You've read the ad three times. Been ignited, got excited, judged yourself, rewritten your CV, amended your cover letter 22 times. Worried...Pressed send then worried some more.
Got the call and bleeted “yes, please” to an interview.
Rearranged your portfolio 100 times, begged 10 people for references – you've thrown out seven.
Worried a hole in your stomach. Laid out your interview clothes...more than once. What the hell else do you need to clinch the job?
Not even the bravest candidate would ask that question of an employer. So we did. Here's what some industry folk said...
Charisma
Paul Williams, group chief executive officer, BWM/Dentsu
Good enough to do the job, great enough to be part of the team
Andrew Little, chief executive officer, DDB Group Australia
Compatibility: Fit in no matter how good you are
Darren Spiller, chief creative officer, DDB Group Melbourne
Experience
Ashley Wales-Brown, group business manager, ninemsn
Be interesting, have a unique perspective
Adam Ferrier, global chief strategy officer / partner, Cummins&Partners
Energy and attitude
Cameron King, head of digital commercialisation, NewsCorp
Enthusiasm
Georgie Charlish, commercial director Australia, Adstream
Culture
James Wright, group managing director, Havas Worldwide and Havas PR Asia-Pacific
Street smarts
Nigel Hickey, head of brand experience & content - Red Guerrilla at Red Agency
Attitude
Simon Lee, executive creative director and joint owner, The Hallway
And if all else fails...
When they offer me a sign-on bonus [read: A sense of fun]
Jules Hall, managing partner, The Hallway
Of course, to get to the point where your enthusiasm (charisma, attitude, compatibility…) clinches the deal, you have to pitch yourself on paper. And to do that, you have to know exactly what you stand for.
Because otherwise you, just like any of the other brands you’re going to work on or with in your career, will pass through someone’s brain and leave - not stop inside it and light up.
David Freeman became product coordinator - broadcast at Adstream five months ago. This is what he feels lit up in Georgie Charlish’s brain:
1. A solid working knowledge of broadcast workflows - My experience
working with Foxtel’s On-Demand/IPTV team was definitely a huge bonus.
It gives me the ability to think from the perspective of my clients (the
broadcasters) and their workflows.
2. Well-rounded business acumen - I have just completed an MBA with
Southern Cross University. A lot of my current role is centred around
researching and pinpointing areas of vulnerability in the marketplace and
designing strategies around aligning our offerings to suit those pockets
of demand. Having the MBA also allows me to speak frankly and comfortably
with all levels of management.
3. Having a background in audio-visual production - There is a lot of
technical jargon in this industry. It’s like learning some obscure language
that constantly changes. Not being able to speak that language would be a
certain deal breaker in an interview with Adstream.
This story was brought to you by the AdNews jobs board – which has come to an agreement with jobs aggregator Adzuna to list all AdNews jobs on its site.
As a result, companies that advertise for staff via AdNewsJobs.com.au will also reach jobseekers searching for jobs on the Adzuna site.
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