Digital Agencies are a popular choice for entry-level graduates, but how do you know whether the agency you are working for is helping you along your career path? After working in 3 digital marketing agencies, here is an honest review of what really matters if you are looking to grow as a digital marketer in Singapore.
1. Learning new skills
Regardless whether you are working in a top digital agency in Singapore, or working for a boutique agency if you are a fresh graduate, learning new skills in digital marketing should be of utmost priority if you are looking to go far. Whether you are in a client servicing role, or managing campaigns and optimising them, you have to learn a new skill at the job.
If your agency isn’t sending you for courses, or there is no one to impart knowledge to you, it’s time to look for another agency. Don’t settle for the coffee-boy job even if you are working with the coolest colleagues or in the swankiest office in the heart of town. Look far and look long-term.
If you are an independent learner, that is even better. Take charge of your own learning, and any additional knowledge and skills will definitely show in the long-run.
2. “Agency culture”
An often-heard expression for working in an agency is “the agency life”, which refers to the fast-paced, never-ending nature of work, and the long working hours. Well, this expression is somewhat accurate, but this should not be the case all the time. If you are constantly working 7 days a week for 16-hour stretches, and new work comes in before you can clear your existing work – then the problem might not be you, but your agency’s manpower allocation.
Burnout and some weight gain is common, but health conditions as a result of work are not worth it.
3. Know your employee rights
Did you know that if your employer asks you to work overtime, you would need to be entitled to some form of additional compensation, be it OT meals or transportation home? Or if you are working on weekends by request, you can be entitled to 1.5 times of your regular pay rate?
If you are a fresh graduate stepping into work, all these are an employee’s rights that apply regardless where you are working at. Never, ever accept any situation at the workplace that you feel is out of line, and always take it upon yourself to check with local employment laws.
4. The climb gets better – but trickier
As you grow as a digital marketer, you will be given more opportunities and larger cases to handle – and these are opportunities for you to shine and climb even higher. But a wrong move can put you on the sidelines, especially if your role involves spending campaign monies. It also depends on how forgiving your agency is – boutique agencies might not be as forgiving as a larger agency with more budget to let you spend and learn on the go.
Hence, learn your digital marketing basics well and always apply them in your job.
5. Competing across borders
This is pertaining to the digital marketing landscape in general. As the world embraces remote working arrangements, don’t be surprised to find your agency losing clients to other digital agencies (or even freelancers) abroad. While international client-agency relations have always been present, Covid19 has accelerated this arrangement. Hence, don’t be surprised to find a freelancer winning over your client’s campaign after it ends. This has come down to a battle for the fittest and how well you and your digital agency can translate marketing dollars to leads.
6. Choose wisely
Even for a small country like Singapore, there are almost a hundred digital agencies providing digital marketing services to clients. Some are full-suite while some are specialists focusing on one or two domains of digital marketing. As a digital marketer, you would need to choose whether you wish to specialise in one or two domains, and what type of work environment you are looking for. Do your own research on the local agencies, be it review sites such as Glassdoor or employee review portals. Don’t settle for one-sided reviews which you might see while searching for terms such as “FirstCom Glassdoor”, and look at how the company presents itself on informal channels, such as social media. Even better if you manage to speak to a current employee who is willing to share accurately what the work culture is like.
However, there is no foolproof way to determine how great a digital agency fits your working style, and for many, they can only rely on trial and error. Leave when it doesn’t fit, and stay when it fits.
Parting Words
Digital marketing agencies are becoming popular for fresh graduates to work at, mainly because there are many fresh graduates like themselves there. But like any industry, be it engineering or teaching, only by being better at the job will you get to advance up the career ladder. Besides the learning itself, factors such as the type of agency, work culture, and respect for employees are also factors you need to consider. And of course, being familiar with computers and how the Internet works are a prerequisite for working in this industry. With this information in mind, you should be better equipped in identifying your career ladder if you choose to stay in this industry.
