Product category:
Recruitment services
News Release from: RPCushing Recruitment | Subject: senior level recruitment
Edited by the Marketingservicestalk Editorial
Team on 14 January 2008
Agencies expand top ranks to gain
competitive edge
Tom Brockton, head of the marketing division at RPCushing Recruitment, finds many agencies have been creating new senior positions to raise the quality of the agency/client interface.
A new trend emerged in 2007 among marketing agencies looking to add value to their services and secure account longevity: many agencies have been creating new positions at a senior level to improve the quality of the agency/client interface, make clients feel more valued and to differentiate themselves from competitive agencies Recruitment within the marketing sector has remained buoyant throughout 2007 from both an agency and in-house perspective
However, an unexpected but clear trend was the creation of new managerial vacancies within agencies; this led to a significant demand for experienced practitioners at a senior level, who were being sought for their client management skills as well as their campaign execution experience.
High-paying clients want to feel that they are an agency's key priority; they want to know that they have a senior central point of contact at their agency who is easily accessible and can deal with any query or concern that the client has.
In 2007 we saw agencies responding by creating new senior positions and recruiting an increased number of experienced marketing professionals to oversee the delivery of campaigns, ensure that work produced is of the highest quality, and more generally, to demonstrate to clients that their account is of significant importance to the business through appropriate liaison activity.
This has created a 'snowball' effect within the sector as more and more agencies adopt this approach to ensure they are offering their clients the best possible service.
The increased focus on providing clients with additional resources is indirectly benefiting practitioners already in the workplace: through the process of reviewing and revamping their company and team structures, marketing agency employers are promoting a better working environment.
Bringing in new people and strengthening teams with additional expertise and experience at a senior level has not only boosted morale within the workplace, but has prompted employers to review their offerings to staff at all levels - it definitely seems to be having a positive impact.
Needless to say that there are many career opportunities for strong, experienced marketers with a good attitude.
In fact, agency-side employers are currently fighting for the attention of the best candidates currently looking for a career change - it is especially hard for agencies that don't represent big brand names to compete.
Employers should be aware that although competitive salaries are essential to recruit the best talent, candidates also place significant emphasis on understanding their own career progression opportunities within an agency and the business's long-term growth plans when deciding which job offer to accept.
As in previous years, the past twelve months has seen the agency sector having to compete for candidates with ever popular in-house roles; there has been a significant yet constant number of agency practitioners looking to move into client-side roles, with positions at aspirational brands such as Body Shop, L'Oreal and MandS particularly sought after.
Unlike agency recruitment, where personality and what a person will bring to a team are key qualities, in-house recruiters are often seeking very specific market skills as well as product knowledge, and a candidate needs to tick the boxes to ensure a chance of an interview.
With so many new agency-side marketing vacancies opening up at senior levels it is an exciting time to be working within the industry.
Recruiting and retaining the best is certainly becoming more challenging in such a competitive marketplace, but those employers who have been successful in 2007, and who are likely to succeed in 2008, are those who create inspiring work environments, offer exciting challenges to marketers and offer a clearly defined career progression path.
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