What is it like to work as a secretary in a large marketing agency?

March 5, 2011 10:33 AM

Is a secretarial or clerical job in a marketing agency a reletively low stress 9-5 job?

Lately I have been weighing my career options and deciding what to do with my life. In my last question a few months ago, I was looking for an interesting job where I just work 9-5 and have work life balance. Since then I've decided my passion is marketing and that is really what I want to do. Since I know that these jobs are high-stress and since I'm exhausted from 4 years of school, I've decided to work at a low-key 9-5 job for a year or so first, so I'll have the motivation and energy I need to work hard and fully commit myself to a marketing career.

Also, I've been told that because I have a psychology degree, rather than a marketing degree, I'm going to face some barriers with breaking into the field, but that if I start out in a low level position at a big company, I can work my way up.

At this point I'm thinking, Ok, maybe I can kill two birds with one stone by starting out at a low position in the company and working my way up. Also, this would most likely be a job at a big marketing firm in Toronto.

My question is, if I took a low level position in a marketing agency (eg as a secretary or doing clerical work), would it be relatively low stress? By low stress I mean that I am quite happy to be busy and work hard on the job, as long as I can work set hours, have evenings and weekends to myself, and not take work home.

Thanks!
Vanessa

posted by Jade_bug to Work & Money (16 answers total)

It's going to really, really depend on the agency. There's no industry-wide standard for the hours or stress level of assistants. At some places, you can work 9-5 most days and then go home. At other places, you'll be expected to be there whenever your boss needs you, which could mean 12 hour days and big stress at busy times. You need to ask questions in the interview process to determine whether a particular job is right for you.
posted by decathecting at 10:42 AM on March 5, 2011

Best answer: Depending on the size of the agency, it doesn't really matter what your degree is. People will want to make sure that you know how to write really well, that you understand basic marketing concepts, you have the ability to manage projects, and you can think strategically.

If you're going to start out as a receptionist, make sure you state up front about what your career objectives are, because you may get pigeon-holed into the receptionist position.

As for the work being low-stress, if you're a receptionist, yes, it's low stress.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:58 AM on March 5, 2011

Not to be snarky or anything but what makes you think that an administrative assistant/secretary position will be so easily gotten? Those jobs while often thought of as "low level" require skill and experience and motivation. Do you have the skills, experience and motivation? If not, and if you happen to land such a position, then, yes, it will be stressful because you'll be doing a job you are unsuited for. And, by the way, many of these jobs require a BA and are highly competitive.
posted by Pineapplicious at 11:01 AM on March 5, 2011

Response by poster: Pineapplicious - good to know. In 2 months, I will have my BA. I did work as an admistrative assistant this past summer, and according to my boss, I caught on pretty quickly, compared to her previous hires. So that's why I'm leaning toward being an admin assistant.

That being said, I don't care if I'm a secretary or working in the mailroom or whatever...what I need right now is 1. A low stress job with set hours 2. An "in" in a marketing agency. (And preferably, something that I can get into quickly.) Are there any low level positions that you think would be more realistic to pursue?
posted by Jade_bug at 11:08 AM on March 5, 2011

Response by poster: decathecting - what sort of questions should I ask in an interview to find out the hours/stressfulness of the job, without branding myself as lazy?
posted by Jade_bug at 11:10 AM on March 5, 2011

You cannot start out in an admin position and work your way up without putting your heart and soul into your job.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:19 AM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Here's the thing about admin positions. They are low stress in that you do indeed have set hours and don't take work home with you. But when you're there, you are the person who ends up taking care of everything either no one knows how to deal with or no one feels like dealing with. Some days will be slow and monotonous and you will want to run out into traffic just for kicks. Some days will be absolutely hectic and you will want to run out into traffic because you can't take it anymore. But being an admin definitely gives you a good perspective on how any company is run; you really see everything.
posted by fairfax at 12:10 PM on March 5, 2011 [7 favorites]

Like others have said, it depends on the agency. Some agencies are relaxed and you leave at 5-6 with little to "real" stress. Others can be crazier and you will end up doing a little bit of everything and may work horrendously long hours.

Personally speaking, an agency I work at is relatively low key. The front admin usually leaves the standard time, 6pm, and rarely does she stay longer. However she does event planning for events once a month so of course she is there the entire time from pre-arranging to post-cleanup. But one thing of note, before this current admin my coworkers used to talk of a different admin. He actually wanted to use the position to try to transition in a producer route and failed miserably. Anything can happen, but I rarely see a transition from admin/assistant to any creative or development work.
posted by xtine at 12:17 PM on March 5, 2011

I don't know if marketing is similar, but in my field the days of working your way up from the mailroom are over. Entry-level jobs require much more specialized knowledge than in the past and there is a glut of overqualified applicants competing for the few openings that appear. With so many experienced people on the market it can be difficult to make an internal jump into a more desirable role. Even externally there will be a tendency to only be considered for roles that are similar to the one you already have. If your end goal is a career in marketing, I think it makes the most sense to start as high up on the ladder as possible.
posted by pravit at 12:44 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]

Here's the thing about admin positions. They are low stress in that you do indeed have set hours and don't take work home with you

This is not true for admins in the tech industry, at least in my experience. YMMV.

The rest of the plan doesn't make much sense to me [low end unrelated job --> ??? --> desired job], either, though. Also, in many companies, the road to marketing is actually knowing something about the industry, customers and product.
posted by rr at 1:05 PM on March 5, 2011

Best answer: KokuRyu: You cannot start out in an admin position and work your way up without putting your heart and soul into your job.

That's an understatement. More difficult than "admin" -> "something else" is "employee who takes it easy" -> "employee who is a rockstar." Doesn't happen. Your reputation in an organization is built on your early years there. Come in and bust your ass, and doors will open. Come in and take it easy, working 9-5 (when the rest of the culture isn't), and odds are you're not going anywhere else in that organization.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:12 PM on March 5, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: As someone who has worked at several ad agencies in his career (and who is currently at one), I can tell you that while the admins do typically leave on time and don't deal with nearly as many firedrills as the rest of us during the day, odds are it will not be a consistent 9-5 job.

More importantly, you will NEVER advance in this industry if you just put in the bare minimum. It is simply not an industry that is tolerant of that. If you managed to make it out of a receptionist role, what will happen is that if you don't bust your ass and work whatever hours are needed to get the job done, work will pile up, you won't get it done, and you'll get yourself fired. And work piles up really fast for folks on the lowest rungs since shit rolls downhill.

I manage a coordinator (someone fresh out of school) and I pile a lot on him. He handles it very diligently though and realizes that a big work load comes with being new. Could I take some work off his plate and do it myself? Sure. But then he wouldn't learn, and I wouldn't be able to pull myself out of the weeds which is the whole point of entry-level staff. Remember, you are there to make your boss's life easier, that part of that means being dependable and available when they (and more importantly, your clients) need you to be.

You want consistent hours? Go into banking, insurance, or a government job.
posted by Elminster24 at 1:50 PM on March 5, 2011 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I have spent several years trying to make that admin to professional transition and it is tough. Going in as an admin or receptionist, you'll have to work extra hard to prove yourself. I would try to get selected for entry-level marketing jobs, not clerical work. One thing to think about - sometimes smaller companies will lump in marketing tasks with the duties of the admin person. That may be a way to get some experience at lower stress levels.

I would also caution you not to describe your undergraduate degree as "exhausting" to employers. As someone who graduated (summa cum laude) from an undergraduate program while also working a stressful job full time and raising a toddler, it frankly makes me question whether you'll be able to perform at a professional level.
posted by jeoc at 2:03 PM on March 5, 2011

Nthing that admin work will get you pigeonholed as "just" an admin - both within your company and to future employers - unless you really show professional promise and consistently kick ass at your admin duties. It's not hard to get into an administrative position, but it's pretty hard to get out of it.

Also, don't underestimate the stress of work that you just don't like doing, even if it is "easy." It's easy to sort mail for three hours or clean up spilled coffee after people's meetings, but it's probably not something you'll look forward to doing on a daily basis.

You're still in school - you probably have a career development center and all sorts of networking opportunities at your disposal! - and your first job out of school can have a huge impact on the trajectory of your career. Unfortunately, this is the time you have to hit the ground running, not the time to take a break from the stress of college. Start now, do your research and know your shit, and make contacts.

I had an admin job right out of school, and I figured I'd work on transitioning into something professional in a year. Instead, I put in long dull hours in my admin job and kind of lost my motivation and self-esteem. If I had the last semester and year after college to do over again, I wouldn't take it easy. I would bust my fucking ass.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:01 PM on March 5, 2011 [3 favorites]

I wouldn't take it easy. I would bust my fucking ass.
Seconded a thousand times.
posted by jeoc at 7:16 PM on March 5, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks for all the great information everyone. I really appreciate it!
posted by Jade_bug at 7:43 PM on March 7, 2011