"I'm sorry, sir. But you can't come in."

With record low temperatures sweeping the country this month, this seems like a good time to share a story – a true tale for anyone preparing to enter the ad world and those in search of a job.

February 1986.

After working three jobs to pay my own way through college, I had just graduated with a degree in advertising from the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon and was prepared to take on the world.

Or so I thought.

My college advisor Jim Avery had suggested that New York and Chicago were good places to start, I think mostly because he had once worked there. I chose the latter because a friend of mine Mike Arnett had just moved to the Midwest a couple of months earlier and offered to put me up while I interviewed.

I started by writing letters to all the major agencies in Chicago, asking if they would look at my portfolio in-person while I was visiting. Some responded. Some didn’t. Fortunately, enough of them said yes to justify buying a plane ticket. I think I had about $700 to my name.

Now I had never been to The Windy City before and had no idea what the winter there was like. But my mom did. For my trip she bought me a charcoal Jones of New York wool suit and a full-length fake fur coat, both of which were bargains on sale I’m sure. She took great pride in scoring a deal.?

So, for two weeks, sleeping on Mike's couch and using his bathrobe for a blanket, I took the Green Line train from Oak Park into the city. And even though I wore five layers of clothes including my ski long johns, it was cold. Cold walking to the train. Cold on the train. Cold walking to interviews. The sort of arctic urban cold that made you feel like you were wearing nothing but a fig leaf.?

It was not as cold, however, as what I was about to experience.

After already interviewing at multiple agencies, the day came for my interview at Hal Riney & Partners, which had just opened a Chicago office after its rise to fame in San Francisco. I made sure to call the day before to confirm my meeting time as I couldn’t afford to waste the train fare.

The temperature was well-below zero with the wind chill and the agency was on the other side of town from the train station. By the time I got there, I was a human popsicle. Snot was frozen to my face, my fingernails were blue, but I had arrived in one solid piece.

Next to the locked front door of the building, there was a metal intercom box covered with ice. I took off one of my gloves, pressed the call button, and what happened next went like this.

“Hello, Hal Riney & Partners.”

“Hi. This is Jack Fund. I have an interview with so-and-so (I wish I could remember the creative director’s name for the life of me).”?

“I’m sorry sir, he’s not here.”

“Um, are you sure? I know he’s expecting me. I called yesterday to confirm our appointment.”

“I’m sorry sir, but he’s not here.”

“Can you check again?”

“He’s not here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, can I just come in and drop off my portfolio? I walked clear across town from the train station and I’m half frozen to death.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I’m sorry, sir. But you can’t come in.”

“You mean I can't just come in for a minute to get warm?”

“No.”

I couldn’t believe what my frozen ears had just heard. Not only had I been icily stood up, but they wouldn’t even let me come inside to thaw out.

Well, let’s just say it was a long, bitter walk back to the train station. Even a beauty parlor halfway back let me come inside and stand in the entryway to defrost for a moment.

I learned a lot that day. Mostly that it would take a lot more to get into advertising than I had ever possibly imagined, including an especially thick skin.?

The point of my story? Don’t give up. Ever. Shield yourself with resolve and resilience, passion and perseverance. You need more than a good portfolio to land a job in advertising (at any level). You need heart, fearlessness, determination and the will to make it happen.

And those are things that just can’t be taught.

I am currently available for freelance creative direction and copywriting projects. You can see some of my work at jackfundcreative.com and reach me at?[email protected].?

#advertising, #freelancecopywriter, #creativedirector, #UofO