If you’ve been working in marketing for a while, you will no doubt have a great CV and a portfolio of projects that you can highlight to establish your track record. You look great on paper, but how can you convince your potential employer that you’re not just great, you’re a genius?

Helpfully, back in 2014, Cliff Oxford wrote an article for Forbes magazine in which he gave a check list for personal qualities that marketing geniuses exhibit. Here’s a rundown of what will make you a stand-out character:

You’ll act like an extrovert, but you’ll actually be an introvert. You can show this by mentioning that as an introvert you need to conserve your ‘social stamina’ and balance being alone with presentations and big meetings.

You’ll think out loud, even when you’re alone. This isn’t talking to yourself, it’s more that you narrate your train of thought, like this: ‘So if we consider the packaging, are we really doing all we need here? Yes, I think we are… although perhaps we could tweak the strap line.’

You’re all about the customers, and subtly letting them know that you are the right company for them without saying so explicitly.

You’ll have a broad range of interests and be able to bring knowledge from a variety of subjects into your work. This is particularly true of pop culture; great marketers are often avid readers too.

A marketing genius is able to convince a customer that they want something, even if that thing can’t be touched. This adds value, creating strong brands and the desire to own a thing for the sake of the social status, for example.

They’re great communicators, and are able to be persuasive. They create compelling stories that grab you and make you want to invest in whatever product they’re discussing.

The downside is that geniuses often had unhappy childhoods, and have a certain amount of emotional baggage. However, this might be something you want to avoid mentioning in an interview!

So there you have it, a checklist of qualities for marketing geniuses! It may also be worth reading about the INFJ Myers-Briggs personality type, which many great persuaders belong to.