- Being able to work as part of a team. A successful career in advertising means being able to collaborate closely with others, from those at your level to people in management and more junior roles.
- Exceptional people skills. As well as others in your industry, if you’re working in advertising you’ll need to be able to communicate with clients too. People skills can be crucial as clients may be demanding or have expectations that need to be managed with insight and empathy.
- Effective decision making. If you’re able to weigh up your options, including the costs and benefits of your choices, and feed this into a decision making process then you’re more likely to achieve positive outcomes. It’s essential to be able to be decisive and to understand what your gut is telling you.
- Good with money. Advertising campaigns aren’t just about finding the right creative approach and working hard to put it into practice. You also need to be able to make the budget work. Ensuring that you can make the most of the resources available is key for forging a successful career in advertising.
- The application of creativity. Well developed creative skills will allow you to find new perspectives to communicate about an existing product or service.
- Solutions-orientated. Being a fast and effective problem solver will stand you in good stead in an advertising career. Issues can arise at any time and if you’re able to respond to these swiftly and effectively you’ll find yourself in great demand.
- Motivated and organised. It’s essential to be able to manage your own time so that you meet deadlines and deliver everything on time.
- Resilience and patience. Especially when you’re starting out in the advertising industry you’re going to make mistakes – this is how everyone learns. It may take time to see a campaign come to fruition or to find the right approach for a particular ad – if you’re patient and want to keep learning then you’ll find it easier to get ahead.
- Communication and persuasion. From the clients you work with to the consumers you’re targeting with your ads, being able to communicate and persuade is essential. Are they willing to try your product, provide an opinion or increase the campaign budget? If you have the skills to ensure they say yes then you are likely to go far.
- Being able to listen. This is probably one of the most important skills in advertising. Not only will it tell you what your clients are really trying to achieve but it will also shed light on what consumers want – and how you can work with both to achieve your goals.
Top 10 skills needs for advertising
What do you need to succeed in a career in advertising? This is a role that is essentially focused on communicating a significant element of an overall marketing strategy. To get ahead in advertising you’ll need to nurture a number of key skills.