Dear Friend,
This is a timely question in that I just worked with someone on this exact scenario. I like to look at it within a frame of two interwoven factors:
How you are thinking about this transition
What you are doing about this transition
With that in mind, here are some things to consider:
Being ex-agency is a super power
Agency life is intense. It involves juggling multiple clients with competing priorities and often means having little control of the timelines of major work. It is boot camp for service providers. Know that you are a strong practitioner if you can do a good job within an agency environment.
You have other super-powers to bring with you client/brand side
Working in agency likely means that you have the skillset involved in delivering the work AND you know the internal machinations of how agency life works. This means you are well placed to take on an internal role of managing or working with external agencies and getting the best out of them.
Also, being in an agency necessitates knowing a medium sized amount of information about a lot of different brands and a lot of information about the general landscape, trends and opportunities. Bring that approach into the brand with you. Keep your network up to date and active. Remain active in your industry and community. If you can bring the best of agency approach into your in-house role, it will likely serve you well.
Build & use your network
Being in agency often offers the chance to build a wide and diverse network across brands, media, suppliers etc. Take that opportunity - both agency and client side jobs and work will be much easier if you build and maintain decent relationships.
When you are looking to make a move, tap your network for help. That help can take many different forms. It may be that you know someone who can get you an interview at a client or brand that you are interested in working with. That is the best case scenario and great if it happens for you. But your network can help in other ways too, for example, maybe you know people who have made this move before and you can ask them to share their experience.
When speaking with people who may be able to help you good questions to ask include:
What do you wish you knew when you were in my position?
What was the most challenging part of securing your role?
What was the most challenging part when you started your role?
Find your bridging role
I like to think in progressive steps. It may not be possible to go from your current agency role directly to the in-house role of your dreams. How can you build a bridge to get there?
For example, if you are currently an Account Manager in a commercial agency but you’d like to end up in-house at luxury you may need to move there role by role. Step one could be going in house at a commercial brand, but one where you’ll have the chance to work across a brand strategy to elevate said brand, giving you exposure to work of a calibre close to luxury style execution.
Alternatively, do you need to first move to an agency who is working with the type of luxury clients you want to be in house at? Getting that proximity to, and experience with, the right type of brands might be the relevant bridging role for you.
Think about your pace
When working with bridging roles, we are thinking strategically about how you can get closer to where you want to be. But here is the caveat - don’t assume you have to earn your stripes in every which way and handbrake yourself by focusing on being over-qualified. Apply for those roles that might seem 25% out of reach, those will be good conversations to have if you can get an interview. You’ll learn a lot.
Do a good job
Everywhere you go and everything you do, do the best job you are capable of doing. Don’t take a bridging role and coast while waiting for the perfect thing to come along. People talk and decision makers move around. If everyone you meet on your way to where you are going can see and experience your talent, you have created much better conditions for having your name put forward for good opportunities.