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General Manager, Creative - Marketing at Endeavour Group
1. Why did you choose advertising/marketing as a career path?
I came across a Bachelor of Communications (Advertising) degree in the UAC guide when I was working through my university preferences, read the description and thought, wow you can actually get paid to be creative, I'm in!
2. What's the best advice you'd give to your younger self who's just started their career?
Leave your ego at the door, work ethic, commitment and care matters and just be yourself, everyone else is taken.
3. What do you look for when hiring young people?
Attitude is everything, so I always look for that first and foremost. Plus, as David Ogilvy puts it "If each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants.”
4. How do I make my resume stand out?
Work out what makes you, you and let it shine. I have a nickname, a dress style (personal brand) and some clear values I live by, so they are all front and centre on my CV. Words on a page are dull, you have to give them life and entice someone to want to read them, it's your opportunity to tell your story, so be a storyteller.
5. What skills have been most beneficial for you?
Be interested in people - EQ over IQ, always.
6. Do you need a degree?
No, but it helps. You learn the theory and in my case I got to to do several internships which helped me get a foot in the door to actually break into the industry with a paid job, so I am indeed an advocate of degrees.
7. What was a key lesson you learnt in your career to date?
Feedback is a gift, take it on board, but also know what serves growth and leave what doesn't on the cutting room floor.
8. Have your reasons for joining the industry changed over time?
No. At the core of what we do is people, always was, always will be and what I get to do is use creativity to move people to ultimately drive commercial outcomes, it's a dream job really.
9. Have you ever failed? How did you react?
Yes, all the time. Fail fast, learn from it, don't make the same mistake again, but don't be afraid to trial and take risks, life is too short to be afraid of change and change often requires failure to determine success.
10. If you had the chance to re-do your career knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?
Nothing actually. I'm so grateful for the path I have travelled thus far. I always had a plan and I stuck to it, so cast your eyes 5-10 years ahead and go after it. I would strongly encourage you to work overseas if you have the opportunity. I spent 7 years overseas between the UK and South Africa and there's nothing like immersing yourself in other cultures to truly understand all things outside of our small island, it's truly life changing and helped me be better at what I do when I returned home.