Business leaders find themselves at the helm of organizations engaged in fierce global competition unlike any they have ever experienced before. Within these companies, many communications teams perform their duties feeling hyper-extended beyond normal limits due to systematic cutbacks in resources and staffing consolidations during the Great Recession.
But the all the news isn’t grim. Recently published labor market research points to slight shifts that some insiders say could signal a positive trend in hiring. According to an April 2012 survey from online employment Web site CareerBuilder, one-third of employers brought on full-time, permanent staff in the first quarter of 2012. The study also found that 37% of employers hired workers on a temporary or contract basis in the first quarter, up from 29% last year.
In its annual list of Best Careers based on the Department of Labor’s employment forecasts, U.S. News and World Report named Public Relations Strategist its top occupation among its Best Creative Services Jobs list for 2012 based on growth, favorable employment opportunities and wages. And despite all the professional angst from market turmoil, the PR role also garnered one of the highest satisfaction ratings among the publication’s best jobs for 2012.
We were curious about the job scenario for senior business-to-business communicators who are not presently positioned within in-house teams. Have current business conditions created more fruitful opportunities for independent consulting and unique collaborations, or has it proven to be slimmer pickings?
Three experienced professionals with extensive B2B backgrounds in communications, marketing and investor relations at publicly traded, multinational organizations shared thoughts on their own career transitions. The group offered perspectives on how their professional changes either went according to expectations or surprised them. Their responses range from cautionary insights for employers on the risk of short-term thinking to transcendent self-discoveries.
SUE OTTEN
B2B Marketing Strategist
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The current business climate is really interesting. Organizations are more risk averse as they wait to see what the economy (and the fall elections) will produce. This in itself is a risky approach. Competition waits for no one (and no company). It is much better to hire great talent now to help strategically wade through these economic challenges. Talent is available in the marketplace; smart companies are quickly assessing the talent pool and hiring. The operative word is “quickly.” Remember, competition is nipping at your heels. And while consultants can certainly fill the gap short term, great companies are bringing talent in-house to design marketing strategies for the long haul.
Sue Otten is a veteran marketing leader and accredited business communicator with industry experience in technology, agribusiness and manufacturing.
MATT KELLY
Digital Media Consultant/Owner, Kelly Creative
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No question, it’s an employer’s market. Case in point: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a brand I’ve consulted for, received 85,000 resume uploads to its system in 2011. On average, that’s 300 resumes uploaded per day, and the trend shows no signs of abating in 2012.
How does a job seeker break out and be seen in such an environment? For me, it became a matter of walking the talk in my advocacy for sustainability. It no longer was enough to just advocate. I had to be green in my daily living. This translated to pulling up the front yard and growing crops, which led to clients hiring me for edible landscaping installations. I was then offered a consulting opportunity at an off-grid eco resort on Hawaii’s Big Island, where I was able to obtain my LEED Green Associate accreditation.
Yet for all this, due to the current business climate, I’ve just accepted the most challenging position of my career, that of stay-at-home dad for baby Nicolas, who arrived in late March.
Once again, this affords the opportunity to put my beliefs into practice and raise an eco-baby, all the while positioning me in the “mommy” segment, or in this case, “daddy.”
Matt Kelly is a media executive, LEED Green Associate and a former PR agency business leader whose experience includes pioneering work in podcast PR to publicize major “eco” initiatives. His green Twitter feed was named a must-follow by a leading online publication.
MARISA F. JACOBS
Principal, Dreamworks Concepts
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The job market, including the consulting field, is noticeably tougher than in the past. Internal staffing has been reduced at many companies at the same time that overall budget cutbacks prevent in-house corporate communications executives from retaining external consultants to fill in gaps in capabilities or lend a hand during times of peak demand.
While corporate communications is not a revenue-generating function, budget cuts are frequently made without fully appreciating the indirect impact on future revenue streams.
One key area of focus for B2B communicators is defending a company’s reputation, and a second is enhancing knowledge of the brand. A company’s reputation can come under attack at any time. If not promptly and fiercely protected, prolonged damage can occur with attendant declines in corporate perception, stock price, employee morale, etc., that exceed the cost of a fully staffed communications program many times over.
Similarly, during tough economic cycles many companies scale back both their corporate communications and marketing. By remaining active during such times, share of voice can be greatly amplified, leading to market share gains and brand enhancement when the economic climate improves.
Marisa F. Jacobs is a principal of corporate communications consulting firm Dreamworks Concepts and previously served as the vice president of corporate communications and investor relations at Covanta Energy. When not engaged on client matters, she has been devoting her time to a number of volunteer initiatives, including for the Humane Society of the United States.
These executives’ views aligned with a key finding from CareerBuilder’s survey. Two hiring hurdles for employers in the near future are the fierce competition for talent and the skills gap that is creating more vacancies for positions requiring greater expertise.
CareerBuilder found that 56% of recruiters had their job offers rejected by a candidate. In addition, 31% of employers reported having current openings that could not be matched to a qualified employee.
CareerBuilder CEO Matt Ferguson offered a more sanguine outlook that calls to mind pre-recession conditions: “The amount of job listings we’re seeing for key categories on Careerbuilder.com are similar to that of 2007. All indicators point to steady improvement in the job market in the second quarter and beyond.”
For a B2B communicator still finding his/her way, that’s some very good news. PRN
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✔ Measurement Tip of the Week
If getting placements in your target media outlets isn’t actually getting the business results you want to achieve, you may want to refocus your PR strategy.
CONTACT:
B2B Communications is written by Mary C. Buhay, VP, marketing & business development at Gibbs & Soell Public Relations. She can be reached at [email protected].