We established our Grad Program, Genus, with a keen desire to find the brightest young talent coming out of our best universities. We have been fortunate to hire phenomenal talent over the years and I would like to offer you some thoughts about how to stand out with your submission.

We're looking for smart grads who are business minded, design-oriented, strategic thinkers, tech savvy and interested in how sensitive communications can make a difference to customers. You'll also be a great presenter, have an erudite mind and be capable, in the future, of facilitating client workshops.

Before you start preparing your application, think about the people reading it. Remember, they will have over a hundred applications to absorb. You need to make sure yours is one of the ones that stand out for the right reasons.

If you want a place in this sought-after program, give the application your all. It needs to be your best work. It should help us get a good feel for who you are, your standards, values, creativity and ambition.

I have written some tips for you to consider below:

Understand CX Lavender
Knowing who we are, what we do and what we're passionate about, will help you enormously throughout the whole application process. It will inform your answers and show you up as a grad to hire. Trawl through our website, have a look at our work and know who our clients are.

Find out what Customer Experience is all about
This is the key to our business, and clear insight in this area will shine through. Research this and start evaluating communication critically in terms of how well it meets customer needs. The CX Lavender website will give you a real insight into what CX is about and the type of business solutions we come up with.

Think first, write later
Do your research, strategise your responses and give them the time to develop fully before you write them down. Rushing through the process and ‘just getting it done’ always seems to show. The more time you spend thinking, the more evolved your responses will be.

Give it everything
Work back from the deadline and use all the time you have available to put together a submission that you know will stand out. It needs to be your best work as this is a very competitive program and we receive applications from some of the top vocational and non-vocational degrees in the country.

Be honest
The best way to present yourself is to be totally honest about who you are and what you want for your future. Responding authentically always puts the most impressive  version of yourself forward.

Have some fun with your submission
We are a creative business, and we value innovative thinkers. There are some fun questions in the application, so let yourself enjoy answering them and don’t be afraid to have a bit of fun. Think less about what answer we’re looking for and more about how to write a compelling response.

Work hard to reveal your value in the video response
What we’re not looking for here is a video of you talking your answer into an iPhone. Nor does this need to be a Steven Spielberg production. The simplest ideas are often the most effective. We’re looking to get a glimpse of who you are – and you’ll need to use your smarts, your ingenuity and your creative thinking to find a simple way to show us.

Check your application for grammar and typos
When you're in a competitive situation, the detail really matters. Typos and grammatical errors send the wrong message about the care and energy you put into your submission.  We often see really strong candidates not getting to the next stage because they didn’t do the right checks before they pressed ‘send’. 

Get someone to proofread your application
This can be invaluable as we all fall victim to getting too close to something from time to time! Not only might they pick up a grammatical or spelling error, but because they are reading it with fresh eyes, they may offer some helpful clarity about a particular area that could be stronger.

Good Luck. We look forward to seeing your application.