No matter what your skill set is, working at a creative agency can take them to the next level. Reach out to a creative or advertising agency near you to inquire about internship or volunteer opportunities. 

Intern at a creative or advertising agency.

Get the hang of working in sales or customer service by applying to jobs where you'll interact with people regularly. Make a list of 5 local places where you might like to work and start applying!

Get experience working with people!

An elevator pitch is a quick sales pitch. Read these tips, then choose a company you like and try writing an elevator pitch for what they do. See if it works by testing it out on friends or family!

Make up your own "elevator pitch."

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Advertising Sales Agents

Sell or solicit advertising space, time, or media in publications, signage, TV, radio, or Internet establishments or public spaces.

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Enterprising

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Conventional

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

Social

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Sales and Related Occupations

Sales Representatives, Services

Prepare and deliver sales presentations to new and existing customers to sell new advertising programs and to protect and increase existing advertising.

Maintain assigned account bases while developing new accounts.

Provide clients with estimates of the costs of advertising products or services.

Locate and contact potential clients to offer advertising services.

Explain to customers how specific types of advertising will help promote their products or services in the most effective way possible.

Obtain and study information about clients' products, needs, problems, advertising history, and business practices to offer effective sales presentations and appropriate product assistance.

Prepare promotional plans, sales literature, media kits, and sales contracts, using computer.

Process all correspondence and paperwork related to accounts.

Draw up contracts for advertising work, and collect payments due.

Deliver advertising or illustration proofs to customers for approval.

Adobe Creative Cloud software

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Canva

Microsoft PowerPoint

Adobe InDesign

Microsoft Publisher

QuarkXPress

Email software

Microsoft Outlook

FileMaker Pro

Microsoft Access

Facebook

WordPress

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Dynamics

Salesforce software

Microsoft Office software

Laptop computers

Personal digital assistants PDA

Multi-line telephone systems

Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

How frequently does your job require you to use E-mail?

Every day

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

Extremely important

How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Once a week or more but not every day

How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?

A lot of freedom

Some freedom

How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?

To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?

Extremely competitive

Highly competitive

Moderately competitive

How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?

How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?

Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team

Advertising Sales Agents

Overview

Career

What Advertising Sales Agents Do

Other Job Titles Advertising Sales Agents May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Advertising Sales Agents

Overview

Career

What Advertising Sales Agents Do

Other Job Titles Advertising Sales Agents May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Advertising Sales Agents

Majors Related to Career

Related Leaders