Uncompromising positions

The job Advertising exec

The status: Today’s ad industry bears little resemblance to the three-martini-lunch business portrayed on Mad Men. In fact, it bears little resemblance to what it was even five years ago. New media creates new specialties: Product placement in video games, social-networking sites, viral videos and mobile phones. “It’s a revolution being driven by technology,” says J Walter Thompson CEO Bob Jeffrey. And according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ad employment in NYC is edging up. At last count, there were 46,149 jobs—up 3.3 percent from the year before.

The game plan: Tech-savvy people have an edge, as do those with marketing and business skills. “A good slogan doesn’t carry the day anymore,” says Michael Drexler, founder of executive search firm DrexlerGellerAssociates. “Agencies want people who can use market research tools and analyze sales and demographic data.” For industry contacts, Drexler suggests you join the Advertising Club of New York (theadvertisingclub.org) and research all the trade associations (such as the American Association of Advertising Agencies: aaaa.org). And “think of yourself as a brand,” Jeffrey says. Recently someone got his attention with an e-mail that used politically incorrect language to showcase some bold ideas.

Our hookup: If you’re a whiz with digital technology, CEO Bob Jeffrey is interested in your (m)ad skills. Send your résumé via timeoutnewyork.com/jobhookup.—Scot Meyer