Talent Clout
By MICHELLE WARREN

The marketing world's top performers are in high demand and they're asking for huge salaries, more perks and better work/life balance

Marketers seeking to hire new talent need not look any further than the driver's seat. That's where strong candidates are firmly fixed, as a positive economic outlook and increased business spending drive demand for talented employees-many of whom are contemplating several routes.
It's a significant shift from just a few years ago when the mood was cautious and hiring sluggish. Today, recruitment is a "full-scale war for talent," says Normand Lebeau, executive vice-president and general manager, Mandrake in Montreal.
The marketplace is steadily gaining momentum, observes Sylvia MacArthur, president of Madison MacArthur in Toronto: "A significant percentage of potential candidates that we speak with are considering multiple opportunities, which they are finding refreshing."
Demand exceeds supply, echoes Barbara Morris, president of Morris Group International in Toronto. "The hiring market is getting harder at the top end and it looks like that will continue."
Michael Gates, VP partner, Mandrake Toronto, agrees and says companies will likely find it increasingly difficult to hire in 2006. "They will have to face the prospect of competing for employees-their desire to hire people at or below the mid-point of a salary band will be challenged, as the people they desire most are likely already earning in that area and will need a raise to make the move."
And, in most parts of the country, people are more than willing to shift gears. "Pent-up demand for change has people leaving their current jobs in droves," says Bruce Powell, managing partner at IQ Partners Inc. in Toronto. "People have been laying low for the past few years-better a bad job than no job at all-but with the market heating up and the risk of making a move reduced, these same people are on the move."
As a result, not only are companies quickly replacing employees and adding new positions, but hiring bonuses are also making a comeback and many firms are introducing special incentives to retain top performers.
Chad Management Group president Rick Chad credits the momentum, in part, to companies zeroing in on marketing. Rather than paying lip service to their marketing departments, more are recognizing huge potential in hiring talented marketers to help build business.
This is resulting in increased activity across all marketing disciplines, affecting both the marketer and agency sides of the spectrum.
"The market has definitely picked up," says Chad. "There are more junior and intermediate roles than there have been in recent years."
PeopleFind Inc. president Charles Grossner and VP Carolyn Wiseman agree there's opportunity for novice talent: "We see a trend toward compression at the lower end of the range with employers seeking to hire less experienced people at a lower cost than those who are more experienced and more costly."
MacArthur, however, notes heavy activity in mid-management positions, as well as pickup in senior management roles. It's a comeback of sorts, she says: "Activity in the mid-management ranks tends to be a reflection of having cut very deeply during the economic downturn, with remaining staff being stretched pretty thin."
Recruiters agree the employment market is good; however, reasons differ region to region.
In Western Canada, particularly in British Columbia, it's buoyant. Employers are being more proactive, hiring because business is growing rather than simply replacing someone who has left, says Lisa Kershaw, partner, Ray & Berndtson/Tanton Mitchell in Vancouver. "The 2010 Olympics, economy and attitude of the provincial government have converged to make people feel optimistic."
The Quebec market is being shaped, in part, by marketing most often being a head office function. "Montreal has a shrinking pool of significant size head offices, which directly affects the size of the talent pool," says Mandrake's Lebeau.
As a result, recruiters report a growing number of candidates who are also entrepreneurs (by default rather than choice). Montreal-based La Tete Chercheuse president Louise Descarie and VP Caroline Starecky say as more people launch consultancies or freelance, this alters the hiring dynamic: "Candidates don't absolutely need to get a job; they're waiting for the right opportunity so they are only tempted if the challenge, the salary and the cultural values fit their needs."
Those same motivators-namely money, challenging career opportunities and the desire for work/life balance-are influencing candidates across the country and forcing employers to rethink everything from compensation to improving training and retention strategies.
"Candidates are far more savvy as to the corporate culture of various organizations and are much more prepared to find the right fit before just taking a job," says Harry Teitelbaum, president of InterCom Search Inc., Toronto.
This trend is taking a toll on traditional agencies, which, while doing well, aren't seeing quite the same boom in hiring as their marketing counterparts.
As Powell points out, "The demands of leaner operating structures, more aggressive margin expectations, and the service-based environment tend to attract those young and willing to work really hard for less money-at least at the entry and mid-management levels. With pending demographic changes, there are just fewer of those individuals around and agencies are having to adapt their culture and recruitment efforts to attract the more senior and more qualified individuals that their clients demand."
Many recruiters report an increasing number of agency employees who want to move into marketing. "There is the belief that client-side positions offer more job security," says Morris.
In Quebec, agencies are finding it difficult to recruit intermediate or senior level candidates. While many are jumping ship, Starecky and Descarie say others are "going back to smaller environments where they feel there is a culture, they are not just a number."
Hiring at traditional agencies has been predominantly flat, say recruiters, despite a number of high-profile accounts, such as Rogers and Bell, landing in the last 18 months. "Although large account wins and losses impact individual agencies, the net result has been pretty much a wash," says MacArthur. "The overall agency population has been stagnant at best."
That's not to say agencies aren't enjoying the fruits of the market's comeback. "There appears to be more money being spent across the board, including above-the-line traditional advertising and below-the-line," says Chad.
Below-the-line agencies, in particular, are booming. Interactive, direct and promo shops present great employment opportunities. In fact, recruiters note a dearth of candidates for interactive and promo positions.
Public relations is also thriving. Like interactive marketing, its cost effectiveness is very attractive and marketers are investing money and seeing results. "We have noticed a marked increase of marketing candidates highlighting PR activities that they have been involved in as key to their marketing program successes," says MacArthur.
Following this vein is what Martin Kingston, president of Martin Kingston and Associates in Toronto, sees as an increasing tendency on the part of marketers to seek strategic counsel from outside traditional agencies, relying instead on specialized strategic consulting firms: "We anticipate seeing the growth of specialty agencies in the areas of retail marketing, sales, brand design and consumer promotions."
Sectors to watch on the marketing side include home improvement, telecommunications, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, financial organizations and, making a comeback, technology. Kershaw also notes significant growth of marketing opportunities in professional services, such as law firms. "Service providers are becoming national and are recognizing that they have to brand their business in order to not only increase it, but also retain it."
While the outlook is positive, recruiters caution that globalization means major events around the world heavily influence the health of all marketing sectors in Canada. Kingston offers the recent hurricanes in the U.S. as an example, saying the fallout not only disrupts the price of oil, but also essentials such as housing, lumber, food, retail and transportation. "This could take the wind out of the sails of many sectors in the remaining months of 2005 and have an impact throughout 2006 with regard to employment opportunities and may even result in some downturns," he says.
But, as things stand, the market is zooming along. The strong economy and optimistic mood have businesses taking the marketing route; increased investment is giving employees new confidence with many opting to change paths; and recruiters are busier than ever, working to ensure it's a smooth ride for everyone.
MICHELLE WARREN is a freelance writer in Toronto.

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