So you think you want to be an account manager?

Q: How do you know if you're a natural account manager?

A: If you love team sports more than you love individual ones, and can come out of a loose ruck with a smile on your face then you're ready to become an account manager. Alternatively, for the ladies, if you have one of those pencil cases with separate compartments for everything – where your pens don't mix with your pencils – then you're already showing great account management potential!

Q: What key qualities should an account manager have?

A: You need to be a people person – able to work with and get on with people you don't like, and able to get the best out of a team. You need the ability to read people well – knowing when to push and when to let go. You must also be extremely organised; good at juggling your time while knowing exactly what brief is sitting where and when it's due.

Q: What are the biggest misconceptions of the job?

A: That you're at lunch all day and that you get to play golf on Fridays.

Q: What is the biggest job reality you should know about?

A: You're given an incredible amount of responsibility. You'll be under a lot of pressure to perform, and it can be exceptionally stressful.

Q: Describe what's involved in the job. What are an account manager's core responsibilities?

A: You essentially have to manage clients and studio at the same time. You act as the liaison between clients and the creatives at your agency: you represent the agency at the client, and the client at the agency.

Q: Describe a typical day as an account manager.

A: Your day usually starts with a status meeting. You'll put together the briefs to go into studio; sit with the creatives when brainstorming; do research on your clients both in terms of PR and their competitors; go to the client to present the work; go back to the agency with the client's comments; re-brainstorm; check on the status of your other projects – and by that time you should be ready for a drink!

Q: What are the biggest challenges you must be prepared to face?

A: Realising that it's work – not personal.

It's also a challenge to work with creative people. They're usually very passionate about their work and ideas, and this makes it difficult to deliver negative feedback.

It's also quite a challenge to balance doing the best thing for the client with doing the best thing for the agency.

Q: What makes it such an exciting job?

A: It's a rollercoaster ride in real-time. One day it's quiet, the next it's absolute chaos.

Q: What is the best route to follow when it comes to training to become an account manager? Do you need a degree or diploma?

A: I would suggest completing a B.Com (general or marketing) or alternately, a BA in something like languages for example. These will give you an overall understanding of business in the case of the B.Com, and equip you exceptionally well for the job from a communications, business writing and presentation skills point of view.

Q: What kind of opportunities can you look forward to?

A: A career in account management offers you infinite possibilities. You can decide to go the advertising route, or move into a branding or marketing role at a company like Coca-Cola or Microsoft for example. You could also choose to work directly for a media company or publisher as an account executive.

Q: The best thing about being an account manager is…

A: Working in a creative environment. Seeing your work become a reality.