Positivity is at last returning to the Marketing Recruitment sector, which is a relief following the pessimism that clouded the industry over the course of the recession. The number of those in employment has risen, and research suggests economic recovery is likely to be ongoing. The Confederation for British Industry and other influential sources agree, noting that the improvement is not reliant solely on consumer spending, but is instead broad-based.
The marketing recruitment sector has undergone vast change in the last five to ten years. Many have switched to using smaller teams whilst demanding higher returns on investment. The pressure on candidates has increased significantly — they need to have multiple specialist skills and be entirely flexible. In turn, those responsible for hiring are on the look-out for candidates who match an almost impossible talent check list.
Budgetary pressure as a result of the recession and recovery period makes these changes unsurprising. Better results for less money is a common mantra for those companies still surviving after toughing it out for the last few years. However, alarm bells are ringing that the situation may be getting out of hand.
With tangible requirements becoming somewhat confused within job descriptors that resemble wish lists, marketing recruitment leaders must accept that finding someone who ticks every box is, in all probability, impossible. A specialist who is also a generalist and a strategist experienced in one sector but who also has industry-wide experience, on top of the ‘must-have’ skills in stakeholder management, is hard to find.
So what is the solution? A lateral approach to marketing recruitment may be the way forward. Sourcing the candidate with the ‘best fit’ and then training them to deliver all the tasks in hand to the highest standard seems the most sensible alternative to waiting for the perfect candidate to materialise.
Enlisting the services of recruitment specialists can make the process easier. For example, Midland recruitment agencies can assist businesses in the area to avoid unrealistic expectations. A focus on value added can reduce hiring stress. Candidates themselves will benefit from opportunities for career progression, as opposed to having to go into the position already in possession of a long list of skills.
Being sensible about marketing recruitment is important. Requiring new recruits to have a specific skill set and eliminating those who don’t could even mean missing out on so far undiscovered talent.