Check out some great work from Tyler McKellar.

TM: I look for someone who is clearly enjoying what they’re doing—whether it’s a serious ad or a funny ad or something in between. You can tell fairly quickly if someone is just cranking out an ad to please an ad school instructor or if they’re giving their work the tender loving care that can only come from truly enjoying writing and designing.

WS: How important is finish? If ideas are the most important thing, can sketches be enough?

TM: I think it’s critical that some ads be thoroughly finished—as a way of showing you’ve got the stamina to effectively see something through to the bitter end. But the reality is creatives are almost always showing ideas in very rough forms to their clients, so what would be so surprising about seeing that from students in their effort to break into the business? Great ideas will always win, whatever form they may currently be in.

WS: How important is writing? Do you need to see long copy?

TM: You hardly see long-copy print ads anymore, but the web has opened up even longer writing opportunities. Proof that you can keep ’em laughing or crying or thinking for a good 500 words or so will go a long way to proving you’re not a fluke who’s relying on a few snappy headlines.

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