August Edition: Get Aligned. Set Priorities. Move Forward.
Getting grounded after chaos and uncertainty.
Let's break it down.
Creative Leaders & Hiring Managers
Clarity is power. What matters most? If you can't have it all, what's most important?
At what stage of team building do you find yourself right now? You may be trying to scale your business, grow, and pivot. You may be plateauing or getting ready for 2.0. This last year has been chaotic with lots of unknowns and changes.
The hiring market has been in chaos. It's time to create calm and order by knowing what you want and need and aligning those to the right candidates. What you thought you wanted may not be what you need. It may be time to reconsider your hard and fast rules on things like return to office.
Because, guess what? A lot of talent is working completely remote now and isn't willing to (or able to) move to your headquarters offices. Even if they live nearby, they may not want to come into the office on a regular schedule.
WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT: Having the right talent OR having the butts in seats?
I always tell my clients to rank their top priorities and decide which are non-negotiable. Which of these is critical to your business: someone with the right experience and talent for solving your unique challenges, OR having a warm body on site?
If the most important thing is to have someone in the office, and the person with the right talent is willing to move, then you need to provide a relocation strategy.
If you choose to prioritize in-house talent over remote, you'll be limited. Without a relocation strategy, the talent pool is further reduced to only about 2% of the available candidates, and it's going to take you 3-6 months or more to fill that job.
What does it cost your business to wait?
Talent joins the competition
You hire the "second best" or "third best" candidate who is nearby
The business doesn't innovate as quickly
You experience more employee churn due to pressures to be in the office
Moral of the story: When your recruiter or your internal HR team raises their hand to the hiring manager and says, "We're concerned about this," you should listen. No matter how many hours you search for the right person, it won't be solved without adjusting these criteria.
Need a new hiring strategy? Want to make the right connections to meet your most important goals? We have the strategy and the connections to help. We are the Creative Marketing Industry Specialists.
We specialize in Creative and Marketing Industry talent scouting and recruiting. Call us.
Job Seekers and Career Dreamers
Summer Slump? Build “Brand You”.
Summertime slowdowns leave time for personal improvement.
Ok, so we know that the summer has been slow. Everyone is on vacation or traveling, or just not moving quickly to hire. It's not you. It's even been hard for us to get roles filled because we can't get all the stakeholders in the office at the same time. Everything is taking two to three times longer.
So, what should you do?
Take this time to work on your personal branding.
- Get really good at your messaging
- Understand how LinkedIn works
- Dig into the creative community.
- Build your 100 list.
Get those soft skills brushed up.
I keep talking about the importance of soft skills. Here are some tips to start working on improving a few key skills:
Soft Skill: Strategic thinking
Want to think more strategically? Start questioning everything.
- Understand the purpose of other people's campaigns
- Rewrite billboards and taglines
- Exercise your creative POV
- Take stock after every project
Soft Skill: Curiosity
Want to seem more curious? BE curious.
- Ask why again.
-Read wildly and widely.
-Journal: What surprised me today?
Stay awake to the world.
Soft Skill: Adaptability
Want to be adaptable? Get uncomfortable on purpose.
- Switch it up.
-Plan to the end.
-Have a plan B in mind.
-View "Pivot Mode" as a positive.
Soft Skill: Trustworthiness
Want people to trust you? Keep your damn promises.
- Follow through on micro-commitments.
-Say, "Thank you" with intention and specifics.
-Ask for feedback on small stuff: "Did that land?"
-Don't be late
If you need more guidance on self-improvement for the job search, we have coaching programs to help.
Ok, all – THAT's a wrap for August. I appreciate each of you.