The Perfect Fit

Why Hiring Right the First Time Matters More Than Ever!

In today’s fast-paced marketing, advertising, and digital media industries, the pressure to move quickly is constant. Deadlines are tight. Clients demand immediate results. And the competitive landscape shifts daily. That pressure often bleeds into hiring — and when it does, it can lead to rushed decisions and costly mistakes.

But here’s the hard truth: hiring the wrong person is more expensive, disruptive, and damaging than waiting a little longer to hire the right one.

The High Stakes of a Critical Hire

Not all roles are created equal. A misstep hiring in a junior role is frustrating. A misstep in a key leadership or revenue-driving position can destabilize teams, derail momentum, and cost your company real dollars — sometimes millions.

When I talk to CMOs, CEOs, and agency or brand principals, I often hear how a bad hire wasn’t just about “the wrong skill set” — it was about culture fit, leadership style, or lack of alignment with the company’s strategic vision. That’s why it's critical to get it right the first time.

Experience + Process = Better Results

As an executive recruiter with more than two decades of experience in the advertising, marketing, and digital media space, I’ve seen what works — and what doesn’t.

Too often, internal hiring teams are spread thin, lack deep domain expertise, or simply don’t have access to or know how to find the best passive candidates. That’s where an engaged, retained search partner comes in.

By investing in a focused, engaged search, companies gain access to a structured, thoughtful process that prioritizes fit, not just function. I take the time to understand not only the role and required skills, but also your organization’s values, goals, and unique culture. Then, I tap into a deep network to surface candidates who aren’t actively looking but are open to the right opportunity.

That’s how you hire right — the first time.

The ROI of a Smart Hire

The State of "Online Job Search" Has Changed!

I keep hearing about the “Spammy” or perhaps phishing related searches going on.  I recently changed my LinkedIn Profile to “Open to work”, to see if it would help me better understand from a candidate perspective, what’s going on out there!  I’m (perhaps naively) shocked by the number and kinds of “Job Opportunities”, “Recruiters” on LinkedIn Direct Message me about . . . Here are examples indicative of the kind of BS going on “online”.
 
This experience has made it clear to me why LinkedIn is used so frequently (almost exclusively?) by so many recruiters.  Candidates are easy to find (with skills and experience) on LinkedIn . . . the largest professional database on the planet!  It also explains why the best candidates don’t pay attention to or respond to LinkedIn Messages anymore . . . It’s easier to understand than I could have possibly imagined!
 
4.18  Hello, I'm Lucy, a Recruiting Representative at (Acclimate). Your resume has been recommended by several online recruitment companies, and we’d like to offer you a remote position.
This flexible role involves assisting (Acclimate) merchants with data updates, visibility,and bookings. We provide free training.
You can work 60 to 90 minutes daily and earn $200 to $500 per day. The base salary is $800 for every 4 days worked, with a 5-day paid probation period.
If you would like to participate, please send a text message to this number: 2302061322
 
4.21. Position: Data Marketing
100% remote work, short-term training courses are provided to help you get started quickly and understand customer needs. Remote work (can work from anywhere)
Basic salary: $800 per week, $60-180 per hour.

New Search: Digital Marketing Strategist #25051

Digital Marketing Strategist #25051
Location: St. Louis, Hybrid or Remote
 
Overview:
We’re conducting a search for our well-established agency in St. Louis. Our client is experiencing consistent, ongoing growth and in need of a paid digital marketing manager!
 
Our ideal candidate is not only fantastic at the technical aspects of paid social, but also great at performance marketing – meaning, you can identify the biggest audience opportunities and quickly capitalize on them by formulating an effective media strategy, helping direct the creative team on the best hooks, angles, and messaging. People also like working with you, because you're not only great at your job, but you're collaborative and innovative.
 
So, if you love 100% owning your campaigns from A-Z, not just the media buying aspect, but being accountable to ensure media, creative, conversions, etc. are all dialed in, and you know how to perfectly align ads with traffic audiences to maximize CVR and AOV, we’d love to hear from you!
 
Primary Responsibilities:
• We’re looking for smart, ambitious and personable digital media pros with 3-5 years’ experience in digital  marketing and campaign management
• Experience with Google Ads, Bing Ads and other PPC platforms. Structure campaigns with appropriate ad groups, match types and bidding strategies.
• Understand and evaluate metrics and explain results to internal team and client team, tying results to client’s expectations and goals.
• Structure and refine campaigns with appropriate bidding strategies, ad groups, and match types.
• Use Google Ads Reports, Analytics & third-party tools to analyze user behavior and refine strategies.
• Research emerging tech like TikTok Ads, Amazon PPC or programmatic advertising.
• Report to clients/other stakeholders about campaign performance and recommendations.
 
Experience:
Our ideal candidate will have a degree and at least three to five years’ experience in paid campaign management.  This individual should be experienced with successfully developing, managing and executing strategic media plans, while counseling Clients and advising the account teams.  You’ll oversee the implementation of integrated campaigns using a variety of marketing tools, and platforms.
 
Compensation:
Our client offers a casual and flexible work environment, a $60-$70K salary and frequent promotion opportunities, impressive benefits (medical, dental, vision, disability & Life insurance at zero cost!), generous PTO beyond Holidays, the flexibility to work remotely (from home), a 401K (with 3% paid by Client), and the chance to work with smart, collaborative and caring colleagues.   Our client encourages, supports and respects, diversity and continuous professional growth for their team.
 
About Our Client:
Our client is a well-established agency that’s been experiencing consistent growth over the past 15 years.  The agency has created an inclusive, collaborative and respectful culture for the benefit of their employees and clients.  Management is interested in hiring the very best, respecting, retaining and helping them grow into long term, satisfying and successful careers.  It’s about being around the kind of people you like being around and genuinely liking the clients you’re working with.  There’s no BS!  The place isn’t ego driven and everyone (even a rookie) has a voice.  They have long-term, loyal clients because everyone has fun while doing superior work that gets noticed and succeeds.  EOE
 

If you’d like to know more, let’s talk.  Please start the process with sending your resume to [email protected], and Bob will respond.
 
 
 
 

C-suite Structures are Significantly Changing, and Rapidly!

C-suite structures are changing significantly, with Fortune 500 companies increasing the number of executives by 23% from 2018 to 2023, according to a Deloitte study. New roles such as chief communications officer have emerged, and some chief financial officers are taking on dual roles, such as chief operating officer or president, as the need for specialized expertise grows amid rising regulatory demands and operational complexity, says Elizabeth Moore, a senior manager at Deloitte.

Demand for broader skill sets

Deloitte’s report also highlights a rise in the number of skills required for executive roles. An analysis of public job posting data from the Lightcast Open Skills Taxonomy database shows the average number of skills listed in CFO job descriptions increased by 19% between 2018 and 2023.

A new era of leadership

Moore described the C-suite’s evolution over the past five years as one of the most significant transformations Deloitte has observed in executive leadership.

“This marks a fundamental shift in how organizations structure their leadership,” she said.

The convergence of digital transformation, evolving regulatory environments, and heightened business demands has driven companies to rethink traditional leadership frameworks.

“Unlike past changes shaped by specific trends such as globalization or financial crises, this transformation is broader and affects nearly every leadership function,” Moore explained.

In addition to technical skills, The report highlighted that there is now widespread agreement among business leaders that human skills such as adaptability, collaboration, and strategic thinking will remain vital for future C-suite success.

 

The Costly Mistake of Waiting Too Long to Start Succession Planning

Job Searching in 2025: Staying Grounded in a Skyrocketing Job Market

2025 is shaping up to be the year of opportunity. Especially compared to 2024!  Economists predict a much more robust job market, with companies ready to expand their teams. After years of adapting to virtual interviews, AI-driven screening, and robot colleagues, job seekers are finally catching a break.

But even with the improving landscape, some truths never change: success still hinges on core principles—authenticity, persistence, and patience. These timeless values will guide you through the high-tech, fast-paced hiring world of 2025.

In 2025, authenticity is your not-so-secret weapon. Yes, AI systems can (and likely will) analyze résumés in milliseconds, but hiring managers still want something machines can’t replicate: the real you.

Your résumé and LinkedIn profile might get you past the algorithms, but conveying genuine enthusiasm and values seals the deal.  Employers aren’t just hiring a worker—they want someone who aligns with their mission and culture.  If you don’t align, neither of you will be happy . . . that job won’t last long!

How can you showcase authenticity?

•            Write Like You Talk:  Drop the jargon.  Nobody dreams of "synergizing deliverables."
•            Be Honest About Your Journey:  A career gap? A pivot? Own it with confidence.
•            Show Personality in Interviews:  A smile and lighthearted anecdote can leave a lasting impression.

Authenticity doesn’t mean being unprepared. Tailor your message to the company but stay true to yourself.  If you can’t be “true to yourself”, you probably won’t like the job!  Remember, you’re not trying to impress every employer—just the right one. 

Persistence is the key to progress!
 Even with a booming job market, landing a role in 2025 still takes persistence. Rejection is inevitable in a competitive landscape, but those who learn, adapt, and stay the course will find success.
Think of persistence as a mix of grit and strategy. It’s not about flooding the market with applications but improving with each attempt.

What Are Your Career Goals For 2025?

As we welcome a fresh start, what are your career goals for 2025? 
 
At Bishop Partners, LLC we understand that each new year brings new opportunities, especially in the dynamic fields of marketing, advertising, and digital media
 
Here are some thoughts to consider now:
 
·       Reflect on your professional growth.  Are you happy and satisfied?
·       Are you ready to explore new possibilities?
·       How can you align your goals with the current marketing trends?
 
Let’s all make 2025 the year of impactful decisions, career growth and professional happiness and satisfaction!  Let Bishop Partners help!  Have a safe and fun Holiday Season and a very, very Happy, Healthy and Successful 2025!

 

Why AI Needs Human Recruiting Experts

AI has certainly transformed recruiting by streamlining processes, automating repetitive tasks, and improving data-driven decision-making. However, it falls short of replicating the nuanced, relationship-driven approach of an experienced retained recruiter, especially in fields like marketing, advertising, and digital media. Here’s why:
 
Personalized Relationship Building: Retained recruiters excel at building relationships over time, gaining deep insights into client and candidate personalities, goals, and work cultures. AI lacks the ability to connect on an emotional level,
which is crucial for understanding the unique culture and nuanced requirements of high-level roles in creative fields like marketing or media. An experienced recruiter can discern subtleties in personal and cultural fit that are beyond the reach of algorithms.
 
Intuitive Judgment and Adaptability: Recruiters use their intuition and adaptability to identify “hidden gem” candidates and sense cultural fit. They often find top candidates in passive talent pools, which requires skill in persuasion,
deep industry knowledge, and the art of networking — skills that cannot be fully codified into an algorithm. Marketing and media roles, in particular, demand creativity and an ability to pivot that a human recruiter can better assess through an in-depth, personalized process.
 
Creative Industry Expertise: The fields of marketing, advertising, and digital media are fast-evolving and heavily reliant on trends, creativity, and innovation. Recruiters with industry expertise understand the subtleties of roles and skills that go beyond keywords on a resume or profile. They know how to assess a candidate’s potential based on nuanced skills, portfolio quality, and cultural alignment, which AI struggles to evaluate effectively.

The Election is Final, Renewed Hiring Expected

The last several months have been unusually turbulent with the combination of global geopolitical, financial and security issues.  That turmoil has resulted in a very slow job market.  Employers have been hesitant to hire new employees or even replace those that have left because of so much concern.

Election years are generally a time of uncertainty. Key factors driving the concerns can include volatility in the market, misgivings about investments, fluctuations in consumer or job seeker confidence, and also potential policy changes, to name a few.   The recent U.S. election has potential implications
for the job market due to anticipated policy shifts from Donald Trump’s administration. His approach may impact several key areas affecting employment, including immigration, corporate taxes, and trade regulations.

The median weeks for unemployed was recently at 9.4, which is one week longer than the pre-pandemic baseline. Long-term unemployment, or those who are jobless for 27 weeks or longer, has seen more substantial increases, 1.52 million this June compared to 1.1 million last June.  When asked earlier this year, CEOs overwhelmingly identified political uncertainty ahead of the election, as the most significant challenge affecting business in 2024. 

As a result of the election, the future has become more clear.  There is optimism that the new President-elect will stabilize the economy and provide a solid foundation for new growth.  The stock market’s going crazy!  Employers are likely to start hiring sooner rather than later.  There is pent-up demand and need.

The pent-up demand from companies who have been in wait-and-see mode for the last few months or even a year, coupled with job search intensity from seekers who are unemployed and getting desperate to find work, could lend to an environment over the next few months where employers find it more difficult to hire those positions that have been on hold.  The situation will be exacerbated in the new year, when many people typically start looking for a new opportunity.

Hiring and Career Advancement in Today's Competitive Landscape

Hiring executives face several key challenges when finding new employees, especially in today’s dynamic job market. These challenges stem from rapid technological changes, shifts in workforce expectations, and competitive industry landscapes. Here are some of the principal obstacles:

Skills Shortages: A major hurdle is the mismatch between the skills required and the available talent. Many sectors, particularly tech and healthcare, face shortages in specific skills like AI, data science, and cybersecurity.

Attracting Top Talent in a Competitive Market: Competition for high-quality candidates, especially in industries like technology, finance, and leadership roles, makes it difficult to secure top talent. Established companies and startups alike offer competitive packages, making it harder for businesses to stand out.

Diversity and Inclusion: Ensuring a diverse candidate pool remains a significant challenge. Executives are under pressure to recruit underrepresented talent and create inclusive hiring practices, which involves overcoming systemic biases and finding qualified diverse candidates.

Cultural Fit and Adaptability: Hiring candidates who fit or add value to the company culture, while also being adaptable to rapid change, is complex. Executives struggle to balance hiring for cultural alignment while fostering innovation and diversity.

Remote Work Adaptation: The shift toward remote work has expanded the talent pool but also introduced challenges in assessing candidates’ abilities to work independently and manage remote teams effectively. Evaluating soft skills like self-discipline and communication is now critical.

Leadership and Succession Planning: Finding leadership talent capable of not only filling current roles but also providing long-term succession planning is a growing priority. Executives need future-proof leaders who can guide companies through technological and economic shifts.

Economic and Industry Uncertainty: Uncertainty in global politics, the economy, rising inflation, and evolving industry strategies and tactics, make it harder for hiring executives to predict workforce needs accurately. Companies are hesitant to over hire or invest heavily in talent during volatile periods.

Balancing Compensation with Budget Constraints: Offering competitive compensation packages that align with market expectations, particularly in high-demand sectors, can be difficult. Balancing competitive pay with budget constraints is a constant challenge for hiring managers.