I’ve wanted to be an actress on Broadway since I was 4 years old. So after spending two years in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and another four getting a BA in English at Temple University, I moved to New York to break into “Show Business.” And like many would-be actresses before me, I found that the best job to have while pursing acting gigs was waiting tables. It left my days free for auditions and acting classes, the money was pretty good and you could eat all the hamburgers you wanted. I worked at a restaurant located in the heart of Broadway and frequented by other actors, producers, and agents as well as theater goers. One night an older guy in a suit sat at my table. Ever mindful of tips, I was my usual charming self when he asked if I was an actress, I wisecracked, “Are you kidding? Every waitress, busboy, and cabdriver in this city is an actor!” He then gave me his card and told me to call him. He was the head of commercial casting at William Morris – the world’s largest talent agency.

 
How to Blow Your Big Break

The next day I did go to see him and he told me that he had been waiting for me because I was perfect for Proctor & Gamble commercials. He wanted to present me to them as soon as possible but was flying to the coast the next day. I was supposed to call him in a week. I called three months later. Again, he told me he was serious about representing me but, he said, “You have to come in to see me every day. That’s the system. You stop in, check in with me. If I have anything you’d be right for, I’ll send you out for it. You do that every day until you land a role.” I never went back.

 

I realized that I had just blown my big break. I also realized that I didn’t want to do commercials and I probably didn’t want to be an actress. I loved acting but I HATED show business. Too unstable. Too crazy. I wanted other things like a husband, family, and steady paycheck. (Although not necessarily in that order.) Since I was working nights and all my friends and potential suitors were working days, I decided to get an office job and found a position as a receptionist in an ad agency.

 

Think Peggy in “Mad Men”

 I knew nothing about advertising except I didn’t want to act in commercials. But all I had to do at the reception desk was answer phones, hang up the coats of visiting clients, and read magazines. That was fun for about a day and a half. Then I got bored. So I roamed around the floor asking the secretaries if I could help them with their typing. (I typed 13 words a minute but figured it was better than re-reading Life Magazine for the 14^th time.)

 

About six months later the creative department secretary left for lunch just when one of the writers needed a piece of copy typed. He was working on another piece against a deadline so he didn’t have time to type it himself or wait for her. Knowing that I had helped out before, he asked me if I would give him a hand. I readily agreed and promptly started asking him questions about the format so I would get it right.

 

How to Drive HR Crazy

A week later the creative secretary went out to lunch again, this time to celebrate her promotion to junior copywriter. That meant her old job was available to other secretaries within the agency. The writer I had helped asked that I take over as her replacement. I still typed only 13 words a minute and the job was working for six writers including the head of the creative department who was a Senior Vice President. The HR people went ballistic. They had a list of secretaries with college degrees in advertising who typed 80 wpm and who had been waiting to transfer into the creative department for years. “Never mind,” said the writer to HR, “she asked questions and she understood the answers. She’ll learn to type faster. Give her the job.”

 

Decisions, Decisions

Two weeks after I became the creative department secretary I realized that I could do the writer’s job. Or maybe the art director’s job. (I studied painting as well as acting for years.)

Having no idea how to transition from secretary to copywriter, I decided to go to the top for information and advice. Although I was officially working for the writer (a Vice President), I decided to go directly to his boss, the Senior VP, Creative Director. (If you watch “Mad Men” this was the equivalent of Don Draper). I figured “Don” controlled the budget and was the ultimate decision maker anyway. (Of course, I told my immediate boss, the writer, of my intention and got his blessing before I tried this move.)

 

I knocked on “Don’s” door, ducked my head in, and asked if I could take him to lunch the next day.  He was so shocked by the question he said yes and off we went the next day. During lunch I showed him my paintings and essays. After seeing my art work he offered to sponsor me as a freelance artist (his wife and father were both movers and shakers in the NYC art scene) but I said no. I figured being a freelance painter wouldn’t be any more secure than being a freelance actor. When I expressed this belief, he said, “In that case, become a copywriter. You don’t need as much technical education as an art director and you’ll make more money.” Sounded good to me!  Then he offered to pay for my copywriting classes at the best school in town. Oh, and he picked up the check for my coke and tuna sandwich.

 

Nine months later I was promoted to junior copywriter. I had, in fact, been taking classes and writing ads for months before that. By the time my promotion came through I already had ads running in Playboy, Cosmopolitan and the New York Times. (Mind you, I was never paid for this work since it was done on my own time but I had the start of a great portfolio.) 

 

Job Search in a New Town

Eventually though, I was part of a downsizing at the agency (my first but by no means my last such experience). At that point I had met and was engaged to my husband and we decided to move back to my hometown, Philadelphia. Preparing for the move, I wrote to the Creative Directors of ten agencies in Philly telling them I would be in town about two weeks later and wanted to stop in to show them my book. All ten agreed to see me although only one agency had an opening. That agency hired me the day after I interviewed. (A few months after this I got a job offer from another agency and a third one called me about a year after that.)

 

The lessons I learned from these experiences are summarized below. I continue to use them myself and, as a coach, share them with others. Hope they help you too.

 

1. Know what you want to do and what you don’t want to do.

 

2. Realize that every job comes with a certain lifestyle. If the lifestyle is a bad fit for you,

 

3. Life is too short to waste it being bored. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

 

4. Look for ways to contribute even if they are not in your official job description.

5. Ask questions. Read. Watch the action around you. Enroll in classes.

 

6. If people like you, they’ll be willing to make allowances for what you don’t know.

 

7. Cut to the chase. Go to the decision maker if you want to know what it takes to

 

8. If you ask someone you trust for advice – take it. If you don’t think they know more

 

9. Don’t be afraid to give more than you get.  Altruism is inevitably a gift to yourself.

 

10.    Know what you want and ask for it. The worst thing that can happen is someone 

 

11. Be proactive about your job search. Don’t wait until the company you want to work

 

12. Don’t be afraid to ask important people for help. It boosts their egos and makes them