White Hat:
Don’t be boring – So my selection day definitely had a white hat (neutral objectivity) theme. I took the brief very literally and completely missed the chance to do something fun. I’ve always been in academic environments, so when they said create a presentation, I over intellectualised because I wanted to convey that despite no experience in advertising, I had thought about it a lot. I was the only person in my group to actually design slides and thankfully I went first so I had no time for the horror to set in. Being creative is about taking risks, communicating something unique and being bold so I think working with data, and sitting in boring corporate meetings a few years prior had squeezed that out of me so luckily they took a chance on me anyway. When I say boring, I don’t mean force a “look at me” circus animal thing if your natural disposition isn’t like that, I just mean whatever strange and off-beat idea comes to your mind first, the one you think is too much, too bold or too weird oh these are your people.

Blue Hat (Planning):
Actually prepare – So I was surprised and impressed to see how many people improvised their selection day. I thought it showed the kind of balls that will probably keep you calm in this industry but if you’re anything like me. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Not lines, or slides but think introspectively about what you want to convey about yourself. 

Red Hat (The Emotional View):
Trust your insides – I think part of advertising is in the gut. Some kind of tangible assurance you have when you see something and don’t understand why it works..but would bet on that it does. So I think going with the flow and speaking to everyone honestly and intuitively is a key because you will ideally win a place because of something they saw in your personality. Something they peaked in your gut so trust it.

Green Hat (Creativity):
Be open to growth! So many different people come to SCA, so many different levels at various things. Whether it’s drawing, or technical, emotionally or verbally everyone is kind of growing at what they need to so assuming you need to be a whizz everything when you’re applying for a place to grow creatively makes no sense. Bring the energy that shows you want to create but also that you’re open to growth in all areas you’re lacking.

Black Hat (The Logical Negative):
This hat is about being careful and cautious and you will have all the time in the world to embody that on the course, and if you don’t your partners will so simply avoiding judging yourself after the interview.

Yellow Hat:
Have Hope! It’s hard to look on the bright side when you live in rainy England so this might be easier for international applicants but it’s kind of a good idea to get yourself in a good mood. It’s strange how people, situations and even ourselves can tilt the axis of how we approach things. Energy is contagious. So do things that you enjoy, consume stuff that inspires you and maybe have a think about the things you hope to see in this industry, because you could be the person to usher them in.