As the holidays come to an end, many of us are focusing on our New Year’s resolutions. With that in mind, this is a great time to review your recruitment strategy and make plans for the future.
We want to give you a head start, so we’ve collected some of the latest trends in digital marketing recruitment. Understanding the state of the market at the moment and how it is likely to change over the next few months can help you plan the most effective strategy for the coming year.
Six digital marketing recruitment trends
Recruitment in all sectors is going through a period of dramatic change. The Great Resignation is in full force, and many industries have struggled to adapt to the difficulties of attracting top-quality talent in the current situation. Workers’ expectations have changed, and companies across the board have to adapt.
Here are six ways digital marketing recruitment has changed and how you can take advantage of them.
1. Demand for digital marketers is surging
Although employers across the country are struggling for staff, the demand for digital marketers is particularly intense. Companies are placing more resources than ever into fulfilling their marketing needs and increasingly understand the value of outstanding marketers.
Competition for skilled marketers is especially fierce in the retail, education, and arts sectors.
This unmet demand means that you must compete with many other firms when you find great talent. Being aware that this will be a challenging year actually puts you in a great position.
Make sure that you hire early and that your existing team members know how much you value and appreciate them. Make your hiring process smooth, streamlined and fast. Focus on giving your applicants a great experience. Being prepared to make that extra effort will pay off when you need to stand out from the crowd.
2. Digital marketers are looking for a change
More marketers and creative professionals are looking to change jobs this year than ever before. More than 1 in 3 of the workforce expects to leave their current role in 2022. This means that you need to be careful to retain your existing high-value staff.
The positive aspect of this trend is that there will be a lot of great talent looking for new, challenging roles with exciting companies. Taking the right steps now can let you take advantage of the available talent in the future.
3. Passive recruitment will be the name of the game
With so many outstanding potential new hires open to finding new opportunities, and such fierce competition for talent, companies who focus on passive recruitment will thrive.
Advertising your vacancies and waiting for applications hasn’t been enough for some time now, but this year waiting for talent to look for you really isn’t going to cut it.
Passive recruitment means looking for talent that hasn’t decided to actively look for a new role… yet. With 1 in 3 digital marketers looking for a change, the odds are good that the talent you approach may be open to a discussion at the very least.
Even more than traditional recruitment, passive recruitment benefits enormously from having a strategic plan in place. You’re not just waiting for talent to find you. You will need to think about where you can currently find your ideal talent and how to attract their interest. Employer fencing can be invaluable in focusing your passive recruitment efforts.
4. Digital marketing professionals are looking for remote or hybrid working
As we (hopefully) transition towards the end of the pandemic, many of us are looking to keep some of the few benefits we’ve found over the last few years. Many have enjoyed leaving behind their arduous commutes and overpriced coffees in the train station.
Of course, there will be other team members who are delighted to get back into the office and can’t wait to swap ideas, share the buzz, and get back to sitting at an actual desk again.
Ultimately the key will be flexibility. Potential new hires will be looking for somewhere that suits their needs, and they’re going to be able to find it.
Recruiters will have to think very seriously about what flexibility they can offer and what is non-negotiable. The more options you can offer, the greater the chances of attracting your ideal candidate.
5. Some skills are going to be in huge demand
Although we can look at the job market for digital marketing as a whole, some skillsets will be very much more in demand than others. At the moment, we are seeing massive demand for the following skills:
- Digital strategy
- Adobe Analytics
- Link-building
- Off-page SEO
- Writing press releases
- Content marketing
- Social media marketing
The demand for these technical ‘hard’ skills coincides with a growing appreciation among employers for the value of ‘soft’ or ‘durable’ skills, such as excellent communication, critical thinking, time management, and more.
Knowing the most in-demand skills allows you to plan your recruitment strategy accordingly. If you’re asking for a candidate who excels at several items on that list (and we’d be surprised if you weren’t), you might need to plan for a slightly more challenging recruitment process.
6. Specific roles are already surging
There are tons of digital marketing positions being advertised right now, and some job titles stand out as particularly popular. They include:
- Content strategists
- Copywriters
- Digital marketing managers
- Graphic designers
- Marketing analytics specialists
If you’re looking to hire for one of these posts soon, consider whether you can afford to wait.
No matter what, recruiters face a busy year in all areas. If you’re interested in how digital marketing compares with other industries, check out our thoughts on recruitment trends in various sectors like education, finance, and logistics.
And get in touch with the crooton team to learn more about employer fencing and fixed price recruitment.
Please call us today to find out about our rates and prices or to get a bespoke quote based on your specific requirements and let us help you calculate how much you could save working if you were to work with us.