Do your homework
Mr Singleton said he was "embarrassed" that he should be asked to talk on such a subject. Who knows why? He started an ad agency in his 20s, "burnt out" at 35 and started his career over in his 40s, which has been bigger than ever. Today he owns a namesake advertising agency, the Macquarie Radio Network and much more including a string of racehorses.
He said always "showing up", persistence; learning from his mistakes and choosing work he loves to do have all been part of his success formula.
I asked him after his speech what he looked for in candidates.
"Enthusiasm," he replied without hesitation. "Also, do your homework. I ask 'why do you want to work here?' And half the time, the person fumbles about and clearly doesn't know anything about my company."
"Resumes and degrees don't matter to me as much as someone who is enthusiastic and has done their homework about my company. I also want to know what they think they can do for us ... don't just tell an employer why working for them would be good for you," he said.
I have written about the importance of doing your homework before but I had no idea people who get in to see a CEO like John Singleton would show up without doing their homework.
There are heaps of ways you can research a company. The easiest is to visit its website and click on all the links that take your fancy including the sections with names like "Our People", "Careers", "Our products & services", "Media Releases" (Also called "News" or "News room" on some sites, "Annual Report", "History", "Mission Statement". A trip to your state library will put you in touch with annual reports, press clippings and Who's Who books. Ask around. Usually someone knows someone who knows something.
The more you know about a company the better. Remember, the recruitment process is a two-way street. Not only will the research help you impress the people you are interviewing with but it will also enable you to assess whether working for a particular organisation is going to be right for you.
By Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au
