By Victoria Knepp, Account Associate

You always hear people who work in agencies say, “every day is different,” and I couldn’t agree more.  Working in a marketing communications agency is definitely a one-of-a-kind job, and every day is definitely different. Agency life is starkly different than any other business structure, and I like to think it takes a special kind of person to excel in it. So what does it really take? Here are the five qualities I think you need to not only work, but to flourish in an agency.

1. Some serious time management skills.
In an agency you’re juggling multiple projects for a range of clients, plus internal work. In an agency your time is extremely valuable both to your clients and the agency itself. It is of utmost importance to work efficiently, and to do so, need to have a good grasp of the projects on your plate and how much time they are going to take you.

2. Make organization your right hand man.
I’m a list girl. I have a daily to-do list with prioritized tasks of what project I have, when the deadline is and who all on the internal and client team is also working on it. With countless projects for multiple clients that include : drafting a Twitter schedule, writing the content for an entire website, writing a news article, media monitoring, attending the Rasor Marketing Communications staff meeting and writing a blog (check!), oh and researching a new client, you have to be organized.

3. Learn how to drive a stick shift.
The marketing communications agency world and our clients live in a 24/7 media cycle that affects the direction of everything we do. An article, mention on the news or even a tweet could change the direction of an entire project and in an agency you have to be aware of that and have the ability to shift gears to adjust quickly and efficiently.

4. Dive in.
Here in the agency world, we like to call ourselves a “jack of all trades,” and no, we haven’t sung that song to our clients. Yet. My work for each client is different and my clients themselves are starkly different. In my time here, I’ve been assigned tactics that allow me to develop new skills and improve upon emerging ones. In situations like this, it’s important to try a new perspective, understand the value in the work, rely on your team’s insight, and more importantly your ability and creativity. New projects are opportunities to learn and grow.

5. But don’t forget to come up for air.
Did I make agency life sound hectic enough yet? Well, take a breather. Seriously, take one. In an agency there can be a lot of stress, working up to deadlines and the flexing to ever-evolving projects. With all of this it is important to know when to take a break and applaud yourself for what you’ve accomplished. I have made it a habit to take a walk every single day, even if it is only five minutes. It’s good for my sanity, my creativity and I need to get my extra steps in so I can beat my fiancé in Fitbit steps that day.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I swear by routine and I need everything in its place, but I love my job. I’m not sure if it is all the incredible people here at Rasor Marketing Communications or if it is our clients who always keep it interesting, but there’s something about the agency life here, and I know it’s for me.