The Perfect Fit

New STL Retained Search: Senior Account Manager #17040

We're excited to be working on several searches with a new client.  If you have preliminary interest in learning more about this (or any other opportunity), please don't hesitate to get in touch.  I'd be very happy to talk to you and answer any questions you might have.  Your interest is always held in the strictest confidence.  If you have friends or colleagues who you think might have interest, please let them know!

General Description:
Our St. Louis Client is looking for a passionate, experienced Senior Account Manager to join their Brand Builder team.  Account Managers deliver daily on making extraordinary things happen for their clients, their brands and their customers. Successful candidates will have a track record of achieving outstanding results using strategic skills such as managing the planning process and account and project management. You’ll coordinate with other agency disciplines like influencer engagement, creative, media, multimedia and digital. You’ll develop, execute and support innovative strategies and tactics for some of the leading brands that reach and engage audiences in the categories related to family and home.

This is an opportunity to showcase your passion and deep knowledge for building brands and marketing and for using your strategic planning and management ability to help ensure that a single project or major campaign is executed on time, on budget and with impact.

We’ll expect you to learn our clients’ businesses and audiences at a depth that will enable you to maximize your ability to provide/manage solutions that will help clients achieve business objectives. Develop relationships with your clients to identify objectives and opportunities and discuss strategic approaches to their business.

Are Cover Letters Essential or "Old School"?

Are Cover Letters Essential or Useless

I continue to be amazed by the number of job applicants who do not support their application with a cover letter.  In my job descriptions, I specifically ask interested candidates to “include a cover letter detailing their specific interest in and qualifications for the opportunity, as they imagine it”.  I’d say about one in five actually does that.

I understand that in many circles, cover letters are considered “old school” or unnecessary.  Some believe resumes are in that same category of “old school”.  LinkedIn encourages recruiters to accept applications with the Profile only.  I understand how convenient that can be, especially for mobile users.  I don’t think candidates understand the opportunity missed by not utilizing a cover letter (in tandem with a compelling resume!).

The cover letter is your opportunity to explain (perhaps most importantly) why you have interest in a particular employer and how you believe you can add value.  This is a critical piece of information that can be powerful in making the employer understand that a candidate really would love to work for their company.  Inversely, the lack of that statement makes that candidate “just another applicant”.  Why not take advantage of that opportunity, especially if you really do want to work for that particular employer?

Those of us who read resumes for a living, tend to initially scan them to see if something (anything) grabs our attention . . . you’ve heard that viewers look over a resume for less than 30 seconds, prior to making a judgment.  That’s true enough, sadly.  It’s unlikely that the viewer will be able to understand how a candidate’s prior experience might relate to their particular opening, in 30 seconds or less.  Smart candidates explain the how and why in their cover letters . . . This is not to say that you simply re-iterate what’s in your resume on your cover letter.  Here are other articles I've written, "10 Reasons Why I Ignored Your Resume" or "Want to Apply For a Job? Introduce Yourself with Impact!"

ready + willing Honored as Innovative and Valuable to Our Region!

Over ten years ago, in the aftermath of REBUS' freBUS (REBUS' pro-bono arm) efforts to provide marketing resources to St. Louis Non-Profits, Sarah Waters and Kendra Gilligan came to me with passion and an idea.  They wanted to take what they learned co-Chairing freBUS and create an marketing organization that was sustainable and scalable.  They wanted to build on the idea of experienced marketers (mentors) working with young professionals for the benefit of Charitable organizations in the St. Louis region.  They wanted to give back to the St. Louis Community.

ready + willing, the name they came up with for the effort, would provide solutions to issues plaguing our region for years.  There were Non-Profits who did not qualify for United Way or other funding mechanisms. ready + willing would provide marketing services for them.  Those Non-Profits had been unable to share their story, their value or increase membership and "organic" financial development.  They were stuck . . . few knew of their existence.  At the same time, young marketers, copywriters, art directors, account service or production pros were unable to gain the experience necessary, to help them land that first job in the business. ready + willing could help that issue also.

I was pleased to be able to help Sarah and Kendra put together their first Board of Directors and to recruit some of the more experienced marketers as mentors.  I would frequently have conversations with new college grads who wanted to get into advertising or marketing, so they were natural prospective participants.  Sarah, Kendra and the Board were able to identify the first Non-Profits to meet their criteria and benefit from the program.  It was exciting, time consuming and anxiety provoking, all at the same time . . . always worried we couldn't keep it going.

Sarah deserves the credit for getting ready + willing to where it is now.  To this day, r+w provides a valuable service.  It's an excellent place for experienced pros to meet younger professionals, who have different areas of expertise.  It's an unusual and valuable learning experience for both parties.  It's an excellent way for both older and younger marketers to learn from each other, while providing those otherwise unattainable marketing communications for Non-Profits.

FOCUS St. Louis® has announced the 2017 What's Right With the Region Honorees.  ready + willing has been honored as having "demonstrated innovation and vision in making the St. Louis region a better place to live, work or visit."  FOCUS St. Louis is the region's premier leadership organization.  So far, ready + willing has helped over 14 Non-Profits.  You can see some of the work here. 

Career Opportunity: Social Media Content Manager in St. Louis

General Description:
Behind every social community, there is someone driving the conversation. You listen to the buzz and are enthusiastic about joining the discussion. You have experience monitoring and managing social media presence for multiple clients across different social platforms. You’re highly motivated, organized, and have strong communication skills. Above all, you’re a social native who’s plugged in 24/7. You’re a good writer and understand how to communicate visually with pictures and videos, even if you aren’t creating them.  if you want to get into technology, this is the place to go.   Our St. Louis Client is building a category, not just a company!

Responsibilities:
•    Work with agency team members (strategy, creative, and account teams) to craft compelling content that resonates with a variety of audiences, while being responsible for daily client deliverables.
•    Serve as the community moderator, answer comments and questions, and prompt further engagement- escalating issues to Client Success Managers, following up on issues, and maintaining community standards. Perform conflict management and crisis management when needs arise.
•    Execute platform-specific best practices across Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Instagram. Provide internal/external teams with a recap, including implications and a unique and thorough point of view.
•    Perform outreach activities, and develop and maintain relationships with key bloggers and other influencers. Leverage those relationships and opportunities where appropriate.