Talented Digital Mum's & Dad's - Why you should be recruiting them into your Digital teams...

If you ever read my ramblings you will normally hear moaning about the biggest problem in digital recruitment… Not enough candidates for all the jobs we have available. PPC, SEO, Display, Biddable, Performance, Mobile etc. So many jobs so few candidates…

So with a lack of talent why do some agencies not utilise a group of talented people that can do a job for them and solve their recruitment problems? I’m talking about the growing group of women (and men!) who have brilliant digital experience but have children and are keen to work on a part time basis and, crucially, from home. I know some of these parents and they possesses amazing talent, but they no longer want the agency lifestyle and need something that gives them the chance to earn money, stay in the game keeping their careers moving forward whilst still being there for their kids. If you leave Digital for 5 years you are dead in the water, it is an industry that changes so quickly you need to keep a foot in, stay up to date with the technology and even the gossip! So why are so many businesses excluding this talented bunch of experts from the current job market, leaving them to go stale and un-employable by the time they are ready to jump back in full time?

Agency land is the classic work hard, play hard arena. People often doing 12 hour days and then going out partying until the sun comes up and back at their desks shortly after. Nothing wrong with that if it suits your personal life and keeps you on top of your workload, but I do think ‘some people’ still are more focused on the amount of hours spent at a desk rather than the work you actually get done.

“I used to love the agency life when I was in my twenties, single and fiercely ambitious. Working 12 or 15 hour days and making the most of the social perks as well as spending every day in a fancy city centre office were what I loved about the industry. Now that I’m in my thirties and have three young children, it’s just not that simple. Part of me still wants to work long hours and go out with my colleagues after work but on a practical level it’s just impossible. But I have 15 years’ experience, am great at what I do and am valued by my clients so it’s frustrating that to get the work/life balance I need, my employer is prepared to sacrifice the skills and qualities that I can still offer. In fact, I’m the one who can now cover the office the night after a team night out whilst everyone else is staring bleary eyed into their double espresso!” Megan, PPC Account Director (and mum of 3).

This is not a rant at Agencies, I love the industry, the characters and the perks that go with it. However when one of the key problems facing the industry is sourcing good people to help support the people they already have who are often stressed and struggling from working in under resourced teams then looking at offering more flexible working schemes such as working from home, part time hours or job sharing, should be explored. Especially when it’s the more experienced candidates, who you really want to be a part of your business, that this flexibility would most suit.

Many agencies I have spoken with say they would be open to recruiting someone who wants to work from home or part time but they are just not set up for that and need people in the office. Surely we can easily sort out these issues? Many agencies have people working from home already and with the technology we have at our disposal such as skype, VPN, conference calling etc, why does it matter so much where someone is actually based?

For me it is simple, recruitment has to be about the best candidate. If the best candidate can only work 3 days and it needs to be from home that person should be seriously considered. Often people who work from home get more done. This is not a disenfranchised group I’m talking about, I’m not appealing on their behalf, I simply think some employers are missing a trick by not taking advantage of this growing group of talent in an industry that is desperate for talent.

If you are looking for a new digital job, or looking to hire people for digital roles give me a shout anytime simon@digital-minds.co.uk

The War For Digital Talent

WAR FOR DIGITAL TALENT

Digital is not a normal recruitment sector; it is devoid of reality compared to the general recruitment market. Digital is the football equivalent of Manchester City, operating by a unique set of rules in the employment industry.

As the country constantly sits on the brink of another recession, digital basks in the sun of job security and often incredible salary increases. And this situation is not likely to stop anytime soon. The fact remains that Digital is rapidly expanding as quickly as skilled people can be trained/hired. The war for Digital talent is the most eagerly fought of any recruitment sector.

The rapid rise of Digital has created a job vacuum and the industry has far more jobs available than skilled people to take them, this has generated a candidate driven market in which everyone is hunting for talent.

Taking this into account, it is fascinating that so few employers have created any innovative recruitment strategies other than ‘let’s offer them more money’. In fact it is strange to see so many companies scrambling for talent but investing little into a strategy of how to secure and retain it. 

So here are a few points I believe can help you improve your conversion rate and win the war for talent.

1. Don't rely on the power of your brand; often it is not as powerful as you think! Believe it or not your brand does not sell itself as I have been told several times. The key is to ensure the people who are running the interviews can actively sell and promote your business but equally promote the benefits of working for them as an individual: people buy into people and the people who run the best interviews secure more talent than the people who don’t sell and let the company speak for itself.

2. Research! So few companies ask me what does the candidate specifically want? Is it progression, is it training, is it money etc. It’s vital before a candidate attends an interview that you have a grasp of what you need to specifically promote in order to secure that individual if you decide they are right for your business.

3. The recruitment process in digital is often expedited; it has to be because the best candidates go on and off the market so quickly. Nothing frustrates a candidate more than a company not being able to officially offer a job because HR have no sign off. Don’t win the battle for the candidate but lose the war internally to hire them.

4. The most perilous stage of the recruitment process is the time between a candidate accepting a role and starting the role. Often companies think job done and wait for the candidate to start. But this is Digital - the company the candidate is leaving is well aware of the cost associated with replacing them and so often go to work during this time trying various methods to try and get the candidate to stay and renege on the new job. If only one party is talking to the candidate for potentially upwards of a 3 month notice period, this can have a devastating effect. As a recruiter I spend a lot time educating clients on methods of keeping in touch with candidates after they have been offered and including them when possible in social events, creating buy in to the new business.

5. Shameless plug I know… But work with good recruiters! A recruiter’s value is not sourcing candidates; anyone can go onto LinkedIN nowadays and compile a list of Digital ADs for example but a recruiter manages every part of the recruitment process. They flag up concerns, they personally get involved in ensuring a candidate starts and they educate your line managers. The difference between a good recruiter and average one can define the war for talent in Digital.

These are just some of the things I believe are useful to implement in order to maximise your chances of winning the war for talent, for further information on Digital Minds and how we can help you as a candidate or client give me a shout. simon@digital-minds.co.uk

The Ugly Truth Of How To Get A Pay Rise in Digital

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Ugly Truth Of How To Get A Pay Rise In Digital...

You would think that the best way to increase your salary would be to do a good job, be loyal to your employer & be valued by the accounts you manage or work on. In theory that should be the best way to get a pay rise & in some cases that is how it works, but most of the time it does not work that way…

I know two candidates in digital who both work for a well known digital media agency. Both candidates work in the same team, are good at what they do and they both have 2 years Digital experience. Up until last week they had the exact same salary, however one of them was actively looking for a new job and secured 2 offers from competitors. So this candidate hands in their notice. Within a couple of hours the business had booked a table at a restaurant for the candidate to meet the MD of the business (someone he had never even spoken with before) they went on to deliver a comprehensive charm offensive, coupled with offering the incentives of a promotion and a huge £10,000 pay rise! So the candidate decided to stay and accepted the promotion and pay rise. I would probably have done the same thing myself.  At the end of the month these changes take effect and the candidate is very happy.

So what about the other candidate? Well they are not looking for a new job, they have not handed in their notice so they don’t get fast tracked to Account Mgr level and stay as an Exec, obviously they don’t get a £10,000 pay rise either.

This is the reality of the reactive world of Digital when it comes to companies paying their staff. If you stay loyal to a company, you will absolutely be on less money than the people who have made moves or at least threatened to do so. I’m not saying there is an easy solution for employers either, it’s difficult for them, they know the cost of replacing a good candidate is huge & gifting pay rises and promotions to make employees stay is good short term business. Quite frankly as a recruiter these tactics provide me with a wealth of good candidates as well, but is giving promotions and big pay rises once someone has a foot out of the door right? What about he person who possesses the same skill set and experience who did not hand in their notice? Why don’t they get the same up lift in benefits? Well they will but only when they decide to leave…

If you would like to find out more about Digital Minds give me a shout anytime. We specialise in PPC Jobs, SEO jobs, Digital Planning & Buying jobs, Social Media jobs, Affiliate jobs, Mobile jobs & senior level Digital multi channel roles. We also have fantastic referral and reward schemes. Referral a successful candidate and we will gift you up to £2000 & a Kindle Fire for Christmas. Work with us exclusively for a period of time and if we place you in your next job we will reward you with up to £1500 and a kindle Fire as a thank you! Nobody else does this, certainly not to this level so makes sense to speak with us first.

Simon halkyard (simon@digital-minds.co.uk)

Want to get the dream job in Digital? You need an interview coach!

Having an interview coach sounds very American, not really something we would entertain in the UK. However in my opinion as a Digital recruiter it’s fast becoming one of the smartest moves you can make when looking for a new Digital job. Interviews are not natural situations; if you’re in the first few years of your career you also probably have little experience of them. More and more we are seeing candidates who are strong interviewers winning jobs over candidates that are more technically gifted, people who get nervous or struggle to articulate are losing out, but it does not need to be that way!
Good recruiters can add significant value by coaching you through the interview process. At Digital Minds we often role-play interview situations with candidates that are looking for an edge over other candidates. At first for some it’s a bit embarrassing to do this, but that soon disappears and the value is undeniable. A lot of people who think they are good at interviewing are actually not! So If not via a recruiter who offers coaching then at least run through interview situations with a partner or friend and get them to give you honest and constructive feedback. You will be surprised what you might find out. It’s much better to find out your faults in a practice situation than during an actual interview.
If like me you are in your thirties with kids you may not go out anymore on a Saturday night! If so you may have seen Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night on the BBC. They have a new judge, prima ballerina Darcey Bussell. She has an annoying habit of saying ‘Yah’ at the end of EVERY sentence, god it annoys me! I’m sure someone on the show will mention it to her. I know that sounds insignificant, but you would be surprised what little habits we all have in interview situations that can be annoying or simply just don’t show you in the right light. I often get candidates who when discussing achievements talk about ‘we’ as in the team they work in, rather than ‘I’ as in what they have achieved individually. Again a minor point, however I have seen people lose out on a second interview because of something that simple. So the up shot is this. A good recruiter will coach you, if not then get a friend or family member to do it. Give it a go, don’t worry about looking stupid, you will learn from it, improve your interview technique and ultimately perform better in interviews. Don’t lose out on the dream job because you are not prepared!
If you would like to know more about me and Digital Minds please contact me anytime simon@digital-minds.co.uk I’m always happy to help regardless of if you are looking for a new job. We only work in Digital and specialise in: PPC Jobs, SEO Jobs, Digital Planning & Buying Jobs (Brand & DR), Social Media Jobs, Mobile Jobs, New Business Jobs, Affiliate Jobs & most other Digital disciplines. We also have fantastic reward schemes (see link below) if you work with us exclusively or referral a friend we have rewards for you paying £500 to £2000!
http://digitalmindsrecruitment.wordpress.com/digital-minds-reward-referral/
You can also follow me on LinkedIN and on Twitter @Recruiter_simon

#SHICKLEGATE A DIGITAL RECRUITERS VIEW

The resignation letter of Kieran Allen spread across Media Land like a forest fire yesterday. I was shocked by how quickly it started trending on Twitter & by the sheer appetite people had for it.

It really was a classic example of the power of Social Media. Here we have a man who had spent a dozen years building a successful career in media having his career crippled & permanently tarnished within the space of a few hours. The scary part is that nobody knew if the allegations made were true or not, it’s even more scary that it is now irrelevant if they are true or not as the damage has been done. It was trial by social media with a swift verdict. Working as a Digital Recruiter I found myself feeling sorry for both Kieran & Greg, their careers will always be defined by THAT resignation letter.

Digital media is a booming industry, people often work long hours & working to tight deadlines, it also has some big personalities. In this environment I expect many people in the industry have let off steam by engaging in office ‘banter’ that if written down in black and white would make them wince. As a recruiter I have had many senior people in the industry tell me jokes, stories, gossip that were delivered without any malice but are not for repeating. I expect many people last night have reviewed some of the things they have said previously that today would be horrified if they were circulated around the media industry. So are we now going to have completely sanitised office environments and updated directives, I doubt it. I’m absolutely not supporting any of the accusations that were made in the email, but equally many who have commented on #Shicklegate have probably also made some comments before that could be viewed as equally incendiary.

One of the key reasons people call me looking for a new digital job is because they do not like their manager or director. Another key reason is many people in the media industry are working crazy hours, don’t feel supported & just cannot sustain the workload they have been given. It amazes me how many digital agencies don’t invest enough in supporting their current staff and work harder on keeping people happy. If your people are working regularly until late & don’t feel appreciated when they do and also don’t get help when they ask for it, I can guarantee you they will be calling someone like me. Then that agency has to replace them with someone who may not be as good, who costs more to hire, train, develop and bed into the job and who carry a recruitment fee for a cherry on top!

 If someone has decided they want to leave I would certainly recommend a digital agency perform an exit interview that is not completed by the line manager or director but by an HR professional who is not emotionally involved. Someone who can explore the reasons why someone is moving so they can improve their processes, certainly when this is done consistently patterns appear that allow improvements to be made. Obviously there are also two sides to every story & when someone is moving their motivations for doing so should not be accepted as the whole truth, many will be honest, but some will have an axe to grind. But I would think by having an exit interview a lot of bad feelings could be defused to some extent & the companies could move forward with useful information about how to keep their staff in future.

Ultimately social media has shown that unsubstantiated accusations are just as powerful as substantiated ones & that within a matter of hours careers can be brought to their knees with the press of an ‘enter button’ on a keyboard. The fallout of this will be interesting to witness, especially how people change in terms of what they say and what people feel is appropriate to say in jest for example. No matter what happens I personally think it is worrying & unacceptable that a career that took many years to achieve can be harmed in such a way by unsubstantiated allegations. I also feel for Kieran because regardless of if his accusations are correct or not, he must have felt extremely stressed and under immense pressure.

If you are interested in finding out more about Digital Minds please feel free to contact me anytime, simon@digital-minds.co.uk you may well not be looking for a new role but just have questions about the industry, i.e. are you paid in line with counter parts in other agencies or client side roles. I’m always happy to help. If you are looking for a new role we specialise in PPC jobs, SEO jobs, Digital Planning & buying jobs, Social Media Jobs, Affiliate jobs, Business Development jobs, Mobile Jobs & many other digital roles. We also have a couple of outstanding reward schemes that can be reviewed via this link.

http://digitalmindsrecruitment.wordpress.com/digital-minds-reward-referral/

Simon Halkyard

5 things you can do to attract the best Digital talent!

Tales from the recruitment industry...

5 things you can do to attract the best digital talent!

We all know that digital is a growth market and a candidate driven market so it is becoming more and more important for you to ensure you are doing al you can to attract and secure the best talent. Here are 5 things you may find useful…

1. Promote your business:- sounds simple enough but you would be surprised how many clients think an interview is all about the candidates promoting themselves and telling them why they should be hired forgetting about promoting their company. This is crucial, especially in a candidate driven industry such as Digital & in roles such as PPC, SEO & Digital Planning & Buying. These digital candidates have option, they have multiple offers, fail to promote your business and prepare to lose the best talent to the companies that do! Should always be 50% 50%.

1. Enthusiasm:- it is not just about promoting your business – it is how you promote it. One of my favorite quotes is. “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good they think you are,” On the surface this can sound a shallow quote but what it means is how you say something matters and if you say it with passion and enthusiasm you will make more of an impact. Often clients will be interviewing candidates back to back and will be asking the same questions over and over again so it’s easy to become lethargic. I have had candidates many times make a decision based on the enthusiasm and passion of the person they interviewed with and would be working for.

1. Have a clear structure:- What I mean is ensure that candidates who come for an interview are treated well from beginning to end, that the experience of interviewing with your business is a positive one. Regardless of if they join you they will speak with others about their experience, we all know how tight knit a community digital is. Candidates are often left waiting in reception with no explanation as to why. Often they walk through an open plan office on their way to the interview room and what they see and hear or don’t make a big impact. I have had candidates turn down jobs because when they walked through an office that had a poor atmosphere, it was quiet, people did not look happy etc. Sounds a minor thing but what candidates see and hear is vital. Moving on to the questions, don’t just use the same old questions – mix it up, add in something fun, make yourself different. I have one client who asks candidates what their favorite film, TV show, band, is at the start of the interview in order to break the ice and gain an insight into the candidates’ personality. The first 5 to 10 minutes of the interview is all about building rapport, it will have a significant impact on the tone of the rest of the interview.

1. Feedback:- Clients are often found lacking when it comes to providing quick feedback. This is especially true when clients do not want to move forward with a candidate. Again remember the people you interview will speak with people in the industry and if you don’t provide detailed feedback you will leave a poor impression on them. I have had many candidates turn down interviews because their friends have had poor experiences with them previously. Good or bad always give clear feedback and do it quickly. Candidates really appreciate it and it makes you stand out.

1. Improve your technique:-Ask the recruiter what the candidate thought of you and use the feedback to improve your interview technique. Nobody ever really asks me this but I wish they did, digital is so candidate driven that any edge you can get will improve your chances of securing the best candidates – the candidates who have multiple offers. Interviewing is not a natural situation to be in and if you can be humble enough to accept that you may have flaws in how you interview candidates you will benefit. I have a couple of clients who are very focused on improvement and they have me sometimes sit in on interviews and to give my opinion afterwards. This is something we do free of charge and is really useful. I have interviewed 1000’s of people of 10 years and a recruiter can give you some useful help and support.

So that is 5 things that clients can do to help them attract & secure the best digital candidates. Digital is the fastest growth sector and if you can make improvements you will reap the benefits. More often that not candidates have multiple offers, don’t miss out on the best digital talent because you are not prepared or promoting your business effectively.

At Digital Minds we only work in Digital and we feel we are different to most other recruiters, operating in a different way, a consultative way that benefits candidates and clients. If you are looking for a new digital job in:- SEO jobs, PPC Jobs, SEM jobs, Display jobs, Digital Planning & buying jobs, Social Media Jobs, Mobile Jobs, Affiliate Jobs, BD Jobs, Web Development jobs or any other digital job please get in contact for a confidential conversation.

Simon Halkyard

simon@digital-minds.co.uk

Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for interviews...

Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for Interviews...

My job in essence is a simple one; I make matches. I match a role with a candidate. That’s it. It’s the candidate part that makes it difficult!

 Every person is different and every person reacts differently in an interview situation.  Some thrive. Some panic. The end result is that on a regular basis the most talented person does not get the job. The key to a good interview is preparation. By this I don’t mean look at a LinkedIn profile and the company’s website. Real preparation needs to be much more in depth. ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is a well known quote and it is true. You may move jobs 3, 4, 5 plus times in your life, you will probably spend more time at work that you do at home, so how you perform in your job will impact every aspect of your life. If you are happy in your job, you have a much better chance of being happy in your private life not to mention your financial life. Basically getting a new job is one of the most important things you will ever do. So it should make sense that you prepare fully.

 I recently read a blog from Sam at Koozai (which is a perfect example to use http://www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/my-first-public-speaking-appearance/  Sam had not done any public speaking and was nervous, which is to be expected. But what she did was ensure she prepared, extensively, in order to ensure she would succeed. I urge you to read her blog. When I read it I thought, wow I wish every candidate went to that level of detail because if they did they would minimise the potential to fail.  Interviewing is not a natural situation, so here are a few examples of useful things to do prior to an interview.

The company you are interviewing with:- What do you know about them? You probably have a website address and a job spec. It’s not enough. What else can you find out about them? Speak with your recruiter get more info!

The person you are interviewing with:- You may have their LinkedIn profile – it’s not enough! I once interviewed someone for a job at Digital Minds who started by saying, “I hear you have a new baby daughter, I have one aged 2 – how you coping with the sleepless nights?” This person took the time to find out something about me that would build rapport and show they had done their homework. I instantly felt a bond with this person who had been in the same situation as me. Simple and effective. Get as much info as you can. Find out about their personality, what they like, what they don’t like.

The interview:- This is the big one. How do you prepare for an interview? The best way in my opinion is to role play. I did a drama degree so I’m always up for role playing interviews! I know many people find them uncomfortable but they are effective. We all know a lot of the questions that will be asked at interview so why not prepare for them, why not role play them to the point it’s like muscle memory. This also takes care of the nerves to a certain extent. You cannot prepare for all the questions but a good recruiter can help you prepare for most.  A good recruiter can and will tell you that you speak too fast, you over elaborate on your answers, you don’t make enough eye contact – the list goes on but better you make your mistakes whilst practicing and have the opportunity to implement improvements.

Make interviewing easier by preparing fully and by committing to the process. Some will be embarrassed to role play an interview; some people take it personally when someone highlights a weakness in there interviewing technique. But if going through this process allows you to go on and secure the job you want it is worth it! If you are going to lose out on a new job, let it be because the other person is better suited, not because you did not prepare fully. For advice on interviewing feel free to contact me. simon@digital-minds.co.uk

If you are looking for a new PPC job, SEO job, SEM job, Social job, Display job, Digital Planning & Buying job, Mobile job, Affiliates job, Web Development front end and back end we can certainly help. My LinkedIn profile gives a good overview of Digital Minds and me personally. It also has recommendations on the page which cover how I operate and work with people. http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhalkyard