Whilst UK recruiters cannot wait to see the back of 2009 the outlook for next year looks altogether more favourable, according to industry thought-leaders.

A recent discussion in the UK Recruitment Professionals LinkedIn Group asked for recruiter’s thoughts on their feelings on what was in store in the New Year.  The post received an almost unanimous vote of confidence.

The past 18 months has seen almost unrivalled challenges for the staffing industry, battling not only a downturned economy but also the emergence of social media, heralded during its inception as the complete antipathy to the traditional recruitment model – the anti-Christ to decades of relatively unchallenged prosperity.

“When the sea is rough, sail better”, pontificated Stephen Hart, owner of sales and recruitment training company, Edenchanges.  “I’ve worked with quite a few recruitment companies this year and continually I see that the solid basics of hard, professional and focused work and effort will ensure companies do well.”  And these are the key issues.

Undoubtedly, those recruitment agencies who chose the short-term aggressive approach above the long-tailed account management mantra will find that by mistreating their jobseekers and failing to properly consult with their clients, has probably nailed the lid on their coffin.  For the scurrilous vagabonds who have skulked our industry caverns for too long now, may be about to given short thrift.

Arrogance & complacency

“If there has been any silver lining to the last 18 months,” opined Stuart MacGregor, business manager at MacGregor Wilson Resourcing, “I think it might be fair to say that it’s wiped out a fair amount of arrogance, complacency and shoddy work in the recruitment sector and re-focussed many of us.”

Very few industry sectors have managed to avoid the recession, with even less managing to flourish.  Perhaps the earliest sign of the gathering storm was the dramatic drop in the number of marketing jobs advertised.  Perceived by many bean-counters as an unquantifiable expense, the creative folk have struggled more than most this year.  But the signs in this sector are extremely positive, with the number of visible advertised vacancies on the rise.

More jobs for recruiters

Jeremy Snell, group sales trainer at Spring Group Plc, is upbeat about the future: “The looks healthier for 2010 certainly, with recent news revealing that permanent jobs are at a 28 month high for November 2009.  I think also that there will be a lot more movement [in our industry], with a strong war ensuing for talented recruiters. Many firms cut their headcount by up to 30% (some also crashed out all together) and all have made noises publicly that 2010 will see that change.

This means next year will see a lot of recruitment firms attacking the market with renewed energy.  With many recruiters looking to change jobs, 2010 could be the year that brings home the importance to many businesses of their human capital.” 

All aboard the staffing carousel

So, interesting times ahead: Jobseekers can return from a well-earned festive break to a veritable alpine snowfall of newly-budgeted vacancies; recruiters can look forward to once again working with a smile on their face and a regression to the merry-go-round that keeps it all interesting; and hiring managers will be enjoying the benefits of tip-top talent, brought to them by the remodelled and battle-hardened recruiter.

To end John Reynolds, managing director of tri-sector recruitment specialists, Storm Recruitment Services Limited, simply enthused: “Bring it on.  I predict a riot”.  And I’ll propose a toast to that!

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

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The number of advertised UK marketing jobs has picked up in recent weeks. With many of the industry’s leading experts predicting that we will see resurgence as early as Q110, is the optimism justified or should we continue to tread with caution?

“We’ve seen a huge increase in new briefs in the last two-three months, and there seems no sign of it letting off,” comments Charlie Jackson, sales director at marketing recruitment specialists, Jackson Rose. And Barry Furby, director of multi-channel recruiter, Fresh Resources, agrees: “The last three months have been the busiest for eighteen months,” he said.

But with recent news suggesting the Government were rather presumptuous in their parliamentary prognosis that Europe was on the road to recovery, are we in the midst of some profound piffle or has the marketing industry really stolen a march in getting back to work?

A wealth of riches

No doubt we remain in challenging times. There are still too many applications per vacancy and those clients who are recruiting continue to seek the ‘magic lamp’ from what they perceive to be an ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ of options; prepared to wait for the ideal candidate, rather than accepting any period of transition. And this is proving to be enormously frustrating.

Kate Ravenscroft at the Genesis Appeal has been looking for a marketing management role for more than twelve months.  She agrees there are more jobs being advertised now but believes genuinely transferable skills are being overlooked: “Recruiters are able to be totally arbitrary when culling before shortlist, meaning that flexible all-round experienced general marketers don’t get a look in.”  Kate believes this attitude might start to change by the beginning of Q210.

Transferable skills aren’t enough

Michele Jones, a marketing manager from Bradford is not convinced it is all good news.  She emphasises with those who believe employers only want to see applications from candidates with relevant industry sector experience.  “Even though I have a wealth of transferable skills I am not getting in front of employers”, she says.  “And I know this is annoying the recruiters, too”.  Furthermore, and “having seen it before”, Michele believes this time of year means the number of vacancies will recede.

However, Daniel Shaw, principle consultant at executive search & selection firm, PSD Group, is more upbeat: “Traditionally the final quarter of the year is the strongest”, he says “and if September is a good barometer, we are [moving] in the right direction”.  Whilst believing the jobs market has picked up Daniel does think some disciplines will take longer to recover.  “Employers are hedging their bets and lower salary, lower risk hires: areas such as account management, CRM and [business development], for example.  Events, branding and PR are still struggling”

Helping you prepare for 2010

So whilst the number of advertised marketing jobs appears to have increased in recent months there are factors to consider:

• Some marketing disciplines are more buoyant than others.  It may take a while for communications, for example, to stage a comeback;
• As far as you can target your applications within the sectors you have most experience in.  You are far more likely to receive interest from employers;
• Register with recruitment agencies with which you have a symbiotic relationship.  Remember they have felt the pinch this year, too.   As job levels increase you need to ensure your representatives understand your requirements; be flexible.  It may not be necessary to reduce your salary if you are prepared to commute further than you would like or undertake a role you might not otherwise consider;
• Seek out the contract/temporary roles beginning to emerge.  These can offer great experiences without tying you into a role you are not 100% keen on;
• Stay focused and upbeat.  The market is changing.  Remember that ultimately people buy people.  When you’re given the chance, seize it with zest and positivity.

The demand for marketing personnel is increasing.  Recruiters are beginning to pick up new roles from their clients.  Employers are looking to get ahead of their competition.

Now is the time to get smart, get focused, and get motivated.  Christmas is coming and the goose is getting is getting fat…

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

We all know that LinkedIn rules the earth.  Well, it is certainly trying to do so.  Business folk circumvent this networking platform at their peril, for avoidance renders them conspicuous by their absence.

But just like any other product, LinkedIn is only beneficial if you know how to use it.  Virtuous it may be but just how much can it improve your personal development opportunities and, anyway, how do you use it to network?

First, let’s look at what you could do:

Courses of action

Suppose you are a jobseeker looking for marketing jobs.  What would be your usual course of action? 

1. Register your details with a couple of selected recruitment agencies. 
2. Type “marketing jobs” into Google and see what comes up.  You may also wish to determine a specific location. 
3. From this you’ll get a selection of advertised vacancies from job boards and recruitment agencies.  Or aggregators pointing to the same.
4. You may be an executive, in which case you’ll probably grab the Guardian on a Monday or, perhaps, you’ve already subscribed to a trade journal or two.

Whilst on the face of it these proactive job hunting methods are admirable, they are nothing new.  All your competitors are doing this; and right now there are many of those.

So here’s what you can do with LinkedIn:

Before you start, make sure your public profile is complete and up-to-date.  And this includes your photo.  There is little point engaging in the social media space and hiding under the sofa.  Show people who you actually are, not what you want them to believe.  Where’s the transparency in that?

Next there are your recommendations.  Who can endorse you?  Of course, these need to be business references, not something your ‘professional friend’ cobbled together.  Ideally you’ll have a collection of suppliers, clients, peers and managers. 

Are you a blogger?  Do you have your own blog page?  If so, set it to RSS into your LinkedIn profile – provided, of course, it complements (rather than contradicts) the image you’re trying to portray.

What we’re trying to get at here is that your profile is your sales platform.  You have no idea who views your page each day and if you get it wrong you could be missing out on some great opportunities.  Because unlike the four channels mentioned above networking is a two-way process.  You need to visible to people looking to find you as much as you need to be proactively punting yourself.  By getting it right, you really can maximise your exposure on LinkedIn. 

Once ‘social you’ has been established you can confidently commence your networking, which means putting yourself in front of as many relevant people as possible.  And if you are jobseeker you’ll be tracking down premier recruiters and, of course, direct employers.

Join a LinkedIn Group

One of the most constructive ways to network via LinkedIn (and any other digital space for that matter) is to join relevant groups.  This is where your peers, recruiters and potential employers hang out.  There are 1000’s of groups on LinkedIn so choosing the right ones can be a bit trial and error.  If you are a marketer, for example, you would join a marketing group.  Common sense.  Many groups are densely populated by friends across the pond, and whilst the US tends the lead the way technologically, they don’t half mind nattering about themselves.

Contribute to the Group

Once you’re in the groups, take part.  Social media encourages an altruistic culture so you should be giving more than you receive.  Start discussion and join in others, offering advice and passing on your knowledge.  People soon realise who the good guys are and you will be surprised who starts connecting with you.  If you have an interesting news piece, share it.  Benevolence this may be, but this is part of the networking.  Play the game right and you will be rewarded by the bucket-load. 

LinkedIn offers you the chance to send messages directly to the people with whom you wish to engage.  You already share common ground so with some clever content you can easily break the ice.  You can request people to join your network and they will oblige if they see some relevance.  By offering the opportunity to connect with your contacts you will initiate a two-way beneficiary.  Again, it’s about being authentic and transparent. 

LinkedIn search functions

There are various search functions you can implement to find the people you want.  The same process will help you uncover companies in your [skills] area that would be worth researching.  Before/after you apply for a job (via LinkedIn or not) why not seek some advice from people who are either working there now or who have in the past.  This will help you prepare your application and, where necessary, tailor your cover letter.  It will also provide useful knowledge at interview stage.

Make an impact

Don’t forget that the fundamental rule of networking is impact; leaving your contact wanting more.  You need to be as proactive as you are reactive; ensuring your online presentation is as good as it is during the offline meetings LinkedIn will undoubtedly afford you.

For more information about using LinkedIn view this LinkedIn user guide.

Simon Lewis | Only Marketing Jobs

60-second interview

As the UK emerges from recession there are worse places to be than Manchester if you’re looking for marketing jobs.

And to assist the North West jobseeker, there’s a networking event in Manchester arriving on 18th November.

I spoke with Dan Marshall, director of North-West based recruiter, Absolute Recruitment and asked his thoughts on the marketing jobs sector in Manchester; how his company is doing things differently; and what jobseekers can do to stand out from the crowd:

What is marketing recruitment looking like in Manchester?

The North West has always been a hive of activity for the marketing sector, with Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds emerging as critical hubs over the past fifteen years.

As the country emerges from recession, we’re already witnessing a massive surge of activity amongst employers keen to attract the very best marketing and online marketing talent. It’s a sad fact that marketing budgets are usually the first to suffer during economic downturns; the upshot though is they’re usually amongst the first to be reinstated as things start to look up. As a result, there are some hugely exciting opportunities in the region at the moment, particularly in the online arena.

How do you see the marketing jobs market going in 2010?

As confidence returns in the UK economy, companies are champing at the bit to push ahead with marketing strategies that may have become casualties of budget-cuts over the past twelve months. This will have a major impact on the numbers of marketing positions becoming available over the coming year. We are already seeing increased hiring activity across all disciplines, but for marketing jobs online specialists are in particular demand as many firms advocate cost-effective online strategies in the fallout of the recession. Good marketers should be looking around now to make sure they aren’t left behind.

What should a marketing jobseeker be doing to make themselves more visible to their audience?

We work in the most innovative, creative, exciting industry in the world. Mediocrity stands out like a sore thumb. Marketing jobseekers need to remain creative, vibrant and enthusiastic and be able to demonstrate this to prospective employers. Just as importantly though, they need to appear business savvy and at the forefront of technology to ensure they stand out, especially when so many excellent candidates are looking for new opportunities. Jobseekers need to be avid users of Social Media and remain proactive in their careers – whether that’s via networking or by keeping up to date with the latest marketing processes and techniques.

What innovative steps is Absolute Recruitment taking to ensure it remains competitive?

Absolute is constantly updating its brand and publicising itself via Social Networking; recommendations; and getting the brand out there via meeting marketing professionals, both client and candidate side. Because our Consultants are still business hungry, our brand remains competitive – we are always developing business relationships ensuring our name is constantly out there. We market ourselves out via Email Campaigns, attending events, speaking to the public, Social Media and developing our own Media Tools.

Why are you sponsoring the Manchester Link-up networking event?

The North West has historically been associated with the Industrial Manufacturing, but the past thirty years has witnessed a massive image shift for the region, with North West companies trailblazing the way in the Marketing Sector. As a company, Absolute Recruitment UK Ltd has always been highly sensitive to the recruitment market and we can see great things happening in the Marketing sector at the moment. Events like the Manchester Link-up are the very best way for companies and jobseekers to ensure they remain at the forefront of this exciting industry, and Absolute are proud to support it.

Events in Manchester

If you would like to meet the Absolute Recruitment team, increase your career opportunities and make new marketing contacts please join us at the Manchester Link-up jobseeker and networking event on 18th November.  Ticket price includes food, the chance to register with some of the North West’s most celebrated recruitment agencies and the opportunity to speak with direct employers who are hiring right now and using this event to find people like you!

Simon Lewis Editor Only Marketing Jobs