BEING ACCEPTED FOR WHO YOU ARE
On your next job interview, pace yourself as you walk from the reception area to the big window office. Peer into a few cubicles and down the back halls. Check out who's in the glass conference room.
No matter what your background is, what you see (or don't see) matters. Look for evidence that—whether Hispanic, black, white, young, not-so-young, gay, straight, Catholic, Muslim, etc.—you will be accepted for exactly who you are.
Our country was founded and grew powerful by acknowledging its diversity. Now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the country faces its next big challenge as we move toward a balanced, diversified population that will no longer consist of minority segments, but will evolve into the new mass market.
This has a direct effect on you and the advertising career path you take.
If you're part of today's majority, look to work at agencies that are actively taking steps to make their workforce the truest reflection of America. If you will be part of tomorrow's majority, ask your future employers tough questions about how the agency is recruiting and
retaining the next generation of agency leadership and what benchmarks they've set for achieving those goals. Ultimately, you're looking for a place where you will feel at home because, when you do, you will naturally give it your all.
At Draftfcb, we set clear minority hiring goals a few years back and have made progress in achieving them. Our first priority was to earn the respect of the country's best entry-level black, Hispanic and Asian-American talent through formal recruiting at universities such
as Howard, VCU, UCLA and USC. By 2007, we had made real strides in hiring minorities. As we plan for 2009, we'll continue to strengthen the pipeline of minority entry-level employees while further broadening
our diversity efforts with the professional staff at mid-manager levels and above.
We also will continue to offer internships and hire minorities through the First Step Job Training Program created by the Coalition for the Homeless and will continue to host an annual Small Business, Diversity Vendor Supplier Relationship Conference.
We see this as just the beginning of what we will ultimately achieve: balance and acceptance for all.
For those addicted to the TV show "Mad Men," it's easy to see the parallels between today's diversity discussions and those the ad industry faced in the 1960s. At the beginning, there was tokenism, sure. But eventually, agency execs and clients grew to understand the business advantages of having smart women on staff who represented the thinking of 50 percent of American consumers and a majority of this country's purchasing power.
The indomitable spirit and talent of women such as Charlotte Beers (Ogilvy & Mather), Jo Foxworth (McCann-Erickson), Valerie Graves (Vigilante), Mary Wells Lawrence (Wells Rich Greene), Shirley Polykoff (Foote, Cone & Belding) and Carol H. Williams led that first blast of change. It's our intent to do everything we can to
continue what they started by hiring and promoting talented individuals who represent the diversity that makes our country great and giving them the comfort, confidence and opportunity to succeed.
WHY WE WORK HERE
We asked staff members from two departments to tell us what they like best.
"Over eight years, Draftfcb has been totally supportive of my desires and wishes in terms of the specific value I could add and where I wanted to work. There has been tremendous openness in allowing me to move between departments and offices. Further, the Wheel model of teamwork has opened up the work atmosphere and everyone feels 'heard.' The unquestioning support and openness has been a major factor in my personal and professional growth."
R.P. Kumar
Senior VP-Account Planning, New York
"The great team chemistry we have in Interactive is a real asset to all of us. It feels like I work on a team of experts, and we are all constantly learning from each other about the ever-changing online space so we can produce well-informed work for and present unique opportunities to our clients."
Laura Clark
Interactive Media Planner, Chicago
