LONDON -- How tough is it to get a job in the ad industry these days?

So tough that two young British men recently resorted to busting in on the lunch of one of Britain's most famous creative directors, TBWA London's Trevor Beattie, and persuaded him to have a chat about their aspirations.

"We're really cheeky," says Philip Kitching, a 24-year-old who wants to be a copy writer. "You're dead if you can't handle rejection."

Mr. Kitching and his ad partner, would-be art director Jonathan Swead, 23, want to pursue careers in advertising. But in an industry that has laid off thousands during a severe downturn, jobs aren't easy to come by for those with little experience. With client spending down, agencies are hard-pressed to keep their existing employees, much less hire new ones.

Still, Messrs. Kitching and Swead are determined. Both earned university degrees in visual communications -- suburban London native Mr. Swead from the University of Birmingham and Mr. Kitching from the University of Leeds.

Since graduating in 2001, they have branched out beyond the traditional job-seeking routes. During the past year, they have made at least 100 cold calls to agencies, asking to speak with creative executives. They search Web sites to find photos of prominent agency creative people so they can approach them.

The pair met online at an Internet service for creative types. A section called "cellmates" on the British Design and Art Direction's Web site, www.dandad.org, helps copy writers pair with art directors. Mr. Kitching spotted Mr. Swead's posting and called him. The two fit well together but knew they would need to be aggressive to find permanent posts. Both have had to seek other sources of income. Mr. Kitching paints oil-on-canvas portraits for his neighbors and Mr. Swead has worked in a pub.

"The only thing we can offer is that we can get hired for less," Mr. Kitching says. With all the recent layoffs in the industry, "we're competing against all these guys who were good enough to get a job in the first place."

They signed up for Campaign magazine, an ad-industry publication. They compiled lists of creative directors at various agencies. They scanned Web sites and trade publications to see when agencies won new business or awards. When they did, the two called the creative types to offer congratulations and introductions. "We're massaging their egos to get a foot in the door," Mr. Kitching says. They learned not to leave messages (pointless) and got used to the typical secretary response: "He's in a meeting and he'll call you back." Often, he didn't.

With persistence, they got through to some and set up meetings for advice and portfolio reviews. But they still encountered hostility. "I'm bored already," said one creative executive at the beginning of their meeting. "Your book's too polished." Messrs. Swead and Kitching, whose portfolio book at that point consisted of a lot of spare, black-and-white ad designs, weren't sure how to interpret that criticism. Their host proceeded to ignore them, turning instead to his television.

Finally, in February, they landed a freelance assignment at Publicis Groupe SA's Saatchi & Saatchi. For the first month they worked from about 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., then put in another two hours a day, plus weekends, to enter competitions.

After that, it calmed down a little. They took off about a day and a half each week. "Because we're starting at the bottom we have to show that we're really keen," Mr. Kitching says. They are now freelancing for a couple of weeks at a small London agency, logging 12-hour days.

Their efforts have paid off somewhat. They won a contest that earned them the right to represent the United Kingdom in the "Young Creatives" competition at the ad industry's annual festival in Cannes, France, last month. While they didn't win a prize in Cannes, they did get a week of prime schmoozing opportunities with the industry's top executives. The award also attracted the attention of WPP Group PLC's J. Walter Thompson in London. They are setting up a work trial there, though it isn't a permanent post.

Why try so hard to enter an industry that is in the throes of recession? "It's kind of dark -- it's the power you have over people to make them choose one thing or another," Mr. Swead says. Plus, his first choice didn't pan out. "I would have liked to have played soccer, but I blew my knee out," he says.