Great article in Fast Company, http://www.fastcompany.com/1779120/embargo-1027-why-digital-talent-doesn-t-want-to-work-at-your-company, explaining many of the mistakes companies make causing them to repel digital leaders.

While the overall employment market languishes, there continues to be a hiring spree in many companies for top developers, designers, marketers and sales professionals who have succeeded in the digital space. Not all of these people want to work at facebook or google, and there is a chance your company could add best in class talent if you follow some of the guidelines in the article.

At Hawthorne Search, the three following criteria are most often cited by our candidates when considering an opportunity:
1) does this position help my long term marketability? If the job doesn’t build the resume it is a very tough sell regardless of compensation.
2) Is there work/life balance at the company. People want the flexibility to work from home, take an afternoon off when desired, etc. If you keep your staff at their desks under lock and key, you will fail to attract they type of individual you are looking for.
3) Front end compensation. Equity, shares, deferred compensation. These things were hot a decade or less ago, but now everyone wants their money up front, as the sense that the future is murky at best causes many people to take less on the back end if the front end is more robust.

For over a decade we have worked with publishers and CMRs finding everything from front line sales and marketing professionals to CEOs on an international basis. By our estimates we have placed well over 500 professionals industry wide. On a daily basis we speak to dozens of industry professionals at all levels, giving us some unique perspectives on the talent side of the industry.

Here are some of our takes on the publishing and CMR side of the business for 2011 thus far:

1) International has action. We have seen a significant number of search assignments come in with publishers in Latin, Central and South America. The take seems to be that the erosion of print that has occurred in the states has not come into play at a meaningful rate as of yet. Why? We have been told that broadband internet rates are much lower in most countries, and there seems to be two tiers: print and mobile with a strong audience for both. The take away is that there are jobs with many publishers outside of the United States

2) Mid-Career professionals worried. I can’t tell you how many calls I get from sales directors, national sales leaders or others who are the back bone of the directory space. They are worried not only about their long term career prospects, but also about the short terms. With the demise of a number of publishers, everyone is on their toes and looking for a life raft. We hear from many publishers that things are holding up remarkably well, but there seems to be a skittishness among the rank and file. Our hope is that an upturn in the economy will remedy some of this.

3) CMRs consolidating. Jenny Ciappa on our team has personally been involved in the buy/sell of over a half dozen CMRs this year alone. She is constantly fielding calls from both those looking to acquire and those looking for an exit strategy. We all know how tough things have gotten in the national space in recent years, so it is not surprising that business owners are looking to leverage their business while they still have time.

4) Publishers scrambling for up and coming sales talent. Publishers from coast to coast continue to add sales professionals, usually due to poor performance or normal staff attrition. We are told that it is of paramount importance to attract professionals either right out of school or with a handful of years of experience. Publisher rightfully so want a balanced sales force with up and comers as well as experienced industry professionals. The challenge is attracting a population that grew up getting most of its information online and may not have familiarity or interest in a primarily print product. Please check back as we will be launching a series on how to attract these people to your staff.

5) Less Managers. We have noticed that many publishers are consolidating operations, trimming middle and senior manager headcount, and putting more reps under remaining managers. We are seeing this “squeeze” from coast to coast as publishers try and maintain profitability without raising prices or trimming compensation for their sales force. We have seen about a 25% uptick in the number of manager resumes received this year versus 2010

If you want more information, or are looking to hire, call me at 910-798-1800 x101 or email robert@hawthornesearch.com

COMING SOON: PART 2, ONLINE SEARCH

What can today’s job seeker expect?

1) You are either in a “hot” market or you are not.  If you are an online marketer, a softare developer, a healthcare industry technologist or some other related professional there is a good chance that your phone is ringing off of the hook.  Within a narrow scope of industries and disciplines, this is a boom time.  If you are not in those markets, however, you need to work especially hard if you are in need of a new job.

2) The job you are starting today may have a short life expectancy.  Gone are the days when companies hired people based on long term objectives and goals.  Most companies want to hire someone if they can help them grow their business and make money TODAY.  If your position doesn’t justify your salary in six months, you can’t expect many companies to carry the long view.  You should always keep your resume updated, and take a phone call from a head hunter even if you just started a job as you need to expect the unexpected.

3)  No one will cross train you.  Most companies believe that there is a limitless supply of talented people looking for work and they can settle on the exact skill set they desire.  Gone are the days when a company would look for the “best athlete available” and take the time to get you up to speed.  If you are a customer service representative, don’t look for a company to give you a shot in marketing.  Know your skills, and target jobs you can offer immediate value at.

4) You may have to move at your own expense.  If you are in a city that has been crushed by the economy, think Las Vegas, Orlando, etc.  the odds of finding a job that fits your skill set immediately are probably pretty low.  On the flip side, gone are the days when companies offered lavish relocation packages.  What remains are tough choices as you decide whether to take the job in Kansas City.  There is always a chance you can get some relocation assistance, but you might have to bite the bullet and go out of pocket to move for a job.

5) Don’t look for things to change any time soon.  The final reality is that we are headed into another presidential election cycle and many businesses are going to “wait things out” before going on a rapid hiring binge.  Regardless of political affiliation businesses want to know what to expect, and as long as the next four years remain up in the air, businesses will likely only hire what they need to maintain their businesses.  Keep this in mind if a job that you aren’t 100% fired up about falls into your lap.

Quality can always be somewhat challenging using Skype (pending internet connection), but this free service works very well and allows people across the country and the world to quickly connect via a video call. We use it regularly for our work as now when working on a project where the candidates are not local, we can use Skype to see how our candidates present themselves in person. It’s a great tool and arguably a game charger for us as recruiters, as well as most industries out there that require communication among geographic disparate parties.

So as we adopt this new technology aggressively, it’s come to light that there are some basic things you should keep in mind when using Skype, especially when a new potential employer wants to initiate the interview process that way.  Some of this stuff is obvious, but in the recruiting business, missing the obvious happens all the time and in a tough job market, missing the obvious could cost you a job.

#1. Dress the part. I would ask the company you are interviewing with how to dress. Simple as that. A suit may be a bit much, but a dress shirt or shirt and sport coat and something tasteful for women would be appropriate. Business casual would be my recommendation with erring to the side of slightly more conservatively.  Remember this is the company’s first chance to see you and you only get one shot to make a positive impression.

#2 Make sure the “scene” is right. Obvious stuff again, but no pinups on the wall behind you and definitely take down your Metallica posters. Tasteful is the theme here and make sure there is nothing offensive that can be seen by your computer’s camera or heard by your computers mic. I would even make the surround seem somewhat professional by sitting at a desk with maybe a plant or something else tasteful behind you.

#3 Check audio and lighting. I would do a test call with a friend or co worker to make sure you are good to go with using Skype and that the audio and video quality are good. You may need to add some simple lighting and or get a separate microphone to make sure you can be seen and heard clearly. The biggest detractor from a Skype call is not having either of those in adequate quality. Again, practicing and testing hear are mission critical.
Again, pretty simple stuff but none the less very important. To that point there are studios popping up all over the country where you can go do make Skype calls with a quality setup and in a professional place. Don’t know if you need to do all that but check your local marketplace to see who offers those services should you need it. Otherwise, test, practice and look the part and you should do just fine.

“Friedman says that professionals today need to think of themselves as a startup. I love this analogy because when successful startups first get off the ground, they are obsessed with learning and discovery while they try to find a business model – just like a young professional needs to be obsessed with learning and discovery while they try to find a career path.”

The same old 9-5 secure career that worked for our parents doesn’t necessarily apply to our generation. Companies aren’t looking for people who can simply go through the motions. They want people who have something unique to offer, something that machines aren’t capable of producing. They aren’t looking for an average person who produces average results. They want a linchpin…someone they can’t live without. And how do we become a linchpin? By not accepting the 9-5 job right out of graduation and instead taking the time to learn your strengths/weakness, likes/dislikes, and what makes you thrive as a creative individual.

I highly recommend you read the article in its entirety and head Healy’s advice. You can find the article here: http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2011/08/08/why-you-need-to-stop-worrying-about-saving-money/