The Hunt

The coronavirus pandemic brought the country to a standstill—and brought the American consumer to the couch.

As brick-and-mortar stores closed, businesses had to adapt new e-commerce and delivery strategies to survive.  Website and digital marketing technology became lifelines for businesses to reinvent themselves.

In turn, demand to hire talent in the areas of technology and digital marketing has steadily risen.  Recruiters across the country, including Artemis Consultants, have seen huge upticks in these areas.  To entice sought-after talent, businesses need to strategize job postings and make cutting-edge offers.

Marketing Demand Driven by Rise in E-Commerce

As the need for online retail rose exponentially in 2020, even businesses who already had an online presence had to quickly adapt. Andrew Lisa of Yahoo Finance explains: “A handful of giants like Amazon and 1800Flowers were perfectly positioned to thrive. But for most online sellers, it was an evolve-or-die moment that forced swift changes in shipping, marketing, logistics, customer service and supply chain management.” Retailers offered the option to buy online and pick up curbside. Online returns become easier with fast, free shipping; Lisa explains.

These changes had to be strategically and effectively communicated to the consumer.  Marketing (especially digital social media marketing) became vital.  According to a 2020 CMO survey conducted by Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, marketing budgets rose to a record high to retain customers.  “As consumers turned digital, so did marketers’ strategies and they sought to increase digital experiences and improve their companies’ go-to-market digital strategies,” says Christine Moorman, the survey founder and professor of business administration at Duke University (Marketing Week).

Customers began doing more online research before buying and offering more of their own reviews. Companies able to offer consumers the information they need to purchase (through reviews, blogs, social media outlets, email marketing, etc.) were able to thrive.

Today, marketing professionals who can demonstrate a return on a digital advertising investment are highly sought after.  Specifically, Artemis notes that hiring managers are looking for marketing candidates with the following skills:

• Website building and optimization tools like WordPress, Shopify, Wix, etc.
• SEO tool knowledge such as SEMrush, Moz, etc.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Google Analytics and Tag Manager
• Ability to create and manage sales pipelines through marketing channels.

Tech Talent Demand Means Strategic Recruiting

New digital experiences for consumers also translate to a rise in the need for tech talent.  Forbes’ Steven Norton  reports, “A recent CIO survey by technology training nonprofit NPower found that cloud support and cybersecurity talent will be the tech jobs most in demand over the next six to 18 months, followed by remote troubleshooting IT and IT generalist positions.”   The need for continued automation requires IT expertise and troubleshooting in roles like software engineers, software architects, and DevOps.

LinkedIn Jobs lists top in-demand technical skills to include web development; video editing; SEO; design thinking; UX testing; statistical modeling and data visualization; Amazon Web Services; and Python (Jennifer Liu, CNBC).

With so much demand for the limited technical talent available, companies need to strategize ways to recruit talent.  Artemis Consultants recommends companies entice top tech talent by:

• Developing job descriptions so candidates see cutting edge technology opportunities with tech language, titles, increased responsibilities. Passive tech candidates are enticed by up-and-coming industries.
• Using timing and concise messaging to communicate the hiring need.
• Solving sponsorship obstacles by offering C2C work due to citizenship.
• Offering high sign-on bonuses (on par with offers from Google, Facebook).

Businesses should expect hiring cycles for technical positions to run anywhere from 45 to 60 plus days due to the high demand/ low supply tech market.

Take intentional steps to better brand your company to a attract elite marketing talent, but keep in mind that the biggest employment brand influencers are employees themselves.  “Your employer brand is built primarily by employees.  They talk, they post, they decide.  Don’t leave this to chance or assume you know what they are thinking,” advises Windley of Forbes.  “Talk to employees, improve their experience, and value what they do.” Take these steps to brand your company for hiring.

As hiring markets constantly change, companies can count on the recruiters at Artemis Consultants to be relevant in the post-pandemic market. Artemis helps companies fill critical roles that are essential to a post-pandemic economy.