We have the pleasure of welcoming our newest addition to the Paladin Team and the new voice of Paladin - Cindy-Lee Pijoos. Cindy is taking over my role as Recruitment Coordinator. She will be the point person for our working Associates and initial inquiries from Candidates and Clients.

Cindy’s story about finding Paladin is a classic case study for how social networking can help you find a job. Recruiters, mentors, bloggers, and even Forbes continuously buzz about personal branding and networking through online communities to find a job. After reviewing Paladin’s postings online, she contacted me through a direct message on Twitter. Her social media savvy gained her an interview, and her experience and professionalism won her the role.

Cindy graduated with an integrated marketing communications degree in PR. She comes to us originally from Cape Town, South Africa and has lived in various cities before settling in Chicago. She thoroughly enjoys volunteering, cooking, and networking - so be sure to introduce yourself at the next event.

As we welcome Cindy as the new face and voice of Paladin, I am personally taking the next step in my career. I have recently accepted a position in social media, which will be a new challenge I am very excited to take on. My passion for interactive, online marketing has spooled through my experience at Paladin. I am happy to have had a chance to hone my social media experience in my Paladin role and look forward to staying a part of the extended Paladin family!

We are happy to announce a few new enhancements to the Paladin web site! After weeks of brainstorming, mock-ups, and opinion-gathering, the new Paladin splash page has features that will appeal to job seekers and employers alike. Needless to say, we want our viewers to have a successful web experience. We understand the importance of a user-friendly environment – and the ability to locate specific elements without having to go two or three layers deep.

To begin with, the site has a cleaner all-around feel. The softer image of pastel-colored pencils replaces the harder image of the three solid-colored category boxes. As the eyes shift from left to right on the page, the viewer immediately sees “How can Paladin help you?” They have one of three options to click on that are highlighted during scroll-over: One for employers, one for job seekers, and one for our associates.

Heading back to the left side of the page (under the pencils image), the viewer sees a simple, straightforward paragraph on what we do, who we work with, how we operate, and why we’re different from the rest. Directly to the right is a Job Search column that allows the job seeker to search via keyword entry, or by selecting the geographic location or job category. Adjacent to this column is the Available Jobs section, which gives job seekers direct access to immediate openings. The last column to the right features thumbnail images of our talent Portfolios. A potential employer can easily click on an image that will take them directly to an imbedded version of that individual’s portfolio.

The top and bottom tabs of the page have remained the same, to comply with traditional professional home page standards. The social media directory is clearly noticeable as well.

In summary, Paladin’s home page is now easier to navigate than the previous version, allowing you to find what you’re looking for in a much shorter period of time.

On Friday I had the pleasure of taking part in a panel discussion with graduate students from Northwestern University’s Masters of Science in Communication program. The topics covered included: career paths, job search and the effects of the current economy for recent graduates.

Here are a few of the insights that I gathered and shared with them:

 Masters of Communications vs. MBAs:

We ran a quick pool of several senior level marketing and communications professionals to get their take on the value of a Masters of Communications.  As of today 51 have responded. Nearly 50% said it gave a professional a leg up or was “a must”.  Only 17% said other degrees are better.  The poll is still live. Feel free to participate and check out the results: Poll

Compensation:

One of the trends we are seeing is a polarization of compensation. The top 10% of earners within marketing and communications make at least 50% more income than the average earnings of the bottom 90%.  An article in Marketing Week from the UK gives a global view of this trend: ‘A New Age of Austerity Hits Pay Packets Hard‘

 Where the Money is: 

• US owned companies compensate these Marketing and Communications roles better than their European counterparts.
• Digital natives (those who have worked within online marketing from the beginning of their careers) earn a significant premium in compensation.
• High performing employees may be in a great position to negotiate. 70% of companies reported that they were concerned that these high performing employees may leave.

The Economy

Yes, the economy is difficult. But the anxiety caused by high unemployment numbers is often worsened by media oversaturation. The staggering numbers (8.4 Millions jobs lost since the recession began – Bureau of Labor Statistics) do not provide a  perspective on how communication  professionals will be effected. While white collar workers did experience some of the wrath of the poor economy, they were not affected to the same degree as those without a bachelor’s degree. Bureau of Labor Statistics Education Pays Graph.

 On the bright side:

• The Unemployment rate recently fell to under 10%.
• In January there were 5.9 job seekers on average competing for each job -  a significant decrease from the pervious month
• There were 2.5 million job openings in December 2009- a significant increase from November
• Even with 14.8 million people out of work, there are an estimated 137 million employed.
• A Towers Watson survey released Dec. 2009 states that the number of polled companies that plan to freeze or reduce hiring dropped by half to just 33%. Click here to see the Study
• Marketing, creative and communications professions make up only a very small percentage of the total work force and unemployment rates among those ranks are generally much less than the national averages.
• In surveying the January job postings for Communications roles several groups were up. For example- Internal Communications increased 9%, Communications Managers increased by 10%.

So take a deep breath and start regrouping for the big surge ahead that will surely follow this economic turmoil.  It is time to get back to the hard work – figuring out what you are truly passionate about. Trying to guess the direction of the market, following the hot industries of the moment will never create the foolproof career plan. Being passionate about your chosen path will make you more attractive to employers regardless of which way the current trends are blowing.

Employee vs. Contractor

Temporary employment is becoming the new norm. As companies remain fiscally conservative and credit strapped, they are reluctant to bring on a permanent head count. Marketing, creative and communications departments have had experience with this model for years. This will continue to be a growing trend into 2010 and potentially far beyond. From junior assistants and mid-level specialists to the most senior level strategic directors – contract vs. employee is an important part of the mix. Check out two articles on the subject:

‘Temporary CMOs are Here to Stay – for Six Months or So’ - Brandweek

‘Recruiters See Jobs Pickup in 2010 Despite Concerns’ – Wall Street Journal

As always, I came away from the panel discussion super charged. The talent, dedication, drive and passion these professionals have reminded me why I love this field so much- a big Thank You to the school for inviting Paladin to participate.

You know that the time will come when the “employer market” will change back to a “candidate market”.  My friends, that day is fast approaching!  For those of us who went through this cycle in the 90s (yes, I was there), it was a great time for qualified talent to make a change but not so good for companies who had invested thousands of dollars and years into cultivating the talent.  Firms were often in bidding wars over candidates and many times there would be 2-3 offers up for consideration.  Sign on bonuses, relocation packages and stock options were commonplace, not the rare exception.

There are some basic steps you can take as an employer to solidify your relationship with your employee so you don’t find yourself looking for help when you didn’t see it coming.

1. Make sure your employee knows where they stand in your business.  Tell them how you feel about them.  Show them they matter in their pay, benefits and involvement in the decisions of the business.
2. Be flexible with things like time off, work hours and virtual work when possible. Today’s workplace has changed dramatically and employees are juggling much more in their schedules and the employers who offer the most flexibility will grab more of the top talent.
3. Don’t try to play the bidding game with an employee who is already looking on the outside.  If they matter to you, counter quickly and decisively if necessary but be willing to let them go their own way.  If their decision to leave is all about more money, the desire to get more will continue to be there.
4. Promote your best people and give them a clear career path that is set in your firm.  People who have been patiently waiting through the Recession for those long ago promises will not be so patient moving forward. 

As a candidate looking to make a change there are also key factors for you to keep in consideration.

1. Have your resume always up-to-date and references available.  Some jobs will appear out of the blue and you don’t want to keep a potential employer waiting.
2. Keep your social networks open and always looking for new potential matches.  Remember, other people will have the same idea as you.
3. Don’t just “kick the tires” to see what is out there.  While as a candidate you might have the upper hand, you can burn bridges and get a bad reputation with recruiters and clients that will spread like wildfire.

The bottom line is that things are improving and the market will be much more competitive for the top talent and keeping the people you already have in place.

Now is a good time to do some “soul searching” and make sure you haven’t capitalized too munch on the current market and irreparably strained the staff relationships that your business needs to continue to be successful.