The Perfect Fit

Who's Hiring? What's Hot? Marketing Hiring Trends . . .

I've had three candidates this week ask me for my opinion on the "hiring environment", regionally.  After answering each of those inquiries individually, I've just received a fourth and decided to respond here.  The questions most frequently asked are:  Are many (any) places hiring?  What types of jobs are being hired for right now?   I'll take them one at a time.

Whether or not "many" places are hiring is relative.  Companies and agencies are hiring, but obviously on a very conservative, selective and thoughtful basis.  Both agencies and corporations have opportunities.  It's safe to say that employers are looking for absolutely top-notch candidates.  Every company is running as "lean" as they can possibly afford to.  Any new hire has to be able to add significant value, if not generate revenue, right away.

The hiring environment is improving.  I've seen improvement in activity since the middle of the summer.  Activity is continuing to increase.  Industry wide, temporary and/or contract positions are seeing more action, which is a recognized precursor to hiring for permanent positions.  If a company loses a valuable employee through attrition, that position might have to be replaced simply because staffing is so "lean" that there is nobody else who will have the time to be able to also do the work of the lost employee. 

There are agencies and corporations who are taking this opportunity to aggressively hire new employees.  They're looking to take advantage of top notch talent to grow for the future, wanting to be perfectly positioned when the economy starts really humming again.  Many are replacing existing employees with new employees who they feel can better deal with the marketing communications evolution into the future.  (If you're not enhancing your own knowledge and skill set, you're quickly becoming obsolete.)  Companies are "top-grading" from the Board level to entry level.  No company can afford to have someone who is not contributing and adding value.  If they're (you're) not, they (you) could be gone.

In both corporations and agencies, new business development is a sought after skill set.  People who have consistently demonstrated success at sales are in demand . . . and probably always will be.  People who understand how to go beyond what's expected to add value, wear multiple hats, and contribute beyond their literal job description . . . top performers (at every level) . . . will always have opportunities.

It's not surprising that new media, online marketing, electronic communications . . . call it what you will, is changing rapidly.  Almost every position I've recruited for over the past year, on both the client and agency side, had a new media component to it.  Whether a VP of Marketing, or a Group Account Director, fluency in online marketing (as evidenced by participation) is becoming an essential component of every marketing functional position.  It's a very good idea to have a professional presence online.

My suggestion is to always be ready for whatever the future may hold.  You should have all appropriate materials (resume, portfolio, online profiles/presence) updated and ready to go.  The economy is not necessarily out of the woods yet, and it's likely that unemployment is going to continue to increase.  You need to be ready to start a job search should you find yourself laid off.  You should be ready to respond to a new opportunity, professionally and promptly. 

Start positioning yourself as a thought leader and top performer in whatever your function is.  Be proactive!

REBUS Needs Writers . . . And A Leader For Writers

Writers in St. Louis, MO: Are you looking to enhance your portfolio? Want to be a blogger without having to worry about growing a following? Want to write about what interests you in marketing, advertising, creative, social media, and the world of copy and messaging? REBUS St. Louis is a fast-growing network of young advertising professionals in St. Louis, MO, sponsored by the AdClub of St. Louis. We've recently launched a blog at www.REBUSstl.com that we will be promoting at monthly events and across social media outlets online. If you're passionate about your industry and want to grow your online professional reputation, become a blogger with REBUS. Please contact us. We have immediate openings available.

We are also looking for an experienced marketing communications writer to lead/mentor the REBUS writers.  If you have more than five years of writing experience, let us know you'd like to join the REBUS leadership team.  We'd love to have you . . .

Additional details:
We currently do not pay for content, but the blog is lead by social media experts and online advertising gurus working at St. Louis agencies, and we're all looking forward to working with you to put out compelling and relevant content about local events, professional experiences and industry trends. We'll post your name and photo next to each of your posts and get links posted on Twitter, Facebook and other places where we have hundreds of followers. Get your name out there, and join our team!

To apply:
Email Kirsten Sanders (kirstens@propaganda-inc.com) and Danny Elchert (danny.elchert@yahoo.com) with your name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn URL or resume, as well as 3+ writing samples by November 15th. We will be in touch shortly after we hear from you.

Get to Know A Recruiter In Your Specialty

Unemployment is at 9.8% and climbing.  We're starting to consistently (but slowly) see that economic indicators are suggesting that the worst of the downturn is behind us.  Nobody knows the pace of recovery.  Employers are starting to think about hiring and employees are starting to think about new opportunities.  The unemployment rate of 9.8% is misleading, outstanding employees remain special and sought after.

According to Ted Konnerth of Egret Consulting,

"Monster and the Human Capital Institute recently found that 84% of employers felt their employees were content, while 58% of their employees expressed that same feeling. In more detail, 79% of employees are more likely to be seeking jobs elsewhere. 50% are concerned about top performers leaving their company and 57% believe employers exploited the recession to drive longer hours and lower pay from their employees."

There are successful companies who are working to identify those employees who they want to hire.  Those employees who the employer feels are going to be able to lead their company into the next phase of growth.  These companies are not waiting for a recovery, they're moving to make themselves a more powerful player now.  There are any number of surveys indicating that there is going to be renewed hiring in the next six months.  Are you ready for that next career move?

Do you know a recruiter who specializes in your area of expertise?  If not, do some research and find someone you can trust.  Get referrals from friends and colleagues.  There are going to be premier opportunities that are not advertised.  They're going to be filled by hand-picked candidates who are already successful, happy and motivated by what they're doing right now.  That candidate will be enticed to leave for an even better next career opportunity.

Hiring has already started.  We saw an upturn in mid-Summer.  Are you ready?  Are you happy?  Are you being professionally challenged . . . and rewarded?  Are you growing professionally?  Are you being professionally (and as a result personally) fulfilled?

Take a look at that resume.  Make sure it's updated with your latest "accomplishments", as opposed to "responsibilities".  I have a terrific article on my website that talks about how to create an impactful resume.  You can see it here.

If a recruiter calls with that next superb opportunity, be ready to respond!  Get to know a headhunter who specializes in what you do . . . introduce yourself and let them know you're always interested in moving your career forward.

If you're successful and respected in the marketing, corporate communications or advertising specialty, feel free (and encouraged) to visit our website at www.Bishop-Partners.com, and upload your resume, confidentially of course.  We'll respond to you!

Differences Between Retained and Contingency Search Firms

As a retained marketing recruiter, I develop relationships with both my clients and my candidates.  Those relationships often turn into friendships, even if a candidate ends up not being the candidate who is offered the job.  That relationship is developed because of a trust the client or candidate puts into the retained recruiting relationship.

The retained recruiter functions as a partner with the client, helping them identify and hire the very best candidates available for the open position.  We also have to partner with the client by talking about the position and making judgments about the viability of the "match".  The way to know that a candidate can succeed in the long term with one of our clients, is to get to know that candidate very well.  It sounds simple, but the reality is getting to know the candidate is essential . . . and time consuming.

I'm not knocking contingency recruiters, they certainly have their place and can succeed for their clients.  There are differences in the approach.  Many of those differences are based simply on the amount of time a recruiter can spend talking with and understanding a candidate.  A powerfully great hire is all about more than the resume . . . in fact the resume and finding the proper skill set is the easiest part of the recruiting process . . . it's everything else that's difficult, and it's that "everything else" that's essential for long term success for the candidate in the client environment.

The business models for retained and contingency recruiters are substantially different.  The fact that contingency recruiters have to be spending half their time finding their next "job order" (as we call it), obviously diminishes the amount of time they can spend on existing searches.  In turn, they can't spend the time with each individual candidate that a retained recruiter can.  Their incentive is to get as many candidates in front of the client as possible . . . and quickly . . . before another contingency firm beats them to the punch! 

Here's a list of some of the fundamental differences between the retained and contingency models:

Retained:      Represent employer clients only.
Contingency:      Can and do represent individuals seeking placement.

Retained:      Conducts assignments on an exclusive basis only.
Contingency:      Are usually in competition with other similar firms or agencies for the placement.

Retained:      Professional recruiting staff tends to be compensated on a salary, bonus, profit-sharing basis with incentives for client business development.
Contingency:      Professional staff tends to be compensated on commissions for placements made.

"The End of Advertising As We Know It"

I just ran across a rather compelling white paper written by IBM researchers talking about the future of advertising.  The article was in an article written by Michael Gass on the Social Media Today blog.  To see the original posting, click here.  While parts of this research are not revelations, there is deep and wide research presented for you to draw your own conclusions.

The next 5 years will hold more change for the advertising industry than the previous 50 did.

Gass wrote, "The information for this post is from an IBM global surveys of more than 2,400 consumers and 80 advertising experts … the report is titled, "The end of advertising as we know it.”"

Imagine an advertising world where ... spending on interactive, one-to-one advertising formats surpasses traditional, one-to-many advertising vehicles, and a significant share of ad space is sold through auctions and exchanges. Advertisers know who viewed and acted on an ad, and pay based on real impact rather than estimated “impressions.” Consumers self-select which ads they watch and share preferred ads with peers. User-generated advertising is as prevalent (and appealing) as agency-created spots.

Based on IBM global surveys there are four change drivers shifting control within the ad industry:

   1. Attention – Consumers are increasingly in control of how they view, interact with and filter advertising in a multichannel world.
   2. Creativity – Thanks to technology, the rising popularity of user-generated and peer-delivered content, and new ad revenue-sharing models (e.g., YouTube, Crackle, Current TV), amateurs and semi- professionals are now creating lower-cost advertising content.
   3. Measurement – Advertisers are demanding more individual-specific and involvement- based measurements, putting pressure on the traditional mass-market model.
   4. Advertising inventories – Will be bought and sold through efficient exchanges, bypassing traditional intermediaries.

There is no question that the future of advertising will look radically different from its past. The push for control of attention, creativity, measurements and inventory will reshape the advertising value chain and shift the balance of power.

Keep in mind … this change will also will also impact ad agency new business practices.

To Download the complete IBM Institute for Business Value Study

To Download the Executive Summary