It’s no secret that there is a substantial skills shortage across the media, marketing, and advertising sectors at the moment. In fact, for a lot of businesses I talk to, this is near to debilitating, and for them recruitment has never been more difficult. This is particularly challenging for senior-level recruitment, which is why we need to take a fresh approach to how we recruit talent.
The challenges
Having worked in the marketing and advertising sectors for over 20 years, I was there when we went digital and rode the storm of trying to build teams for big brands, when we weren’t even sure what kind of skills would be needed. Trying to get to grips with websites were one thing, but as the sector exploded we had to adapt quickly and learn about the entirely new roles being created, take mobile app developers for example. There are a number of challenges we faced then, and as the industry continues to expand, there are others being thrown at us all the time:
Not everyone embraced the online world
Some businesses flourished when we moved online as they were able to adjust to the changes and upskill staff. Building strong links with universities also allowed businesses to grab emerging talent. Others outsourced work to various places in the UK and even abroad. For most, simply taking people on in the traditional sense with these new skills wasn’t very easy, so they found other solutions. But not all HR and recruitment professionals could keep up with the changing demands, or didn’t fully embrace the online world. Digital is constantly evolving and this offers huge opportunities to the majority of businesses, but for those providing businesses with staff, it can be hard to stay ahead of the game.
We have a quality issue
Then we have the issue of the quality of talent. Skills are being diluted as staff are over-promoted because businesses fear losing them. Time and time again, we’re seeing employees becoming greedy and businesses throwing cash or promotions at them, feeling that this is the only way to retain them.
Any business occupying space in these sectors would be forgiven for feeling a little out of control when it comes to the talent search. But for recruiters and HR professionals, there are things we can do to ensure that we maintain a steady flow of talent.
The solutions
In such a rapidly evolving industry, there are a number of steps that can be taken to provide businesses with the talent they need:
Take steps to stay ahead of the game
HR and recruitment professionals now need to play a big role in advising their businesses on the professionals they need to bring into their teams – this means doing your research. For example, look at what competitor companies are doing, have they got three mobile guys on the team while you have just the one? Are they doing more PPC advertising than ever? It is also worth paying attention to the news - are Google ranking websites based on their mobile sites for instance?
I’m not saying you should be able to predict the future, or make yourself an expert in the media industries, but thinking ahead is important. This brings me onto my next point…
Talent pipelining is an increasingly important technique
Talent pipelining is a recruitment technique that is growing in popularity as the battle for talent continues. Talking to people that aren’t looking for a new role right this second, but may be in the not-so-distant future, will mean that when a role appears you will have someone in mind for it, and you can avoid that awful cold-calling that the majority of candidate’s reject.
But for anyone that has tried to do it before, they’ll know that talent pipelining isn’t easy, and it doesn’t offer the instant gratification that a lot of recruiters thrive off. It’s about developing relationships, finding out about the person you’re talking to outside of a job role or industry, and then maybe down the line when they want a job they’ll approach you. Or, if you find a role that you know would fit them perfectly, you can approach them in a more personal way. For those that aren’t actively looking for a new role, hard-selling isn’t the best approach. Talent pipelining is something that businesses need to work on in this increasingly competitive market.
Closing the skills gap that this industry is currently facing is a challenge, but by adopting a new approach to recruitment we can start to make a difference – or at least make sure our businesses are getting the talent they need.
Peter Cobley is founder and managing director at recruitment consultancy Found Us
