I’ve been fortunate to deal with some great recruiters, both as a client and as a candidate.  And I’ve been unfortunate, on occasion, to have run across some who clearly should have pursued careers in trench digging, coal shoveling, grape stomping or other fields requiring aptitude in wielding a blunt instrument.  The lack of functional expertise, responsive service, and simple finesse in professional staffing is sometimes laughable, and not in a funny ha-ha way.

True story:  A recruiter, who maintained he “knew marketing up one side and down the other,” asked if I had experience in preparing advertising and brochures, promotional materials and the like.  I said I’d developed numerous integrated campaigns with advertising and collateral.  He replied, “Collateral is fine, but what about brochures and promotional materials?” He wanted me to drop everything and immediately re-write my resume, which I did, and then he didn’t follow up for weeks, even after repeated phone calls and emails.  When he finally called, he said he’d never presented me to the client, and commented snidely, “you’re not a good fit but do you know anybody else who is?”  The problem wasn’t that he’d decided not to present me — my issue was that he refused to explain why, that he took so long to do it, and that his attitude reflected the clear assumption that he held the more important position in our relationship.  I was disappointed — but more importantly, I was unimpressed and vowed never to work with the guy in the future.So here are just a few basic tips I think could potentially be valuable for both recruiters and candidates as we all navigate the (hopefully) soon-to-come swell in recovery-related hiring:

 Know the WorkCandidates should know something about the client’s business, even if industry experience isn’t required. Recruiters should know something about the actual responsibilities – don’t just take the client’s job spec and dump it into your template. Ask questions until you get what’s really required.

Follow Up ProperlyThis is so simple, but it’s amazing how many candidates can’t find the right balance between staying top of mind versus being a stalker.  Recruiters should tell candidates when they expect to present to/hear from the client. If the recruiter doesn’t discuss a follow up plan, candidates should simply ask “how/when may I re-connect with you on this? Both clients and candidates should return phone calls promptly; it’s basic courtesy.

Respect the ConnectionThe best recruiters and candidates know that establishing a strong relationship is key to years of future success for both. If you’re a recruiter, try to remember that candidates (especially those who are in transition) are not commodities – they’re flesh-and-blood humans whose lives may well depend upon your engagement; if you’re a candidate, remember that your recruiter works for his/her client, not for you, and has to pay attention to the buttered side of the bread.  If you can unite — finding that middle ground of mutual respect — you can cement those relationships effectively and enjoy many successful placements as a result.

Monica Levy blogs about the good, bad and ugly in marketing and communications at http://www.monicaonmarketing.blogspot.com.  You can follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/mjlevy.

As recruiters, we expect to see specific hiring trends during economic downturns. Historically, we anticipate increases in contract/freelance staffing because corporations, which are in the midst of hiring freezes, have laid-off large numbers of marketing and communications pros. With a skeleton staff and the same daunting workload, the inevitable outcome is that organizations bring on contract/freelance staff to fill the gap.

Generally the most common need is for mid-level talent with 5-10 years of experience.  The senior level positions are less often requested because strategies have been set and companies want simply to execute on plans.  But 2009 has not played by the standard rules.

While we are seeing an increase in contract/freelance hires, we’ve been surprised that another trend has emerged: our staff is recruiting for a significant number of senior and executive level marketing openings across a broad range of industries.  

Most recently, we’ve recruited for a CMOs, VPs and Directors of Marketing across a wide variety of industries including retail, telecom, health and beauty and tech.

 The question: Why the change in upper management at this time?

Are these executive level openings a result of the company taking their business in a different direction, and, thus, needing a new leader with fresh thinking? Perhaps this recession has provided management with the opportunity to clean house and let go of senior marketing staff that have not been able to make a measurable impact. It may be a case of organizational growth despite this challenging environment. Some suggest it may be a case of attrition. Or perhaps it is simply an anomaly that we alone are experiencing within our recruitment practice.

To find the answers or at least further the conversation, we are reaching out to our community of Marketing Professionals. As marketers on the front lines, we’re interested in hearing directly from you. Click here to take a five question survey about hiring trends within your organization. We’ll be sharing the findings with our readers, and individual responses will remain confidential. And feel free to comment on the subject here. We value your insight, your questions and your feedback. 

The old adage that “time flies when you’re having fun” really hit home for me this morning. As I was reflecting on the last ten years I’ve spent in the professional working world, I realized that one of the common denominators in each of my positions has been healthcare. 

I began my career on the public relations side, working with healthcare systems and big pharma. That interest has carried over into my role in the recruiting world. In the last four years at Paladin, I’ve worked with nearly 30 healthcare associations, providers, insurers and pharma companies, providing a vast array of talent for marketing, creative, programming, membership, training, event and communications departments.  Working with marketers and creatives in this space has allowed me the opportunity to stay abreast of trends, pressures, challenges and nuances in the field.

To get an even deeper understanding of these trends, I launched a survey of my healthcare association clients last month. The goal was to better understand the marketing, membership and staffing trends within these organizations.  I think you’ll find the survey results interesting.

A few key findings:

- The healthcare association world is a “healthy” one, despite the turbulent U.S. economy. The majority of respondents noted that their overall membership base in continuing to grow and that from an organizational perspective, they plan to continue expanding in other markets.

- As with many organizations, healthcare associations are embracing the new social media movement and offering new online and interactive forums to help their members and employees communicate. Facebook and Linked-In are becoming the top social media tools in the communications arsenal of these organizations.

- In order to remain competitive, healthcare associations are expanding their product and service offerings in 2009, including e-learning programs, online conferences, and social  media tools.

I encourage you to review the full survey findings in the hope that you’ll be able to leverage them as you continue to build marketing and communications campaigns and products for your members this year.

http://www.paladinstaff.com/promo/survey-results/

I also welcome your insights and hope you will help create a larger dialogue on this topic.  Feel free to comment here, or to contact me off-line with questions, ideas, suggestions, requests or additional resources: elise@paladinstaff.com.

I recently participated in a panel at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to offer insights and advice to upcoming graduates preparing to enter the job market.  As a former creative freelancer turned recruiter, I can relate to candidate’s uncertainties and expectations of working with staffing agencies. When meeting with talent, I always try to clarify how the relationship between talent and agency works. Here are six lessons I learned when I went behind the scenes of the staffing industry. My hope is to help you understand the process and build a productive partnership with a staffing agency.

1. Staffing agencies are driven by their client’s needs. Registering with an agency and meeting with a recruiter does not mean you can sit back and wait for your phone to ring. Recruiters want to know the best talent out there so they can make great matches for their clients. Making a perfect match for you might not happen the week after you meet with a recruiter – it could take weeks or even months.

2. Staffing agencies are working with thousands of candidates. Top creative staffing agencies have been around for close to 20 years. Their pool of talent is deep and wide and new candidates are registering with them every week. Competition is tough. Keep your profile current in their online database. Be sure you are easy to contact and that your resume and portfolio are ready to go.

3. Don’t respond to jobs you are not qualified for. You may have 75% of the experience the job requires, so you send your resume off and hope for a shot. Unfortunately, this often has a negative effect on the recruiter who is sorting through responses. Make sure you’re 100% qualified and respond to jobs you fully understand. Good recruiters have their client’s best interest at heart and will not submit candidates who are less than 100% qualified.

4. Candidates who follow directions are considered. Plain and simple.
Make sure to read and understand what is being requested of you in the job posting. Respond and deliver in as clear and concise a manner as possible. If you leave out information, you’ll get left out of the next steps.

5. Staffing agencies are a great resource for you, but they are only one of your resources. Be sure you are networking, keeping up with trends, participating in professional memberships, blogs, and online communities to ensure you hear about the right opportunity at the right time.

6. Gone are the days of working up the ladder. Be flexible and open to both pay and skill set. Someone who is available and ready work keeps the doors open. The assignment may not be your dream job, but the company and culture may be a fit with other opportunities down the road.