When I began to look for my first job out of college back in the pre-internet late ’80s, the options for learning about various agencies in town were, shall we say, limited. I remember hauling myself to the Minneapolis public library, where the Business area kept a metal file drawer filled with newspaper clippings about Minnesota-based companies.

At the time, I was interested in an agency called Mona, Meyer & McGrath, and requested the fat dossier I was confident the good librarians had compiled on the firm. Within fifteen minutes, I had the contents of the file:  A couple short clips on some recent new business wins and a handful of promotion announcements. Not exactly a window into the world of the firm I was hoping to work for. 

This time of year, we see a surge in site traffic and inquiries about our firm from college students and recent grads interested in the possibility of an entry level job, or some experience via a summer internship.   We try to accomodate as many informational interviews as we can, recognizing that the information online is often only a slight upgrade from what might have been available in that metal file cabinet at the library years ago. But while can’t meet with everyone, we’re certainly interested in beginning a dialogue about agency life with as many people as we can.

To that end, today we are launching what we hope is a valuable new resource for those interested in learning about Fast Horse and the opportunities for an agency career, here or elsewhere.  Welcome to the Fast Horse Experience on Facebook.  We think Facebook offers the perfect venue for creating a bit of community for those interested in a career in advertising, marketing, public relations, promotions, graphic design, sports marketing, branding, social media marketing, interactive marketing, or the confluence of all of those things, which is where we live.

For those who become fans of our page, we’ll offer a glimpse into daily life at our shop and provide resources and job search tips.  Call it a digital informational interview.  We’ll try to facilitate a dialogue among our facebook fans as well. We hope you’ll share ideas, encouragement, leads and insights you’ve gleaned as you’ve pursued a toe-hold in the “Real World.”  Who knows, the Experience may even land you a gig, as we are committed to hiring our summer 2009 intern, and future interns, from among our facebook fans.

As always, we’d love your feedback on how we can make the Fast Horse Experience on Facebook more informative. In the meantime, we hope you’ll tell a friend.