The Works launches graduate program with opportunity to land permanent job in agency
Three graduates who show outstanding creative flair will be given the opportunity to get a foot in the advertising door as part of a paid internship program, ‘The Works Grads’ launched by The Works, with one lucky candidate being taken on permanently by the agency.
Unlike the majority of other agency run graduate programs which target mainly account service positions and are not paid, The Works internship is open to any graduate who has a creative mind and ambition that is looking for their big break and wants to earn some money.
The Works invests heavily in developing its creative talent and believes the best result for clients comes from creatives who are actively engaged on their business rather than distanced by unnecessary layers of account service.
Entry for the internship program requires no formal advertising or marketing qualifications or training and there is no age limit on applicants – they just have to be a graduate who can show some serious creative potential.
The three successful candidates will get to work on some high-profile brands including Woolworths Everyday Rewards, Jim Beam, SKODA, Brother and Virgin Money. The internships will last between four and nine weeks with the candidates assessed throughout until there is one remaining who will be offered a full-time role at the agency.
Says Kevin Macmillan (pictured), creative partner and founder of The Works: “Encouraging and nurturing new creative talent is a top priority for us because without it we don’t have a business and we firmly believe that creatives need to be more closely integrated with clients at all times.
“These three internships are open to anyone that has a creative spark. There’s a good chance they will not have more formal advertising training but may have an interest in technology development, social media or content creation.
“It’s a rare opportunity to work on some major brand names, get experience and get paid for it as well. The person judged to be the most promising and most ambitious of the three will then be offered a full-time job at The Works.”
Those interested should submit an application form, CV and a 20 second video of their personal ambition. Twenty successful applicants will then be sent a creative test with a shortlist of ten making it through to the final round. They will attend a day long assessment at The Works made up of general and advertising-related tasks with three winning candidates starting on 12 March.
37 Comments
Don’t pick me.
The Apprentice called, they want their concept back.
“Twenty successful applicants will then be sent a creative test …”
I bet they won’t get twenty applicants in total. They shouldn’t, with this arrogant shite of a recruitment process.
The Works is a typical case of an agency with an abismal gap in between how they see themselves and what they actually are.
Take a TV show format and turn it into a recruitment process.
How novelly dreadful.
And the winner is…..anyone who doesn’t get a job at the works.
The person who wins, will replace the copywriter and art director who ‘designed’ the application process.. Ha
Still waiting for the agency who actually does something innovative by addressing the cliff edge at the other end, when seniors are dumped. Anyone can recruit a load of naive youngsters for next to nothing. Recognising the disgraceful way the industry treats its own would require an epistemic shift in attitude and genuinely new thinking. Hence it will never happen.
I can’t wait to apply for the four week audition for a lowly job at one of Sydney’s most uninteresting agencies!
Big break? Into what?
An industry that makes grads work 16 hours a day for less pocket money than eastern suburbs kindy kids, that exploits and ultimately crushes pubescent ambition before it’s had a chance to shine, that exposes fragile egos to the kind of vitriolic corporate politics that would have made Goebbels shudder, that refuses to be unionised, that recognises sponsored narcissism as a credible sport, that purports to be art……
There’s a reason there’s a talent shortage. It’s easier to make more money elsewhere without being treated as though you’re making shoes for Nike.
This is embarrassing. What a farce!!!!
Get a group of hopefuls squeeze them for ideas for nothing, put the ideas in “the bottom draw” for later and then pay a pittance to the survivor, shoot it on an iphone then sell it to desperate tv station for the unfortunate contemporary reality it is.
Kids, don’t start out working for a Micky Mouse agency. It’ll lead you into a life of mediocrity and a false sense of awesomeness.
This has got HR initiative slapped all over it.
@realist – dont forgot that, even though you may be burnt, disillusioned and bitter with the industry having had what must have been a an overly negative experience in your career, there are other people that have had fulfilling, illustrious and hugely rewarding careers. who’s to say the next gen might become one of these people rather than someone like you? if its all about the money – go work in the mines
re the response to this grad programme – any bi-partial commentators care to share the general reasons for the overtly negative response on here?
*impartial
I don’t disagree with some of the comments about the quality of the creative output of the Works but it’s a pretty sad indictment about our culture/industry that our default position is to slag the guys off for their initiative in getting new blood into the creative industry. They’re at least offering to pay the intern which is a giant step on what some of the more established agencies are doing.
At least The Works is offering this kind of opportunity to lowly graduates unlike your big global agencies that are making you such a miserable bunch. How is this any different to the Comms Council selection day at the end of their grad program? Or Clem 7 brains? I say well done to any agency that wants to give grads a chance- particularly in creative. Try finding a grad-level creative job when primadonna CDs won’t even give you 5 minutes of their precious machiatto-sipping time.
Good luck to Andrew and Hey on their The Works graduate program application. They’re gonna need it.
I don’t have a problem with an agency offering a job to grads per se. It’s just that the Works put themselves out there as a top creative agency, and never miss a chance to try to PR themselves as such. This idea of 10 graduates breaking their balls competing to win a job would be fine if it was a top agency, but they are a long way from that despite their attempts to convince us otherwise.
If my comment wasn’t censured, I would have made exactly the same point. This feels like a misguided PR exercise that only benefits The Works and no one else. Pull your head in guys.
@lolz
what do you expect them to do?
put themselves out there as a shitty agency?
sounds like beef to me
In my experience of that agency, the above comments seem rather warranted.
Unlikable vibe.
No Bill, not necessarily. But a humble, down to earth approach seems a lot more digestible and credible. This “Australian Idol” thing seems a bit too pretentious.
You should’ve kept it simple guys. I am convinced after reading this, that you’re being massively lampooned because you took something that’s supposed to be light hearted, even a bit altruistic into a competitive travesty. Trying way too hard.
Gotta love “The Jerks”
it would be good if people just admitted the obvious – that their problem lies with the agency rather than the grad program their running.
if you dont like them then just say it, rather than bagging what, to anyone without an agenda, looks like a decent opportunity.
ps – i dont work/know anyone at the joint
I’m the product of a grad program. Granted it wasn’t the works. But shit, it gave me a chance in the industry I’d never have had unless I was the son of a dude that ran an agency in the nineties, or some private school jockey who knows how to slap someone’s back while simultaneously tickling their balls. Not many people who got into this from TAFE, proud to say I’m one who slipped through.
The more the merrier. And never forget, it’s not where you start that counts.
I wish more agencies did this. Not for exploitation, but as an invaluable extension of uni,which is what all placements are.
God help who gets ‘awarded’ the chance to work at their ‘top notch creative agency’ It’s the pits, absolute pits. Seriously as stated in the many comments above, these guys are delusional in regard to what they think they are as an agency.
The vibe there is just awful, folks get sacked daily, an incredibly high staff turn over, it’s little wonder they need to run competitions like this to get staff.
Believe everything negative you have ever heard or read about these guys, it’s a sole crushing, belittling little shop. You’ve been warned.
Miserable cunts need to lighten the fuck up. We didn’t rape the pope.
I don’t know @employee if the comment you posted is evidence working at the Works has really given you a stunning wit and charm…NOT! It has even failed in teaching @worked at the works basic spelling .. “sole destroying”… sweet jesus!!
Another great demonstration that no matter how hard you try to manipulate it, The Campaign Brief blog will eventually expose you. If you have something to hide or an skeleton too many on the closet, beware. This is exactly why I love this blog. Without it, there will be no way to know who is who in our industry, where sometimes perception and reality are mutually exclusive. Thanks Campaign Brief.
Listen you negative pricks, we’re doing just peachy in here.. we didn’t do anything so fucking bad. Just trying to give interns a break.
Watch out awards shows in 2013, we’re killin’ it.
Employee, you are spending too much time hanging out with the beer fairies, mate. Lay down the bottle and get back to those Woolworth’s DM brochures mate.
ahh the comedy
“Watch out awards shows in 2013, we’re killin’ it.”
My advice to anyone trying to get that first ‘break’ in advertising; make sure you learn from the best.
That doesn’t mean you have to start your career at the best agency, nor does it it mean you’re limited to learning solely from your current agency.
Just don’t drink the Kool-aid at work or you’ll find yourself stuck there forever.
I want to thank The Works as having worked there I know that I will never step foot in an agency again. My experience in there was so bad I have enrolled into college to do something completely different. The attitude is all wrong in there. Everything that is toxic in the ad world you’ll find in there – and the egos my god. Thank you The Works – you opened up my eyes.