This Q&A first appeared in DNA Money edition on Saturday, May 18, 2013.
Sapna Srivastava, chief talent officer, JWT APAC, speaks about how the agency sees the Portfolio Night 11 initiative acting as a catalyst for the agency’s soon-to-be-introduced JWT Honours programme that focuses on creating long-term careers in advertising. Edited excerpts:
What prompted JWT to associate with Portfolio Night?
There were two compelling reasons for us take it up. First, to provide the young/ raw students a platform to showcase what they have done and are capable of doing. Secondly, we saw it as a great opportunity to identify bright talent (from the 90 participants) and eventually look into the possibilities of making them a part of JWT. We have always been and want to be known as an agency that helps build careers and hosting an event like this serves that purpose well.
How does the Portfolio Night approach to identifying budding talent?
As an organisation JWT India does not go to campuses as we feel we may not get the best of the candidates as there are many companies vying for the same pool of talent. The difference between campus recruitment and what we are doing through Portfolio Night is that here we’ve got people who are interested in a career in advertising. And while they are participating in the global event, they are actually coming to JWT. So we know these people are serious about a career and not using it as a stepping stone to go elsewhere.
So campus recruitment is not for creative talent and is largely restricted to account management roles for which hiring is done from B-schools.
What is the approach for recruiting creative people then?
There are many colleges that produce really good graduates. However, a lot of candidates write to us about wanting to start their careers and we generally choose from these applications.
Having said that, this year we are proactively launching a programme called ‘JWT Honours’, wherein we will go to colleges and make presentations about careers in JWT.
We will pick about 12 interns in every city, they will come and train with us for 12 weeks and create a book of work which will be evaluated and the best of the lot will be hired.
With this we are creating a whole new platform to help youngsters build their careers and Portfolio Night will act as a catalyst to our JWT Honours initiative, which will focus on creating long-term careers in advertising.
Could you tell us about the profile of candidates who have registered for the Portfolio Night event?
Majority for them are freshers who are either studying or have just passed out of their creative colleges. I think what they are really looking forward to from the event is a feedback on the work they have done while studying. Getting an opportunity to present their book of work to the likes of Prasoon Joshi or Piyush Pandey and getting a comment on what they’ve done is a great thing to have at the beginning of one’s career.
Even if the comment is negative, the young minds will know the direction they have to move thereafter; and if their work is good they will be highly appreciated. In fact, this year Portfolio Night will select the best of the creative minds from across the cities where this event is being hosted and fly them to New York where an All Stars Portfolio Night will be held. So one of the students from the Mumbai event will also go for this event.
Sapna Srivastava, chief talent officer, JWT APAC, speaks about how the agency sees the Portfolio Night 11 initiative acting as a catalyst for the agency’s soon-to-be-introduced JWT Honours programme that focuses on creating long-term careers in advertising. Edited excerpts:
What prompted JWT to associate with Portfolio Night?
There were two compelling reasons for us take it up. First, to provide the young/ raw students a platform to showcase what they have done and are capable of doing. Secondly, we saw it as a great opportunity to identify bright talent (from the 90 participants) and eventually look into the possibilities of making them a part of JWT. We have always been and want to be known as an agency that helps build careers and hosting an event like this serves that purpose well.
How does the Portfolio Night approach to identifying budding talent?
As an organisation JWT India does not go to campuses as we feel we may not get the best of the candidates as there are many companies vying for the same pool of talent. The difference between campus recruitment and what we are doing through Portfolio Night is that here we’ve got people who are interested in a career in advertising. And while they are participating in the global event, they are actually coming to JWT. So we know these people are serious about a career and not using it as a stepping stone to go elsewhere.
So campus recruitment is not for creative talent and is largely restricted to account management roles for which hiring is done from B-schools.
What is the approach for recruiting creative people then?
There are many colleges that produce really good graduates. However, a lot of candidates write to us about wanting to start their careers and we generally choose from these applications.
Having said that, this year we are proactively launching a programme called ‘JWT Honours’, wherein we will go to colleges and make presentations about careers in JWT.
We will pick about 12 interns in every city, they will come and train with us for 12 weeks and create a book of work which will be evaluated and the best of the lot will be hired.
With this we are creating a whole new platform to help youngsters build their careers and Portfolio Night will act as a catalyst to our JWT Honours initiative, which will focus on creating long-term careers in advertising.
Could you tell us about the profile of candidates who have registered for the Portfolio Night event?
Majority for them are freshers who are either studying or have just passed out of their creative colleges. I think what they are really looking forward to from the event is a feedback on the work they have done while studying. Getting an opportunity to present their book of work to the likes of Prasoon Joshi or Piyush Pandey and getting a comment on what they’ve done is a great thing to have at the beginning of one’s career.
Even if the comment is negative, the young minds will know the direction they have to move thereafter; and if their work is good they will be highly appreciated. In fact, this year Portfolio Night will select the best of the creative minds from across the cities where this event is being hosted and fly them to New York where an All Stars Portfolio Night will be held. So one of the students from the Mumbai event will also go for this event.
Colvyn Harris, CEO, JWT South Asia
We look at it as a initiative towards building a sustainable industry and ensuring that JWT continues to be at the forefront of what we do, that's one element of looking at it from a company's stand point.
From a clients' perspective, we always say that client is at the centre and, their brands and business are our primary concern. And if that is our key focus area then we have to have great talent in the industry and our company. When we say, creativity is at the heart of everything we do, then talent has to deliver on that purpose. The Portfolio Night 11 is fairly interlinked and features perspective from the company, industry and client.
We have 30 jury members (creative heads) and they will be meeting 3 participants each so 90 was our cap. We want the jury to have an in-depth look at the works being presented by each of the candidates and not just flip through it. We looked at a combination of space and time and arrived at the 90 number. Registrations have thus been closed for this years Portfolio Night event and we are now gearing up to hold the event next week at our office premises.
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