Tesar-Reynes

In the last three recessions I remember the figure thrown out that somewhere between 35% and 45% of the people in integrated marketing communications got out of the business. I suspect that similar figures will be used for this one.

In the past, when people moved and changed jobs, they were lost from our database and probably lost to the statisticians of the industry. Thus far, in the last three months, I have called or contacted about 200-300 people in the $150,000-250,000 wage bracket. A goodly number are without jobs but a large number of them are consulting and are running their own business. They are having success because they can circumvent corporate head count rules.

The larger question to me is what happens to the people who drop out …

A story in the Journal, “Graduating with a Major in Go-Getting,” was published the other day citing some interesting stats for recent graduates. According to the story, U.S job openings sank below 3 million in January, and employers who recruit on college campuses expect to hire 22% fewer grads than last year. That’s scary.

I get calls funneled to me sometimes from college students who need to do a short informational interview for a marketing or PR class. The naiveté in their voices amazes me. I don’t blame them. When you were 18, did you really worry about the troubles that face you in adulthood, like career, financial independence and stability?

It’s funny to compare those first-year students to the seniors who call anxiously for …

A few weeks ago, in article in ADWEEK, “The New Reality Facing Job Seekers,” addressed the thought that wages will be lower for some people looking for jobs. Thus far I have not seen it in the recent searches we have been retained upon.

The whole digital area seems to remain hot and the social media side is even hotter. Both the people in our database and the folks on my Linked In network seem to be very busy and even frazzled. There are a number of new agencies forming, strategic alliances coming together and small agencies being bought by larger ones. Salaries are definitely escalating in the mid to senior level.

Good …

Call me old fashioned, but don’t throw out all the old to achieve the new. At the end of all the recessions that I have been through, there is “The Great Re-hiring Phase”. Companies start to back-fill vacancies and then selectively grow staff. The hiring managers, who have lived through all the cutbacks and re-orgs, see these raw troops as Manna from Heaven. The newbie’s are thrown into the fray. If they complain, the response often is: “You are damn lucky that you have a job; we can talk about it later when there is time.” There will never be time.

It is up to senior management to initiate a program to address this problem: re-instill the concept …

Last Tuesday, on Chicago’s first 70-degree day of the year, Tony and I grabbed lunch. As we sat people watching, Chicago’s skyscrapers looming over us, I thought about all the change this city has seen. Maybe I felt as if it related to my own situation. As Tony told me, I would continue to change and grow, and it would have a direct effect on who I am as a marketer.

Our chat leads me to this post. With so many career options available to you as a marketer, it’s critical you choose in industry that’s close to your heart. Settling for less may translate negatively on your career, leading to stress-filled workdays and poor relationships with co-workers.

Here are five steps you can take to find your niche in integrated marketing communications.

1. …