AT the beginning of the summer Suzanne Browne was still studying for a postgraduate diploma in advertising. Today she is working with Arks Advertising - and has been for the past five months.

As luck would have it, she was offered a job within a few days of finishing the course. It was partly because of her own initiative and partly due to a stroke of luck. The company happened to be recruiting at the time. She smiles at the way it has all turned out.

She enjoys her work as an account executive with Arks. "I wouldn't do any other job," she says. "When really good ads are created and you've been involved, there's a real nice feeling, you know."

Always working as part of a two-tier team, Browne, with an account director, is responsible for all strategic planning, development, implementation and monitoring of an account. "You have to liaise with all the departments in the agency, ensuring that the client's needs are fulfilled," she explains.

There are a number of departments within the agency with whom she must talk - including the media section, the production team and the creative team. "In many ways it's more a job of management. You have to make sure all the departments do what you want."

An account executive works at implementing an advertising plan, ensuring an efficient day-to-day servicing of a client's account and reporting regularly to an account director. To date Browne has worked within the agency on "a good cross-section of accounts" including clients such as Colgate, ICC Bank, Guinness and Eircell.

"You have to have a good memory," she says. "There's so much detail involved. You have to talk to everyone before you write a creative brief. You should be able to interpret the client's needs."

The brief needs to spark some ideas" in the minds of those working in the creative department. "You need good inter-personal skills. You have to make sure that all the departments do what you want." In general, Browne believes that anyone working in advertising needs to be creatively aware. "You have to appreciate what's good and what is not.

Looking back at her young career to date, she explains matter of factly that her aim at school at the end of sixth year was to get "a basic degree" before studying advertising. "The main reason I went to college was because I didn't feel I was mature enough to start straight away and I wanted to broaden my options."

So she headed off to Trinity College, Dublin, after completing her Leaving Certificate at Our Lady's Secondary School, Templeogue, Dublin, to do an honours 13A degree in economics and geography. After this she went to DIT in Aungier Street. The practical aspect of the course was particularly useful. "And it was very good for getting contacts," she says.

At secondary school she was always interested in art and she was told that she had "a creative mind". This started her thinking about the whole world of advertising. "I knew for absolutely sure that I wanted to do advertising when I became friendly with people in the industry. There was a great buzz, so many different kinds of things going on."

It's important in her job to be able to adapt to change, she says. "I have to know the young market and what they like, that's a big market. And you have to have an appreciation of marketing also."