So What Are You Worth?

One of the things that my epic job search has thrown up is the salary debate.  What am I worth?  What are others with comparable skills worth? What are those with less skills worth?  And even more importantly what will employers pay?This debate is so wide open as there are so many factors that influence how salaries are determined.
One of my friends has had to recruit a number of junior level staff in the past few months and the types of demands she has been getting are something of an eye opener.  If you want to get rich marketing in professional services firms is not going to make you super rich but they're nothing to be sniffed at either.  As companies are now on the up following the recession many are having to stump up more and more dough to keep people or inflated job titles so that people stay put just that little bit longer.
Lots of people with very little marketing experience (under 3 years) are now so delusional that they think they should command salaries in the mid 30's+ range.  Not being funny but for a junior marketing role where the buck ultimately won't stop with them that is just plain greedy.  What is the world coming too?  I guess some people nowadays have inflated egos and have lost sight of reality - something I think applies to lots of aspects of life not just salaries.
With my job hunt the salary debate has been interesting.  I am happy to drop a few k for the right role but some agents have wanted to me to drop almost £10k which would set me back years in terms of clawing my way back to where I was.  Others have said things like the salary bracket has a 10K variation and if the client offers towards the lower end you would have to take it - never heard such a ridiculous statement in my life.  The interview process is a bit like dating - a two way thing including the negotiation part.  Come to think of it if I see dating like that maybe that's why I'm always the single one :).
Anyway, take a look at some of the salary surveys  to get a view on what is going on out there.  Most of the recruiters do an annual thing each year namely as a way to have more evidence in order to turn up the heat so that people get more and more money and they get more and more commission.

Computer says no!

Last week had to be one of the weirdest first meetings that I have ever had with a recruitment agent.  This one was no bolshey wide boy in a bad suit and full of hot air (to be honest not that many are most are quite pleasant).  She was well spoken, owned and ran her own agency which seemed to have many blue chip clients and plush offices in the heart of town. 

All looking good, she called me in after I applied for a role online that sounded right up my street so I was chuffed to get her call asking me to come in for an initial chat. Anyway, off I trotted to town, bit like Dick Whittington with my knapsack on my back! So I walked in and filled in the usual forms and handed over my passport to prove that my East End credentials are as they seem. 

Then we went into one of the interview rooms where I was expecting to be asked questions about what I have done.  The strange thing was was that she hardly asked question just read out everyone bullet point on my CV word for word.  Hearing your own prose read back to you word for word is a tad weird, especially as I've had to work on it so many times that I almost know it rote. It just made me feel uneasy and wondering:

-  if she had actually even read my CV?; 

- is this really what her clients are paying for? I could see little expertise in terms of being able to read words off a page

- maybe all she was interested in was looks - do I look like what the client would like? Her technique really was not going to allow her to find out anything of any use about me. 

Anyway, from here on in she shall be known as "Computer Says No" but hopefully she can get me an interview for the job that she was touting for as it sounded pretty good.

Life just gets in the way

Well,  the past 10 days have been the toughest that I have faced in a long long while. On the upside I have had in four requests for interview although I have had to reschedule three of them and pull out of one altogether. I guess it really is a case of life getting in the way of job hunting.

Sadly my father passed away last week Sunday.  I was the one who called the police to break in where they found his body in the lounge - amazing what a hunch can lead to although secretly I kept wishing that he would suddenly appear and berate me for being silly and that he was fine. I was the one that had to track down lost relatives and tell his sister that she had lost yet another member of her family. I was the one who spoke to his brother who I never knew existed but it turns out is alive and well in Manchester. I was the one who arranged a Muslim burial although I am not religious in the slightest.  The ceremony today was lovely and I do feel a lot better about things than I did last week.  My dad was certainly a character, forthright in his opinions and at times charming and at times harsh.  At least now he is at peace.

Anyway, I have to say that in terms of my job hunt which at the start of last week suddenly went up to 5th gear (a driving reference even though I am a rubbish driver 5 tests and 3.5 years worth of lessons and only driven once since I passed). The people who were due to interview me have been fantastic from agents to a chief exec who sent me a lovely email today saying that he thought I had a stand out CV and that he did not want me to pull out so would arrange a time to meet me tomorrow. I guess at times things like these bring out the best in people.   So this evening I will be swotting up for my interviews tomorrow with a glass of wine (not very Muslim but that's me all over - bacon sandwich anyone! :))

RIP Dad xxx

Keep On Track

The Lovely Beijing Stadium 

As an Londoner born and bred or make that a proper East Londoner actually born in Bow, I have to admit that I think the London Olympic Stadium is not quite my design cup of tea.  Bit bland with any ideas for embellishment being value engineered i.e. cost cost.  As someone who has visited the Olympic site in Beijing and was quite frankly blown away by it - most of the design for the London Games is rather run of the mile apart from Zaha's Pool and the recently completed Velodrome.  I know "but London is all about the legacy etc" but can someone show me a clear plan about this yet? I think not.

Anyway, rather than bore you with my thoughts on the design merits of stadia past and present, I'll get back to why I am talking about keeping on track (see the my seamless sporting analogy - Olympic stadium - running track etc).   I had a call yesterday from a rather pushy agent.  I am registered with his agency and the guy I have met and tend to speak to is nice, professional and listens.  Anyway, the one I spoke to yesterday wasn't really any of those things.

He called at an inopportune time, I'd just cooked up a feast for breakfast and was about to tuck in when he rang. "Do you have a moment", he asked. "OK" I said as I scoffed on a piece of toast.   He then went on about a new role that he has for a mid sized accountancy firm.  Nice broad marketing role, in London blah blah blah. He went on to ask me a million question - kind of making me justify my worth as to why I am a good marketer.  I did say I'd  been in to meet his colleague a few weeks ago so couldn't he chat to him. In my head I wasn't too fussed and wanted to continue scoffing my breakfast which was quite frankly far more exciting than chatting to him.

Then the crunch, he asked me to come in on Monday to discuss the role and my response was "Why".  After a while I do get a bit sick of having to jump constantly for agents who ultimately have nothing for me plus I'd been in to see his colleague recently so why could they not have seen me in one hit?  He blathered on that I had to meet his boss to find out more about this great role.  I sighed - my food was getting cold after all. Then he said how much are you looking for in your next role.  As I said the figure (based on previous salaries) the phone went silent.  "Oohh the max they want to pay is this" which equated to a £3k drop for me. My response was that we should forget it then.  He then went on and on at me until I gave in and I found myself agreeing to go in on Monday.

Then a few hours later when I reflected on the mornings events and I came to a few conclusions:

- I really did not like that agent and once I get his email confirmation for Monday I will respond saying that I will not be going. Stuff him, he caught me off guard and did a sales job on me.
- I am not convinced about going for a role that is at the top end of their pay skill and still quite a sizeable drop for me.  Taking the role would effectively mean that I would not be progressing my career or salary scale any time soon as they are obviously looking for someone more junior who will grow into the role. Therefore the likelihood of me getting to the next level in terms of seniority and pay would be even further from my grasp.
- If I will sell my soul to the devil for a role in a sector that I am not too interested in (accounting) I expect you to pay me well for doing so. A pay cut for a role where I will grow and develop in a sector that I am interested in would be an altogether different matter.

So in summary - I shall be in the warmth of my own home on Monday.  I will send that agent an email to say thanks but no thanks boyo! I will reread some of the stuff that I did about my wants/needs a few years ago with a bit of a 2011 refresh to make sure that my job hunting keeps on track and doesn't deviate due to unscrupulous people out to make a fast buck.

Why Don't Recruiters Listen?

Ok, at times I admit that I am not necessarily the best listener but I know my flaws and do try not to jump in with my point of view too soon. But give me my dues, ultimately I do get the message.  You know when you are always the first one to text the guy and he does not respond or when he does it's quite a while later - I do ultimately get the message. 

If I can get the message, why is it that some recruiters can't? My CV is a bit choppy so I know that one of the things I need in my next role is to stay there for a while. In order for me to do that it means not just getting a job but getting the right job. One where I feel part of the team, my skills are appreciated and I enjoy working with my colleagues.  One where I can grow into being that inspirational marketing manager that in truth should not be too far away.  

In order to get a job that I stick out I know I can't do a role that is bid focused.  Marcomms is what I do and what I enjoy and therefore what I want to do.  Why oh why when I say this to agents do they still persist in sending me roles that are bid focused? What's the marketing/bid split I asked?  Oh 60/40.  "Ok but you know that I am not interested in roles that are primarily bid roles" I said. "Yes, Yes" was the response.  Then why send me a flurry of emails not asking about my marketing experience but asking me to list all the bids I have ever worked on with fee values when I send across my CV for a role that they want to put me forward for.  This request was nigh on impossible as I have worked on so many plus I tend to end up with selective amnesia as far as bidding is concerned.  I tend to blank things out. 

I guess agents don't listen because ultimately many are just concerned with their own commission.  Whether I end up in an unsuitable role is by the by as long as they get paid.  Just remember bad agents, that day when I do become a Marketing Manager and am looking to recruit, you will not be my first port of call.  I shall give my business to the ones out there that have listened to me when I was looking for work and ultimately respected my views.

The End of Week 8

Well it has to be said that it's seems like ages since I was checking out the beaches of Thailand, heading to half moon (wicked) and full moon parties (rubbish and full of 18 yr olds being sick!). It's been 8 weeks since I started looking for work. Heading to a networking and self promotion workshop 2 days after landing was the wake up call I needed that I had to get my mind back into that 'finding a job' framework. Bit of a culture shock really as my head was certainly still in the clouds.

Week 8 has been ok. Had 1 interview for a fundraising and events role - the results will be out in a weeks time so fingers and toes crossed as it's a cool job.

Had quite a few calls from recruitment agents with roles mainly in the BD arena but I do have a targeted CV for that so fingers crossed. Things do seem to be picking up for certain good agents - others are still deathly silent.

Done quite a few direct applications too although I am starting to get a bit punch drunk and am starting to get extremely tired of talking about me.

Recruitment agents - friend or foe?

Hhmm - I am not entirely sure on the response to this question but currently am veering towards the foe sided response.

Having just completed week 3 of my hunt for work, I have seen more recruitment agents than you can shake a stick at. Looking for potential roles in marketing role (where I have traditionally worked) and ones in charity fundraising (a potential career I would like to move into) - I have 2 CV's. This means that I have to post applications to 2 sets of recruitment agents.

Not being wet behind the ears, I fully appreciate that agents ultimately need strong candidates to field to their employers and they earn lots of dosh for placing you in the process.

What I have learnt about recruiters?

Just because they call you in all excited to "come in for a chat", it doesn't actually mean that they have a potential role for you.

A few have actually interviewed me and then said "we have no roles for you. However, can you name your old employers competitors and then I can approach them on your behalf?". This line has happened quite a few times and worries me immensely as follows:

1. As a specialist recruiter in professional services I would expect you to know my previous firms competitors - esp as they were a large well established firm.
2. If you don't know that part of the market, you obviously would not have firmly established contacts in that firm. Where exactly would you be adding value to my job search? I am happy for them to approach competitors where they do have established relationships though as it may be beneficial. But I do object to them wanting to use my CV as a way to get their foot into new potential hirers. This smacks of them being desperate for new jobs and using any means they deem necessary to find new contacts in a fiercely competitive market place.
   
3. As a seasoned marketer I would hope that I had the skills and capabilities to approach the immediate competitor firms directly, if it's something that I want to explore.

Don't get me wrong there have been some lovely knowledgeable ones along the way who I am keeping in touch with on a regular basis. They give constructive feedback about your CV, know the market and understand what it is that I am really after. They're the ones who I am happy to put me forward for roles. Also, they're the ones that I will go to when I do have a job and am looking to hire new staff.