That’s Stella

“I’m impressed… You sell yourself very well. Your personal presentation is of a high standard. Your awards and ambitions are fantastic. Very impressive.”

He was practically giving me the job!
But… (there’s a BUT)… I think I’m going to turn it down…

I applied for a job at an advertising agency on Friday. It was the first time I checked out Seek for months because I haven’t really been looking since graduating. And I come across this position at a boutique advertising agency. I had actually passed the due date for resumes, but thought I’d apply anyway. I’d never heard of the agency but figured I’d fish a little and see if I get a bite.

I was beyond surprised when I received a call from the Advertising Director today. We had a long chat about the position. As soon as he said the role would involve taking care of financials and accounts payable I didn’t have a good feeling about the position and went into TRUTH MODE, hoping that he’d be so turned off by my ugly truths that he’d be sorry for ever calling me. But my truths seemed to be even more endearing. I told him straight out that I nearly failed accounting and failed business statistics the first time, and only scraped by with 58% the second time - hey, that is why I’m in advertising! But I told him that I was good at budgeting for expensive clothes and holidays overseas. He really liked this.

There’s way too many factors working against me taking this job.
1. The pay is shit – I’m talking $25,000ish shitish. I worked my negotiation skills, but he said he couldn’t budge on the pay. Fuck! He was only offering HALF of what I earned at my last job. Money isn’t a top priority. I would be happy getting paid $20,000 for starter job at a top agency like Clemenger BBDO or Saatchi… but for a job involved in financials I’m gonna need money motivation to get me going.
2. He couldn’t guarantee there would be chance of promotions or that a better position like account co-ordinating or account management would even be available. THIS is a top priority.
3. Their “major” clients are shared with other agencies and are mainly local retailers – this means that because we’re the boutique agency, all the main creative and huge jobs would be undertaken by bigger agencies we share the client with.

Seriously, I think I have just been spoiled too much and hence my greater expectations. I mean I gotta say, if I had no experience whatsoever, this would be a dream job! But when you’ve been paid $500/hr for working on TV commercial concepts and worked with clients like Apple and Chanel and Bvlgari and Longchamp, I just figure I deserve to be a little more choosy.

I’m not completely desperate yet. I am still enjoying holidays and I still have work at one of the top agencies here coming up soon anyway, but not sure if it’s permanent…
Aw shit. I hope I’m not making a bad decision.
But surely if he can see how fantastic I am, other people can too… right?