What Hiring Mgrs Are Looking For In Current Climate

Not long ago it was considered a bonus to prospective employers if you had bounced around a bit in the job market, particularly in PR. The thinking was that with such a furious
pace of economic change -- fueled by the dot-com craze -- it was better to hire someone who had worked in several disciplines in communications rather than just one or two. What
a difference a few years makes.

Now, the focus is on stability, as employers seek out job candidates who have their feet planted firmly in the ground. That's arguably one of the biggest trends in the current
marketplace for communications professionals. Whipsawed by the recession, corporate communications execs are starting to bring people back into the fold, albeit slightly. It's a
lot tougher on the agency side, with so much dependent on clients' budgets. Either way, no one is out of the woods just yet. Following is a list of hiring trends impacting PR
salaries, according to Dennis Spring, president of Spring Associates.

• Healthcare and pharmaceutical are still the two hottest specialty categories on both the corporate and agency sides.
• The business/financial and corporate sectors also showing strength since the beginning of the year.
• The business-to-business category is less active than last year, but growing.
• In the categories mentioned above, most often hired this year in corporate communications departments are Directors and Vice Presidents. In agencies, mainly Senior AEs and
  Account Supervisors are the predominant hires this year.
• People with backgrounds that are exact fits for narrow job specifications are usually receiving at least what they currently earn plus 10-20% of base salary. However, their
  bonuses are fewer and generally less than what they received through the "boom" years.
• All other candidates are finding that they must negotiate in order to maintain the level of compensation they enjoyed during the "boom" years.
• At least four years in a job seems to be what clients prefer to see these days. A "jumpy" resume that was the norm during the "boom" years is no longer in vogue with most
  clients today. Employers are looking for candidates who show some staying power in their careers.
• Along with more stability, hiring managers want candidates with at least 8 to 10 years of solid experience to be considered for a Director position and at least 12 to 15
  years for Vice President positions.
• Freelancers are busier than ever because many highly qualified and experienced individuals are currently unemployed.
• The overall interview process now takes longer, requiring a person to meet with many different staff members before a decision to hire is made.
• Greater interview scrutiny is now followed by a more thorough reference check to insure that resume and application information is accurate. In some cases, when possible,
  references are checked before the candidate is even brought in for an interview.
• Despite a sluggish economy, job offers are still being turned down, mainly for the following reasons: salary expectations are not met; relocation is out of the question; in
  the case of employed individuals, they feel their current work situation is acceptable for now; in the case of unemployed individuals, a sense of optimism that the economy is
  starting to turn around.
• As seen in the 1980s, corporate hiring managers are once again favoring candidates with solid corporate experience who show a record of staying power in their past jobs and
  who have reasonable salary expectations.
• Among both corporate communications departments and agencies the three most sought after skills are: crisis communications, media relations and program strategy.
• Companies don't automatically award bonuses, unless there is a compelling reason such as meeting salary expectations early on in the hire. The offering of a bonus is still
  consistently more a part of the total compensation of the corporate sector rather than the agency side. Agencies are still reluctant to hand out bonuses and still do so in an
  inconsistent manner.
• Both new and existing hires to agencies are being asked to contribute as much as 25% towards their healthcare coverage, while corporations are generally much more lenient
  regarding co-payment.