• by Larissa Faw , March 15, 2017

Given the rapid-fire pace in today’s Adland workplace, mono agency is turning to social media to kick off its "Resumeme" summer intern program.

"No one has the attention span anymore for full-on resumes," says Dave Bullen, creative director, mono. "At least not us creative types. What if, instead of a traditional resume, you had to sell yourself in a meme? It allows us to assess a candidate's ability to bring creativity to the application and allows candidates to get creative."

Intern applicants with a college degree submit a creative meme — which they can build on the site — at https://mono-1.com/resumeme/ by March 24.

So far, submissions include an image of a sad-looking sloth behind the statement: "Both of my references are my parents." Also, a boy wearing SpongeBob PJs with the words "When your professor talks about resumes for three weeks and you're applying to an internship with a meme." Mono expects to receive more than 100 applicants.

The program is hiring across a range of positions, including project manager, copywriter, designer, art director, strategist, producer, creative technologist and editor. The 40-hour a week paid internship runs June 5 to September 1.

"Sorry, summer lifeguarding is going to have to be a weekend-only thing," jokes Bullen. Interns will be engaged in real client work, he adds. "Miyagi-like mentorship, highly Instagram-able patio lunches, several high fives, a truly impressive selection of La Croix flavors, stunning views of the Stella’s rooftop, and much much more."

Beyond posting about the program on its social channels and through the jobs listing on the mono site, the agency is promoting the news on Facebook and Instagram.

"We've also reached out to job posting boards at colleges and universities, including advertising and art schools across the U.S.," says Bullen. "We're really casting a wide net and looking for diverse candidates across the nation."

This is the first year mono has taken the intern program "up a notch" with the built-in mono meme generator. In the past, the agency developed similar creative application processes by submitting a six-word story, pitching themselves in 140 characters and with one single Instagram photo.

"In a world of 140 characters or less, the meme is the new resumé," says Bullen.