24 is one of my favorite shows. I have every season on DVD.

In 24 hours, Jack Bauer can act on a lead and stop a presidential assassination, prevent nuclear war, and take out a few hundred terrorists.

What can you do with a lead in 24 hours?

If a contact gives me a job lead, I pass it on to at least two interested people within 24 hours. And if you've expressed an interest, I expect you to respond within 24 hours of receiving the information. That means you putting a cover letter and resume in my contact's hands ASAP.

No, you don't get the job just by being the first to apply, but there are plenty of missed opportunities to be had by being the last to respond. In advertising, you're often asked to deliver a lot — ad campaigns, TV and radio scripts, and more — with incredibly short deadlines. So you want people to believe you can do great work in this high-pressure environment? It's going to be hard to prove your case if it takes you a week to follow up on a job lead.

In the next 24 hours, make sure everything here is perfect:

• Online portfolio
• Resume
• Cover letter
• Physical portfolio

If everything is in working order, you can respond quickly. And if you are too busy to act on a job lead, have the courtesy to tell your contacts. If they recommend you for a position, they don't want to get a call from that potential employer or recruiter asking why they haven't heard from you. The moment you make your contacts look bad, your job hunt just gets much harder.