First-Day Faux Pas

It was August 1961, and Jerry Della Femina had the first-day-on-the-job jitters. He walked into Daniel & Charles in the only suit he owned. "I was sweating in the $22 winter suit I bought at Korvettes," says Della Femina. "I figured it was better to be warm in the summer than cold in the winter." Upon entering his small office, he absent-mindedly knocked over a bowl of Pez, a confectionary client of the New York agency. He was on his hands and knees scooping up the candy when he heard the sound of Pez crumbling under feet. Agency chairman Charlie Goldschmidt had walked in to find his 25-year-old junior copywriter on the floor. He told him to go to the office of the account director who would reveal Della Femina's first assignment."I was terrified," says Della Femina, 66, chairman of Della Femina Rothschild Jeary and Partners in New York. After learning he'd be working on the Ethan Allen account and assuring the AE he knew what he was doing, he returned to his office. "I went upstairs, closed my door and heaved into the wastebasket," says Della Femina. "That was the beginning of my career."Things quickly improved for the former New York Times messenger boy. About two years after joining the creative boutique, Della Femina was named copy chief. Richard Kirshenbaum's first day in the ad business was the antithesis of Della Femina's. In September 1983, he walked into Korey Kay & Partners clad in his beige Saks Fifth Avenue summer interview suit, Italian loafers and a fake Patek Philippe watch he'd bought on Canal Street. The 21-year-old Newhouse grad was vying for a coveted writing spot and showed his enthusiasm by working free for Lois Korey. "I was the first generation of men working for the first generation of female executives," says Kirshenbaum. "I had no attitude." He started as a receptionist and stuffed public relations kits when he wasn't carrying coffee, picking up Korey's dry cleaning or hanging up her mink coat. "No matter how menial the job was, I did it with a smile on my face," says Kirshenbaum. The lessons learned have proved invaluable. The most powerful people are the most gracious, says Kirshenbaum, who runs his 16-year-old shop with Jon Bond. "I started out doing these things, and now I'm doing them again as chairman." He escorts visitors from the elevator and ensures they have what they need when they reach his office. "You need to make people feel comfortable and then you can get down to business," he says.Being friendly is a key to success, agrees New York recruiter Sharon Spielman, managing director of Jerry Fields Associates. She advises people starting a new job to get on a first-name basis with the support staff of their boss and their boss's boss. Everyone is important, and no one should be ignored.Other advice for newcomers: Keep your mouth shut and your ears open, says New York recruiter Paul Gumbinner, president of The Gumbinner Co. Observe, take notes, then ask questions.And, perhaps most important, love the one you're with, advises Gumbinner. If you harbor hopes of working at a creative hot shop but have found employment at a large, multinational agency, keep your ambitions secret. After all, you never know where the relationships you make might lead.A personal relationship opened the door for George Fertitta, who gained entrée to the ad business at a cocktail party his parents held in 1972. Family friend Alan Shevlo offered Fertitta, who had just returned from Europe, a job as an account director. The Monday after the gathering, he arrived at a now-defunct New York boutique's midtown offices and was whisked into a client meeting. At 25, with no agency experience, he was expected to take an active role with Japanese textile client, Teijin. As Fertitta was reviewing the shop's objectives for the meeting, one of the two Japanese gentlemen fell asleep. "I decided to keep going," says Fertitta. "I kept wondering, is this what the business is all about?" He learned to persevere that day, he says. Six months later, Fertitta opened his own agency with co-worker John Margeotes. The president of Margeotes|Fertitta + Partners advises: "You have to push through, no matter what barriers are in front of you." —Jennifer Comiteau

Brand Marketing

First-Day Faux Pas

Jennifer Comiteau

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Jennifer Comiteau