ABSTRACT
People are the essence of the advertising business. Most advertising managers indicate that they spend as much as two-thirds of their time and attention on their job. Solving personnel problems may represent approximately 70% of all the problems solved at an advertising company. People get into advertising because they feel it is creative, exciting and fun. The reason that there is such a divide between potential employee and employer in advertising is the fundamental needs for each. Many advertising firms have a variety of methods for assessing talent and cultural fit. Some firms use personality tests or aptitude tests to better understand a potential employee. A media planning and buying firm asks potential entry-level candidates to do simple math equations in their head. Few employees or managers like annual performance reviews. The best reviews happen when the criteria are agreed on by both parties and they are career oriented and not a list of meaningless items.
