‘Nobody cares what you think’: The three skills new talent need to accelerate their careers
Ahead of Mumbrella’s neXt conference, top recruiter Nick Williams reveals how new talent can find success in advertising and how agencies can discover the leaders of tomorrow.
Nick Williams has been a head hunter for 10 years, with his boutique firm Williams International specialising in placement for senior-level roles. Before recruitment lured him, he spent 10 years with Leo Burnett – he is better placed than most to know how critical premium talent is to the advertising industry. “In an industry like advertising, where there isn’t much intellectual property law, or many particular ways of doing things differently, the people that do your job for you make up 90% of the effectiveness of your company. Your ability to be successful, in a large part, comes down to the people you hire.” What’s more the lean structure of agencies mean that their talent can be truly transformative – for better or for worse.
Williams says the advertising industry haemorrhages talent
Nick believes in many ways, advertising is a candidate’s market. The advertising industry haemorrhages talent. According to the MFA 2019 Industry Census, average “regrettable” agency turnover sits at around 28%, with roughly 15% absorbed by overseas markets and other industries and 12.6% competitor agencies. Add to this the 9% “non-regrettable” exists, and advertisers are scrambling to replace close to 40% of their workforce yearly. Williams says, to a certain extent, there are structural components of agencies that make replacing senior-level talent challenging. “There are certain areas, and strategy comes to mind, where we don’t recruit enough junior and mid-weight talent. They [agencies] only want to pay a certain level of seniority.” The problem “they” encounter is that when the time rolls round to replace someone with a person of four-to-five years experience, they can’t, in Williams’s words, “magic those people out of thin air.”
Importing from other markets has historically been an attractive solution; however, the 2017 restrictions on the 457 Visa making permanent residency more challenging have made the move less attractive for those at the senior level considering a significant sea-change. The hiring manager’s dilemma exponentially increases opportunities for those new to the industry looking to scale their careers. So, how can those in the early stages of their careers ensure they’re making the right choices early on?
The Mumbrella neXt conference will be invaluable for future leaders looking to make a mark on their industry.
Great ideas here Nick. In advertising, the art of persuasion is so often usurped by the art of the visual pun or clever wordplay. (See Philausophy campaign line) Great persuaders, like the late Neil Lawrence, are a marvel to watch in action.
Great ideas here Nick. In advertising, the art of persuasion is so often usurped by the art of the visual pun or clever wordplay. (See Philausophy campaign line) Great persuaders, like the late Neil Lawrence, are a marvel to watch in action.