Media planner : Career development

Advertising is a multi-billion-pound business but employs relatively small numbers of people directly, although numbers are increasing year on year. There is strong competition for trainee posts as there are only a small number of vacancies each year and employers only want to take on the very best talent. However, once you have made a start in the industry, opportunities do exist, with career progression based largely on performance. Getting your foot in the door is the hardest part, but progression from there on can be rapid, providing you are willing to commit wholeheartedly to the industry and put the work in.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA)  operates a continuous professional development (CPD) accreditation standard, which is available to graduates working within IPA member agencies. Graduates employed by IPA members are also eligible to take part in IPA's seven-stage training programme, which provides a formal structure for career progression.

Most media staff start as trainees, joining a team of senior planners and buyers, working on a portfolio of accounts and learning on the job. Planning executives usually progress to become established planners or buyers after about a year. Promotion to a senior or management position brings added responsibility for a number of accounts and for the work of others.

A typical career path tends to be vertical for the first few years, and it is normal to reach senior level (i.e. account director) after a few years' experience. At this point, it is usual to broaden your career path. There are often opportunities within agencies to progress to working in a larger group, in related fields such as data planning, research or marketing. There are sometimes even opportunities to 'invent' new roles as it is the nature of the industry to be dynamic in order to keep in line with the ever changing requirements of clients.

Headhunting is common in the media industry and a planner or buyer may move between employers in order to increase their salary and to broaden their experience. Therefore your reputation and how you are perceived by others, both in your own company and externally, is of crucial importance to your future career development.