Hello there, recruiter and/or job candidate. Whether you’re trying to find great talent… Or you’re great talent, looking for your next agency job… Thought you might find this interesting. I just came across a job description for a mid-level account management position at an agency. They have around 50 people.
They specialize in a specific business category. And do a really impressive job of demonstrating their expertise, sharing a metric crap-ton of content. Through a variety of channels. To build awareness and make the phone ring.
Anywho, the job description clearly states this job gives the professional an opportunity to build their own personal brand through speaking, writing and other thought leadership.
Writing and speaking can make both employee and employer famous. Richer, even.
But should doing this on behalf of the agency be in a job description?
Well, probably not in all of them! But yes, I think it’s certainly worth exploring in a few hundred words.
Here are a few random thoughts on why I like it.
It turns work after 5pm into a benefit
Everyone works hard in the agency business. We lean in. And when you’re writing and speaking on behalf of your agency or putting your name on content, I suspect all the hours it takes to capture your brilliance is done after your billable work is done. Without a doubt, this work helps the agency. But yeah, it helps the staffer, too.
It helps the professional get their NEXT job
< Sigh. > There are two edges to this sword. Wrote the man who lowers an agency’s total recruiting costs, yet pays his mortgage because a smart, great agency needs smart, great talent.
“In a world…” where the average job tenure is shrinking… Where talent is leaving the industry because the give/get equation is out of whack in between clients, agencies and staffers…
As an agency, do I want to acknowledge that after a while, you’re going to leave me? Yes, I think so. It’s an honest, transparent reflection of what happens in the business. It’s a gig. There will be more.
How many recruiters say, “it’s great experience and looks good on your resume.” Particularly to agency souls with fewer years of experience. The agency is a place to make some great work, learn, have fun and build your portfolio.
(Your book. Yes, Virginia, even if you’re not a creative, you need a “book” that gives prospective agency employers a taste for what you can do for them. As you may have read here before, smart people that get hired at agencies do a nice job of branding themselves. They have websites and can talk intelligently about agency strategy and creative deliverables.)
As a distinguished, gray-haired, sword-swinging soul who’s paid to find fantastic talent, I can suggest becoming found in the hidden market is critical.
But does an agency that sends this kind of message — “write and speak for us and for yourself ” — also suggest they want to find great talent? Yes. Because…
This kind of message attracts keeper ad agency staffers
Don’t know about you, but I want to hire people who want my agency to thrive and wanna help me do just that! If you’re writing and speaking about marketing challenges and business problems at 30, odds are good you excel at your day-to-day. These kinds of professionals probably aren’t complaining too much about ye olde work/life balance.
A message like this in a job description is self-selecting. Those that wanna check in and check out need not apply. It also helps set expectations, hints at culture, and differentiates.
So for this particular agency, for this particular job, to reach this particular candidate target, it seems like a great message.
But is a “write and speak for us/yourself” message something that’s right for your agency?
Your mileage will vary. Here are some of the questions I’d explore:
- Is this message on-brand for your agency?
- Does it reflect your agency’s culture?
- Is it even possible at your shop? Size matters here. That should be written in caps.
- Who do you want to attract?
- (And more)
Anywho, hope this gets you thinking. Either as a a recruiter or senior agency leader, trying to attract great talent…or as a candidate looking for their next great gig.
Thanks for reading!
Additional articles of interest include:
- How recruiters can be found more easily
- Showing candidates some love with a relationship valentine
- Candidates, apply new business thinking to stand out in the agency job market
- Find your next agency job – or client-side job – through marketplace triggers
