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The communications market is now showing very strong signs of recovery across all sectors. Victoria Lubbock, of Recruit Media Ltd (http://www.recruitmedia.co.uk) looks at the career opportunities opening up. People look for new opportunities in their career for many reasons, the most common of which is that their current employer fails to identify a career path or doesn't recognise the need to provide training for their staff (usually expressed as "wanting a new challenge"). It may be, however, that the jobseeker is in need of a change in culture, perhaps towards something more suited to the individual's style and personality. Other common reasons people look to move on include changes to personal/family circumstances (for example, a requirement for part-time or flexible working arrangements), or that essential resources and support are not forthcoming. So, who is recruiting and what kind of skills and competencies are employers looking for? The perspective I offer is based on a 15-year experience of interviewing communications professionals - from both an employer and jobseeker perspective. These interviews, more than 5,000 of them (!) were carried out to determine the career aspirations of editorial and communications jobseekers. Who's recruiting? There are four main areas of opportunity:
Agencies: It's difficult to define the "typical" agency environment as they can vary in size from 10-150 people. Each agency has a different structure; some have separate dedicated client account handlers whilst others opt to build this function into the editor/writer role. The degree of commerciality required also varies considerably, sometimes requiring considerable sales, pitch and presentation skills. Agencies often develop and build expertise in a particular discipline or sector, for example, Corporate & Social Responsibility reporting (CSR) and Annual Reports, or sector-wise such as educational communications, utilities, automotive or charity. Prospective employees may be expected to bring with them an in-depth knowledge of these sectors and their respective cultures. Sometimes, particularly in the customer loyalty magazine sector, editors may also be required to double-up as layout designers (whilst tabloid journalists find this a relatively easy transition, others do not). In-house (Corporate): Another strong area of opportunity (after a couple of years of serious headcount freezes) is the corporate world and, specifically, the highly-competitive financial services sector which is showing signs of life and once more investing in both people and technology (such as sophisticated content management systems). However, if you have not previously experienced work within this environment, you would be well-advised to spend time researching the organisational structure and culture. Typically, such organisations have a fairly rigid corporate hierarchy and are highly-competitive and "small p" political. The "pay-off" is financial and if you're especially motivated by money at a particular time in your career, these roles can be well-paid with additional bonus payments that can amount to as much as 15 or 20% of the annual salary. Public Sector: First off, it's a myth that the public sector pays less than the private sector; for example the public sector is one of the few remaining employers where pensions may be based on final salary. They don't necessarily offer such esoteric corporate benefits as one of my "private" clients does (monthly massage and aromatherapy), but there are many other benefits and advantages to working within the public sector including flexible and remote working; a job that can make a huge difference; and family-friendly policies and practice. Driven largely by the Government's e-agenda which flows through to local authorities, marketing and communications agencies, management consultancies and other information and knowledge-based bodies such as professional associations and unions, the public sector is incredibly active and communications output highly-visible. Many communications roles are on a contract basis and invariably require the transfer of print-based material to an online format via complex and often unwieldy content management systems (all too often, the communications and editorial professionals are not brought in at an early enough stage to influence the design and development of CMS-based projects). The public sector is changing. Time was when journalists and communicators were very circumspect about working for people like the Central Office of Information (COI) or the Department for Education and Skills (DFES). In recent years this situation has changed and, whilst it might previously have been true that experienced and cynical "hacks" may have found their way into the public sector to ease themselves into a comfortable retirement, nowadays the demands placed on professional communicators are invariably extremely challenging. Charities: In recent years, there's been an enormous shift in the way charities communicate. Their audiences have always included members of the public, politicians, academics, donors and fundraisers, professionals and experts in their field but the internet has spawned a dazzling array of means by which to communicate. The demands on communicators in the charity field have increased ten-fold in recent years. Communication roles cover information, support, education, entertainment, promotion and fundraising. The additional challenge of "not-for-profit" provides a baseline with an entirely different set of ethics and cultural values to the overwhelming majority of corporate entities. And the "product" of a charitable/not-for-profit organisation is an entirely different proposition for a communicator. To want to work within the charity sector, you may need to be prepared for limited support and resources, face a huge degree of accountability and have the ability to deal with political considerations and personalities. Conclusion It's a tremendous time for communicators with employment opportunities across the agency, corporate, charity and public sectors. Good communications is - and always has been - about the bottom line (although all-too-often, relegated as a "soft skill" alongside personnel and HR - unless the organisation is going through crisis). The opportunities definitely exist out there - big-time; the challenge is to make sure you're equipped to take full advantage of them! You can e-mail Victoria at vix@recruitmedia.co.uk |
