What are Typical Entry Level Jobs in the Advertising Industry?
If you're looking for an entry-level advertising job, you could become an advertising sales coordinator, junior copywriter, assistant art director, assistant media planner, assistant research executive or assistant account manager. Read on to learn more about these careers, including their job duties and requirements, employment outlooks and salaries.
Overview of Entry-Level Jobs in the Advertising Industry
The advertising industry is a competitive field with different variances of education and employment. In an entry-level position, you could end up compiling data, researching materials for marketing or designing layouts for advertisements, among other things.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutEntryLevelJobsInTheAdvertisingIndustry">Important Facts About Entry-Level Jobs in the Advertising Industry</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Required Education </td><td> High school diploma, undergraduate degree</td></tr>
<tr><td> On-the-Job Training </td><td> 1-year training programs</td></tr>
<tr><td> Work Environment </td><td> Full time, flexible schedules; weekends may be required; some deadlines might require tight schedules</td></tr>
<tr><td> Similar Occupations </td><td> Insurance sales agents, real estate brokers and sales agents, retail sales workers, cost estimators, operations research analysts</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---AdvertisingSalesCoordinator">Advertising Sales Coordinator</h3><p>An advertising sales coordinator is primarily responsible for contributing to the development of client presentations and proposals. Such a role requires frequent communication with clients. Sales calls may also be involved.
</p><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that sales managers usually need a bachelor's or master's degree, as well as work experience (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). These professionals are expected to experience an about average job growth of five percent over the 2021-2031 decade. <i>PayScale.com</i> reported in January 2023 that sales coordinators earned a median wage of $47,953.
</p><h3 id="section---JuniorCopywriter">Junior Copywriter</h3><p>A junior copywriter assists one or more copywriters in the development of advertisement text. Such a role may include editing and proofreading duties. A junior copywriter is generally involved with the development of promotional advertising and marketing materials.
</p><p>The BLS notes that writers and authors in general usually need a bachelor's degree. In addition, it reported that these professionals would experience average job decline of four percent from 2021-2031. In January 2023, <i>PayScale.com</i> reported a median salary of $56,299 for copywriters.
</p><h3 id="section---AssistantArtDirector">Assistant Art Director</h3><p>An employee in this entry-level advertising position is responsible for assisting at least one art director in the creation of layouts for print advertisements. Also involved in this job is assisting with the development of visual concepts and designs, as well as preparing paste-ups and rough lettering.
</p><p>The BLS notes that work experience and a bachelor's degree are usually needed for art director positions. Average job decline of four percent is expected for this career over the 2021-2031 decade. <i>PayScale.com</i> reported that assistant art directors earned a median wage of $51,984 in October 2022.
</p><h3 id="section---AssistantMediaPlanner">Assistant Media Planner</h3><p>An assistant media planner assists with the gathering and analysis of consumers' viewing and reading habits. An employee in such a role may also be responsible for evaluating editorial content.
</p><p>According to the BLS, a bachelor's degree is usually required for public relations specialists. Job growth in this field from 2021-2031 is expected to be at a rate of eight percent, which is about average. Assistant media planners earned a median wage of $40,396 in December 2022, according to <i>PayScale.com</i>.
</p><h3 id="section---AssistantResearchExecutive">Assistant Research Executive</h3><p>This advertising position involves assisting a research executive in the compilation of data and the development of research tools. Such a role involves the analysis and interpretation of a variety of advertising-related statistics.
</p><p>The BLS notes that market research analyst positions usually require a bachelor's degree, although some of these professionals need a master's degree. Job growth for these professionals is expected to be much faster than average, with a 19 percent growth rate expected over the 2021-2031 decade. Market research analysts and marketing specialists earned a median wage of $63,920 as of May 2021, according to the BLS.
</p><h3 id="section---AssistantAccountManager">Assistant Account Manager</h3><p>An assistant account manager assists one or more account managers in the role of liaison between the advertising agency and the client. This role includes effective and professional communication with the client as well as assisting in a variety of account management duties, such as monitoring the progress of a particular client's project.
</p><p>These professionals are grouped with wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives, and the BLS mentions that educational requirements can vary from a high school diploma to a bachelor's degree. Employment growth for these professionals is expected to be at an about average rate of four percent over the 2021-2031 decade. In December 2022, assistant account managers earned a median wage of $45,639, according to <i>PayScale.com</i>.</p>