. Just make sure your manager is as unprepared as possible for the negotiation, and your chances of getting a raise will go up dramatically.

3. Don’t check market rates for your position.

What everyone else in your position gets paid is irrelevant. If you’re trying to be average then by all means go ahead and group yourself with everyone else. Management counts on this type of data in order to deny raise requests.

If you go in with confidence and a clear disregard for market rates, however, your chances for a raise will definitely go up.

4. Forget about accomplishments.

Detailing your accomplishments and calculating your ROI to the company is thought to be a great strategy to increase the odds of getting a raise. However, when data is available, it gives management the opportunity to disregard and downplay your impact to the company.

Like I’ve outlined above, getting a raise is all about being aggressive and catching your manager when they’re not ready. Bringing numbers into the equation will put management on the offensive and will force you to play defense.

All you have to do to win a negotiation is to bring passion and aggressiveness to the table.

5. Forget about negotiation tactics. Management knows them all.

Learning about negotiation before asking for a raise is a well-known strategy. After all, if you know the tactics, you’ll do better. Right?

Remember that management knows these tactics as well. And the general rule of thumb is if two identical strategies are played against each other, the winner will emerge only by chance.

All you have to do to win a negotiation is to bring passion and aggressiveness to the table. Think of it like this – try to overwhelm your unsuspecting manager when asking for a raise. Bring you’re A game to the table. And don’t leave their office without getting what you want.

6. Don’t ask for endorsements from coworkers.

Many negotiation strategies involve asking coworkers for letters of recommendation. The theory goes like this – if you have others endorse your work and how you have helped them succeed, management will be more likely to see your worth to the organization.

Forget about it. An endorsement from a coworker is an element out of your control. Anything they write can be ripped apart and analyzed until the original meaning is lost. Plus, it allows management to take a step back and think about your request.

Remember, it’s all about the “shock and awe” approach. Bring in the big guns.

7. Use email to ask for a raise.

Shock and awe doesn’t always have to be in person. Recognize your own limitations. If you’re someone who’s naturally shy or gets intimidated easily it may not be the best idea to have an in-person discussion with your manager.

Don’t forget that email can be intimidating as well. Make heavy use of capital letters to get your point across. If you decide to go with the email approach, make sure your email can’t be lost in their inbox. I highly recommend using capital letters in the subject line to ensure that it stands out.

8. Last but not least – don’t forget that you’re entitled to a raise

Simply showing up to work and clocking in for 8 hours per day entitles you to a raise. You don’t have to be a star performer before asking for more money. Think about turnover rates – it’s more expensive for the employer to hire someone new than to give you a raise whenever you ask for it.

It’s not about workplace performance. It’s about intimidation.

Do the opposite.

Did the above look ridiculous? Good. And yet despite this, have you found yourself doing any of these?

Asking for a raise is no easy task, but there’s no excuse for following any of the above principles. Apply the opposite of the above points and you’ll find yourself in a much stronger position to earn a raise.

The Sources

There were many sources that I researched for this article. As I took their advice and wrote exactly the opposite, I didn’t want to attribute them directly in the body of the article.

For some great advice, please see the following links:

12 smart ways to ask for a raise

How to ask for a raise during tough times

How to ask for a pay raise

Asking for a raise: some do’s and don’ts

How to ask for a raise

How to get a raise when they’re not handing them out

How to win friends and influence people

Write your terrifying/successful/unexpected story about asking for a raise below. What surprised you? Were you prepared? Anything else that you’ve proven effective?