Tips For Today’s Marketing Job Seekers
Expert Interview Series: Amanda Leisman of Market Search Recruiting on Tips For Today’s Marketing Job Seekers
Amanda Leisman is a Marketing Recruiter at MarketSearch, where she provides the highest level of service to both candidates and clients. We had a chance to sit down with Amanda to discuss the job market for marketing professionals and hear her advice for today’s job seekers.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT MARKET SEARCH RECRUITING. WHAT MAKES THE COMPANY STAND OUT FROM ITS COMPETITORS?
MarketSearch is solely dedicated to marketing and communications recruitment. We handle all positions that help support the marketing process after the sale is completed. There are very few other firms that have this sole focus. We have recruited for this industry for over a decade, and are one of the most networked, well-connected marketing recruitment firms in the industry.
We work with both client and agency roles. The greatest thing about recruiting for this industry is that the hiring needs change at 90MPH. Who we recruited for as recent as 5 years ago has a diversely different profile then who are the most sought-after marketing candidates of today. It’s great to stay ahead of the curve.
YOUR WEBSITE TALKS ABOUT “BUILDING CANDIDATE PIPELINES” FOR YOUR CLIENTS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR JOB SEEKERS?
Pipelining is the smartest way for our clients to stay current and connected to “hot” candidates/job seekers on (and off) the market. For job seekers, it means pinpointed “hot” opportunities that they won’t want to miss.
The candidate pipeline benefits the job seeker just as much as it does our clients. Once they are in our pipeline, we know what they want, what they excel at, their salary range, location, etc. This way, they will never have to worry about being bombarded with wrong opportunities.
Since we are consistently interviewing and staying connected to candidates, we know when and how to generate conversations with these candidates. We know the marketplace, what companies are doing, and how to find and attract that hired gun.
ARE THERE ANY UNORTHODOX OR UNCONVENTIONAL REQUESTS OR DESIRES THAT YOU’RE SEEING FROM TODAY’S JOB SEEKERS?
As far as anything that’s out of the ordinary, not really. What we do see is a massive change from the “yesterday” companies to meet the work wants/needs of the great candidates of today. Attractive companies know that they are going to need to have great perks, benefits, and work/life balance setups to compete in this market and retain the best talent. That 9-5 candidate working on-site and staying in one position for the life of their career most likely will not be a most sought-after candidate.
To us, these people are most deserving of a foosball table in the workplace, an environment that will foster creative development, and other “special” requests. For example, in the peak of Monster.com, they would award top performers with car leases. And today, you have these “Super Buildings” which just make work a collaborative thought-provoking environment (see TripAdvisor and what’s planned for the new GE Building in Boston). The requests from candidates are that they want (and most are now used to) working at places like these.
OVERALL, DO YOU THINK THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH TODAY’S COMPANIES HIRING WELL-QUALIFIED APPLICANTS WHO AREN’T NECESSARILY A GOOD FIT FOR THOSE COMPANIES?
Yes. Some clients are immediately attracted to both educational and past firm pedigree and neglect to see that other applicants are much better matches for the searches at hand. Cultural match is as important as overall past experience. It’s important to make sure that these candidates can truly add value to both the position they are interviewing for AND to the existing team. Hiring the wrong person just because the hiring manager was excited by their resume can be a costly mistake.
SOME HUMAN RESOURCES OBSERVERS CLAIM THAT MANY MILLENNIAL JOB APPLICANTS AREN’T LOOKING TO STAY AT ONE COMPANY FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME. ARE YOU SEEING A TREND OF SHORT-TENURED NEW HIRES IN TODAY’S JOB MARKET?
Millennials are looking for the same thing that every other generation has looked for in the past. They are looking for a great place to grow, hang their hat, learn, and build their careers. Maybe their attention spans appear to be shorter; however, what we find is that top management at some of these millennial attractive firms tends to shift quickly. This is going to undoubtedly affect attrition.
HOW CAN TODAY’S JOB APPLICANTS MAKE THEMSELVES STAND OUT FROM THE REST OF THEIR PEERS DURING THE JOB-SEEKING PROCESS?
Be confident in your experience, know your audience, and do research on the firms. This sounds so simple; but in actuality, there are so many who are unprepared. We love to work with candidates who truly want the positions they are interviewing for and show up well-prepared, articulate past and relevant experiences, and have a confidence that sets them apart from others. Wallflowers and bulls in china shops need not apply. We need a nice “in-between.”
WHAT ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS YOU WOULD GIVE TO JOB SEEKERS TO HELP THEM HELP YOU (AS A RECRUITER) FIND THEM THE PERFECT JOB?
Simple: stay connected with us. Even if we can’t help you on this round, we will stay connected with top candidates for sure. Know that your job search is a mutual effort. Be real in the positions you are interviewing for as well. We will present you with searches that are an exact match with your experience. We will not present you with positions that offer you a chance to change your area of expertise.
WHAT DO YOU SEE IN THE FUTURE IN AMERICA FOR BOTH RECRUITERS AND JOB SEEKERS?
The future is highly competitive for hiring. The unemployment rates are at an all-time low. Companies are not adding a tremendous amount of new searches. We are nearing full employment. There is huge endurance in the job market. Candidates and recruiters are, as always, going to need to work together as partners to land those perfect next steps. So job seekers should stay close and stay current.
**For full article click here: http://blog.realmatch.com/employers/expert-interview-series-amanda-leisman-of-market-search-recruiting-on-tips-for-todays-marketing-job-seekers-102016/
