Fast Company recently published a small piece on UpMo, a career tracking path. I took it for a test-drive and was told I need to spend more time building my network. Sage advice.
Maybe.
Creative advertising is too unique an industry for this thinking to really apply. As we wrote yesterday, networking's a good thing. But you can't network your way into an agency if your book is just so-so.
You can't get promoted to ACD or CD or ECD purely based on your network. At least not at an agency that values creativity.
And there are no categories in the One Show or Cannes for most connections on LinkedIn.
Once you're in the business, your network grows because of your reputation. And your reputation grows because of your work.
If you're a student or a junior, feel free to network. Join LinkedIn. Plot your career on UpMo. But realize that none of that matters if your book isn't absolutely amazing.
