Tesar-Reynes

In the course of interviewing senior management, there has been a constant buzz about the quality of the entry level people who have been recently hired and supervised by them. I suspect that this conversation is very parallel to when I came into the work force. I also believe that the accusations and frustrations surrounding the Millennials are more thought-provoking and different from the previous cohorts.

Almost all of the comments rotate around the generation’s sense of entitlement. There appears to be an almost universal sense that this generation sees themselves as unique, the best and the brightest that ever existed, and should be treated that way. The issues below tend to flow from this attitude:

Work Ethic

I will work when I want, I am able to multitask so I can text …

When a salesman calls, you have a perfect right to cut him off pretty quickly or not return the e-mail or voice mail. This is just part of the times. He gets it and no feelings are hurt. When a candidate calls a potential hiring company and gets no response or a curt response, there is a lost opportunity.

I totally understand that the corporate world, large and small, has been cutting all departments to the bone; HR has not been excluded. The department is overworked and understaffed. Pragmatically, answering unsolicited resumes has to be at the bottom of the to-do list.

There are two problems here. Firstly, today’s applicants are not your average letter writer. They are hurting; they are scared; and they are desperate. They are perfect vulnerable targets for good will. Secondly, as a good corporate citizen, …

Six weeks into my first position at a marketing/PR agency, I find myself working with clients more often. The task can seem intimidating at times. For a rookie, managing the client relationship can be like sitting at the dinner table with your rich uncle you only see a few times a year. You’re eager to impress, but don’t want to seem overly try-hard.

Last week, Kevin Donnellon, a friend and former VP at PR agency giant Golin-Harris, sent me this newsletter on client relationships. It was a welcome read. I mentioned the important lesson Kevin taught me on handshakes in a previous comment on one of Tony’s posts.

If you’re new to the industry like me, you probably don’t have much client relationship experience to draw …

When I wanted to move to Chicago from New York, I did it all the wrong way! I did not keep my wife up to date on the firms I was looking at, whether they required relocation or what their status was. My rationale was that why jerk her around with possibilities when there was nothing certain.

The only thing certain was the mushroom cloud in the kitchen when I mentioned the probable offer from Chicago…she had never even been there.

Now I am not the brightest star in the sky, but I am not alone. There are a number of candidates that I have talked with that have said, “Don’t worry, my wife is cool.”

In reality, I don’t know if they are cool. Because I’m a recruiter, I could be dealing with a prideful candidate or a fearful one.

One …

I just got off the phone with a person who is going in as a CMO of a medium-sized B to B financial services company in the Chicago area. After she told me about the new job and the responsibilities, I asked her if she was going to send out an announcement. There was a moment of silence. Then there was a  “ so what should be in the announcement.” After a quick discourse, I saw another blog entry!

An announcement should be sent out to everyone on your mailing list that is influential or connected. The rationale is to leave a merchandisable paper trail of the next part of your career. It should include …

Today, my student organization, the Public Relations Student Society of America, had the distinct pleasure of visiting Ketchum’s Chicago office.

Holy cow, am I impressed with the people that work there. What struck me the most was their age and character. The guest speakers we talked to were barely out of college. Every one of them was memorable in some way. Maybe they were funny, or intelligent, or had some great advice or insight for us, but they were all the kind of people you don’t forget about meeting.

At the end of the tour we met a senior partner and Ketchum’s editorial director. They talked about the changing workforce, how the baby boomers were retiring soon, and that as long as you had the drive and …

Welcome to the new Tesar-Reynes blog. This has been a project that has been simmering for over a year. My reluctance to kick it off has to do with the fact that it becomes one more responsibility for me and the fear that nobody will read it. We want this to be your window to the ramblings that go on in our office about recruiting, candidates, the job market, resumes and the whole integrated marketing communications business.

We hope your find our content helpful and look forward to your comments. We’ll link to other articles and sites that we’ll help you achieve your career goals, or at least add to your foundation of knowledge of our industry.

This blog won’t be all about us. Hopefully it will be a resource for people in the area of marketing, advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, …