Howdy! The other day I wrote about how account changes and other marketplace triggers can help agency job-seekers find their next great gig. This should go without saying, but many of those same triggers apply to advertising agency recruiters as your shop looks for its next leader.
< head nod >
I know. That isn’t particularly brilliant, right, as it relates to filling your vacancies and lowering your time to fill. So, in my own humble attempt to help, here are three quick thoughts that dig a little deeper into triggers and go beyond recruiting basics…
Let’s take a look at just one common marketplace change: you read that a competitive agency has lost a piece of business. Recruiting 101 suggests you may want to target folks at that agency. However, there are a few nuances to that idea.
Leverage client-side staff change as an agency recruiter
Sure, you could be one of the recruiters that calls a staffer when they work at an agency that’s lost business. But there’s an opportunity to get ahead of that. By taking advantage of the step before the loss. A new CMO, VP or director of marketing usually means the agency who has that business will probably lose it in the future.
To me, this client-side change (a new CMO) is more valuable to an ad agency recruiter than reading on Adweek that an agency just lost something. Because it gives you more time to build relationships with great candidates and potential agency hires at the shop which currently has the business. You also gain the advantage of potentially being first to reach out to a candidate. Which can make your pitch stand out. You can also leverage that moment when a candidate moves from being passive to active.
Share the client side change with your own agency’s new business team
This is a great way for HR and talent recruiters to add value to an agency. While it’s easy to think your new business guys are on it, there’s a lot for them to keep track of. They might have missed this news. It’s also a smart way to help your agency.
It never hurts to have more people looking for more pitch opportunities. And if your agency is a good fit for the business…someone else will read in Adweek about YOUR shop winning something.
Target the talent the agency keeps after a layoff
Layoffs happen as a result of lost revenue. Unfortunately, we’ve all been there. Good people get put out on the street. But if the agency perceives that someone on their team is really exceptional, they’ll do everything they can to keep him or her. This means re-assignment to an existing business. Or perhaps a short stint in new business. Identifying these people is not easy. But with some savvy detective work using you and your agency’s network it can be done.
Send a candidate a “congratulations” note when they get a new job – even if it’s not with your agency
Huh? I do this all the time and it’s a terrific way to build your pipeline. A personalized, heartfelt congratulations and well-wishing can go a long way to building a connection and awareness of your agency. And who knows, maybe even create a referral source.
Anywho, hope this gets you thinking about some ways to best take advantage of marketplace conditions. Thanks for reading. And if you’d like to chat, give me a shout. Thanks!
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Two other relevant posts
