Krishma is a Marketing Manager at The Arnott’s Group
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1. Why did you choose advertising/marketing as a career path?
I was inspired by the role that Marketing played in shaping consumer perceptions of social issues and its ability to change the way the world thinks! My young adulthood was spent watching brands like Dove advocate for “real beauty”. As an Australian-Indian female, I fell in love with Brand Management and felt inspired by the impact a Marketer could have due to the sheer scale of FMCG brands. The brand’s I’ve worked on have had >90% market penetration – meaning millions, often billions of consumers engaging with your ideas, innovation, products and communication! This continues to inspire me!
2. What's the best advice you'd give to your younger self who's just started their career?
Failing is the most fun you'll ever have earlier in your career! The greatest gift you can give yourself is to fail. Through it, we learn about ourselves, others, what to do, what not to do and most importantly we build resilience. Getting outright comfortable knowing that failure is inevitable, so have fun with it is what I'd want to share with my younger self!
3. What do you look for when hiring young people?
Hunger, passion, willingness to learn, curiosity and passion are the top traits I look for when hiring young people. I lead a super young (and fun) team and truly feel these traits are more valuable than decades of experience in many cases. These traits allow you to be coached and trained - which is all you really need from a young hire!
4. How do I make my resume stand out?
Tell your story! I find the most impressive resumes are the ones that tell a story deeper than a person's "key achievements" - bringing to life your personality, your X factor and your vibe are what turns a resume from great to exceptional!
5. What skills have been most beneficial for you?
Collaboration has been the most beneficial skill for me throughout my career. Connecting pieces of information, toggling between functions and agencies - all to deliver great outcomes has been the greatest asset! This is what allows us to take on.
6. Do you need a degree?
A degree is not a MUST HAVE but any evidence of your passion in an area really helps to secure a role. I look at people's degrees when hiring only to understand what they are passionate about or areas that might interest them.
7. What was a key lesson you learnt in your career to date?
Resilience is the greatest super power you can hold. Our minds will give up much faster than our bodies. When you learn to flex your resilience muscle as hard as you can, that's where true growth happens.
8. Have your reasons for joining the industry changed over time?
They have definitely evolved but not changed. I still love the industry for all the same reasons that I joined, however now I am more motivated to drive and develop talent and teams to reach their potential and to deliver the impact that they want to have.
9. Have you ever failed? How did you react?
Many, many, many times at every level and in multiple situations. It goes back to resilience. My reaction is the same:
1) It's ok to feel a bit defeated for a moment or two
2) What was my direct role in this?
3) What were the roles of others in this?
4) What could I do differently next time?
5) What did I learn?
10. If you had the chance to re-do your career knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?
Honestly, life is too short for regrets - I have 0 regrets because every high and every low has built to this moment which is the present. However, if I could go back, I would spend more time building relationships with those around me vs. mastering the skills of the jobs. Never underestimate the importance of people and their connection to you.