How do you get a job in strategy?

The APG Arrive and Thrive is about bringing people together and helping them navigate a mysterious and sometimes alien world.

At a live event in London last week, we asked 5 very senior strategists, who have important roles in the industry, what advice they would give young people trying to find a way in.

The speakers were Jo Arden, CSO at AMV BBDO, Martin Beverley, former CSO of adam&eveDDB, APG co-chair and about to launch his own agency, Rosie Collins, former Head of Strategy at BBH and now a brand strategy consultant, Amy Gilmore, Head of Strategy at Accenture Song and Nicky Vita, Head of Strategy at Atomic.

The event wasn’t about knowledge and learning the sometimes weird vocabulary that planners and strategists use. It wasn’t about strategy ‘skills’ and knowing stuff. These can all be learned (especially through the APG!).

It was about how you make the best of yourself, what makes you special as a person and how to marshal that and your experience to make it work for you.

It was also designed to give very specific and practical advice about how to navigate your way into a job in strategy, including networking, doing interviews, and creating your personal brand.

They all spoke from personal experience and about their different routes into strategy: from a sales job in the north of England, or from South Africa, or moving into planning from account management.  And each of them compiled a list of massively helpful and practical pieces of advice that they shared.

My normal approach to event write-ups is to try and give a concise view of what was discussed with summary conclusions.

In this case you’re going to get a pretty much ‘as it was said’ version of the evening as all the tips were SO useful and I know from experience that everyone takes different things out that strike a chord or apply specially to them. So this is the whole smorgasbord of tips and advice.

Bear with. And start reading…

How to do corporate small talk and networking by Amy Gilmore

Most of us find being in a room with lots of other people trying to ‘network’ challenging, to say the least. And how do you begin?

Amy most helpfully identified that corporate small talk and networking are actually the same thing and outed herself as a ‘reformed small talker’! These are her tips, and they are terrific.

Tip 1: Re-brand it in your head. Stop thinking about awkward scenarios and worrying about being salesy. Concentrate instead on having an interesting chat with interesting people. That’s all it is! Go in with the mindset that you are engaged in the world and have things to say – it’s really just a friendly conversation.

Tip 2: Re-design it. You don’t have to network in big rooms full of people. Start by thinking of the situations in which you are most comfortable socially and do those. Many people are better one-on-one or over coffee – or on email, so choose the situations where you can be at your best. Get on LinkedIn and take it seriously. Project things you are passionate about or are your side hustle. Above all, be authentic.

Tip 3: Strategy super-powers are the same as networking

Strategy super-powers are curiosity and being a good listener. All you need is a big smile, an open mind and be prepared to respond.  Say your name, prep conversational openers and ask questions. They can be as simple as ‘how’s business?’ It’s all about just getting a conversation started. And ask personal questions about family or holidays if necessary. It’s just about forging the start of a connection.

Tip 4: People remember how you make them feel

Try and leave them feeling energised, surprised or excited.

Tip 5: Always follow up

Say thank you. It’s really powerful.

Share articles of interest.

Treat each connection differently. They are people!

Have a weekly re-connect plan.

Your Personal Story by Nicky Vita

Nicky’s background in South Africa and arrival in Britain 20 years gave her a particular ‘outsider’ perspective. The theme of her advice was to make your experience – whatever it is – into your superpower. Everyone has something to bring and what you have to do is work out ‘what I see that others don’t see or is not obvious to other people’

Tip 1: Frame your experience in terms of the value you bring

Recognise and use your difference to give others a different perspective and consciously make this your positive.

Tip 2: Be yourself

Authenticity is exciting and contagious.

Trying to fit in and hide your background doesn’t work. Nicky herself realised this when she was working on a global team and for the first time felt comfortable and that she could be herself. It allowed her to relax about who she was and where she came from and enabled to release her excitement about the work and ideas.

Tip 3: Find people and ask for help

Be proactive about your own development. Seek out support networks. Get involved in the APG! It’s OK to admit you can’t navigate politics – just ask for help!

Tip 4: Make every minute count

Use AI and think about combining technology with humanity. Think carefully about your unique perspective on a problem and make the one thing you say about it really count. Use AI for mundane things and apply your humanity to make them stand out.

Tip 5: Hustle!

Don’t be afraid to go after stuff.

And remember….Your story is your competitive advantage. Having an outsider perspective is valuable. The industry needs your unique voice

Interviews and how to manage them by Rosie Collins

Rosie acknowledged that it is a challenging market for jobs, but her rallying cry is ‘Don’t lose hope!’

Tip 1: You need to find the right thing for you

Interviews about you getting the right job. Thinking about it like that will put you at ease and give you some power in the situation.

In an interview, you need to find a way to connect with the person. Re-frame it as an enjoyable conversation where you will hope to leave a lasting impression.

So, you need to think in advance about ways you might drive the conversation and prepare for that.

Tip 2: Turn up as your true self

They are excited to meet you (or they wouldn’t have arranged it). Allow yourself to be you and it will help you feel at ease and bring out the best in you.

Tip 3: Demonstrate your curiosity

Show that you are out in the world and engaging with it. Bring your passion into the conversation and show how curiosity drives something in your life. Are you part of something? Do you write? Work it out and find chances to talk about it – it will help you stand out.

Tip 4: Demonstrate empathy

What do you know about people, especially outside you own group? Connecting with other people will be your job so show how you make those connections

Tip 5: Express a point of view

Think in advance about your stance on things that are relevant; creativity or campaigns. You will need to have a point of view from day one and be ready to be questioned on it

Tip 6: Make sure you are an active participant in the conversation

Have a question ready to ask. It could be about the person interviewing you or the agency or something you’re just curious about or want to pick up from earlier in the conversation

Building a personal brand by Martin Beverley

This is literally Martin’s own words as he left his notes behind. And they are obviously better than mine!

In this industry, we are so focused on selling stuff

that we can forget to sell ourselves.

We spend a lot of time talking about BRANDS, defining brands and, if we are lucky, growing brands.

However, we don’t seem to spend much time on PERSONAL brands.

And personal brands are really important when it comes to getting a job and having a successful career.

How do you build a personal brand?

If we keep it simple - there are two steps:

1) Define yourself

2) Express yourself

Step 1: Define yourself

• Who are you? No, really. Who are you really and truly?

• What do you love to do? What stirs your soul?

• What do you hate doing?

• Who are you when you are at your best and at your happiest?

• What is special about you?

• How would your friends and family describe you?

• What do people say when you are not in the room?

• How would you define your personal brand? (essence, mission, beliefs,

personality, distinctive assets).

• Where do you see yourself in your wildest ambitious dreams?

Step 2: Express yourself

• Show up (70-90% of success is apparently just showing up)

• Show up with body language - energy is infectious and beats everything

• Show what you are capable of by creating a portfoilo

• Show up in all the channels that matter (google yourself, get over the LinkedIn

‘ick’, target influencers, turn up at events like this one)

• Show up at people’s doors - if you don’t knock, they won’t open

• Show up in ways that let you shine and help others shine too

Make space for annual, personal brand planning

Where are you?

Why are you there?

Where do you want to be?

How can you get there?

How might you re-define yourself and re-express yourself?

In summary

• We spend a lot of time selling stuff and not much time selling ourselves

• So, we need to not just think about brands, but also our personal brand

• Start by defining yourself: What makes you ‘you’ when you are at your best?

• Then express yourself: Show up consistently and with conviction in all the

spaces and places that can make a difference

• Keep re-defining and re-expressing yourself to get to where you want to be

Networking by Jo Arden

Jo claims only to have written one CV in her life, and that was to get a job in sales – specifically recruiting builders to building sites in Manchester.  All her subsequent roles have been through knowing people; networking.

She felt that experience in sales was invaluable because it meant talking to people all the time and being resilient. It became a formative element of her personality.

Tip 1: Have a plan

Work out why you want a network and act on that. It may be just to get a job. That’s fine. But it might be to get better at your job – just know your purpose.

Think about who you want to connect with - not just strategists. You will really benefit from having a network of creative people.

Be intentional about how you connect and have an idea about what you want to do next or eventually.

Tip 2: Know what the value exchange is

What can you give back? Probably your relevance – your youth and your perspective on the world. What are your passion points? Talk about them

And be candid about your agenda. Say if you are in the market for a job and give reasons why you have contacted that person.

Tip 3: Follow up

Build your network and nourish it by keeping in touch. Follow up twice: immediately and a couple of weeks later.  Assume they are busy and may not come back quickly or at all. It unlikely to be personal – they probably have a lot on!

Tip 4: Build broad, not up

Don’t just get in touch with people who are hiring. They may not have the right job for you. People in your peer group can be as much if not more useful to you. Focus on team not bosses.

Some hacks

If you’re networking in a room, speak to the person on the phone in the corner. They will be nervous and dying to have someone to talk to.

If you’re at a dinner and know hardly anyone, stand by the seating plan and engage people in chat.

And even if you hate networking, just try to speak to two new people. That in itself is success!

And a few notes on CVs

Make it short, simple and clear.

Assume people will hardly read it.

Work with a recruiter to dial it up and down according to what you need.

If you are from outside the UK culture, have an interesting observation showing that you are looking at it through a questioning lens.

And include something unexpected or surprising about you that can spark a conversation when you meet.

Sarah Newman

APG Director