- 3 min read

Here's the Scoop: Nick O'Donnell

Nick is a Creative Agency Partner at TikTok Australia and New Zealand.

1. Why did you choose advertising/marketing as a career path?

I kind of stumbled in to it actually. I was doing a Design Degree and in my last year had some creative advertising electives that I did relatively well in, which got me an internship as an Art Director. I quickly realised I was not quite up to mustard for a career as a creative, through during the placement I learnt about Account Management as a job, and the blend of creative, commercial and relationships really appealed to me.

2. What's the best advice you'd give to your younger self who's just started their career?

It's not sexy, but don't be afraid to learn the numbers. Understanding something commercially, not just strategically and creatively, is an integral skill in making and selling great creative work.

3. What do you look for when hiring young people?

I look for people who put in effort and show hunger for the opportunity. They think about the situation they're going into, and do the extra bit of research on the Agency or the Company, or the interviewers career, to show that they have an interest over and above just the expected.

4. How do I make my resume stand out?

Tailor it to the role, not a fundamental change but draw on or highlight different points of success or experiences that might suit each particular role better than others.

5. What skills have been most beneficial for you?

1. Truly listening, it's amazing how many people still struggle to grasp this fundamental skill.

2. Strong relationships and becoming allies with my clients. When you're both on the same team against a problem, you're much more likely have an open and honest discussion about how best to solve it.

3. Understanding the numbers - As I mentioned above, understanding the commerciality of ideas, and my clients businesses is when you can find ways to make them fit and work for everyone.

6. Do you need a degree?

Ultimate fence answer. Yes and no.

7. What was a key lesson you learnt in your career to date?

Find a way that everybody wins and you'll never have a problem selling an idea.

There is always a solution that can work for everybody (agencies and clients) and in account management, it's a matter of talking to the right people and asking the right questions to understand what those wins might start to look like.

8. Have your reasons for joining the industry changed over time?

Overall no, but my focuses have shifted overtime and I think they'll continue to do so as my career progresses and the industry develops.

9. Have you ever failed? How did you react?

Many, many times.

When it first happened I was scared of admitting failure, as I didn't want to be seen as not nailing everything, but I also had no idea how to fix or learn from the failure. So when I was able to admit it, I could discuss how to fix it and then learn from it. I've genuinely learnt some of my biggest career lessons through failures and mistakes.

My advice is to take a moment to acknowledge the failure and the outcomes that may come with it, understand how and why it happened, then move on.

10. If you had the chance to re-do your career knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?

Not much to be honest, my career has had lots of twists and turns but all the experiences have helped shape who I am today and where I've got to. Though I would suggest to my younger self to buy some bitcoin in 2009.