174% increase in sales vacancies

Across the market as a whole we have seen a huge increase in the number of vacancies available. By industry, in June 2021 compared with June 2021, we saw notable increases in Ad Tech (260% increase), Media Owners and Publishers (383% increase) and an incredible rise in roles with Agencies (1414% increase). This is a clear indication of the bounce back from Covid and the industry reaction...

Across specialisms during the same period, we’ve seen major increases in Customer Success roles (130% increase), Sales (174% increase) and Ad Ops (200% increase). This is to be expected with new salespeople being hired to win more business, account managers following when that business is won and Ad Ops specialists responding to marketing budgets being restored to pre-Covid levels.

The reasons for this sharp increase have been two-fold...

Firstly, businesses have been replacing any workers that were made redundant or left during Covid. Costs were dramatically cut last year, especially across the advertising industry with no marketing spend on print or OOH and whole teams were cut as a result.

Secondly, businesses have been bouncing back more than ever with Ecommerce booming and the Marketing and Advertising sector responding to this. Historically, recessions have been followed by economic booms (the Roaring Twenties followed the first world war...!).

Revenue taken by Facebook, Linkedin and other social media platforms is predicted to be over $50bn this year, according to research from TradingPlatforms.com and Statista. Their report claims revenue from display advertising alone will grow 16.7% this year, compared to 2020 (The Drum, July 22, 2021).

Whether you're hiring, looking for a new role or progressing at your current company... we want to hear from you! Have your say on flexible working, interviewing in 2021 and mental health: fill in our survey (it takes a few minutes to complete) so we can write a report on the changes in the job market.

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Read on for more insights from our Principal Managing Consultant, Daniel Bolter...

Changes to interview processes 

Interview processes moved online through Covid; this dramatically sped up interview processes by improving availability for both interviews and feedback was given quickly as no one has to run to the bathroom to take a call from a recruiter!

There have been challenges with this though as it’s been harder to build rapport over video as you don’t get the same human connection as you do in person.

As a result, hirers have been more conservative and interviewees are needing to make more of an effort to build a relationship with their interviewers.

Staying competitive in a saturated market 

Move fast, keep an open dialogue with your recruiter or your candidates and find a way to show off your culture remotely.

Great candidates are flying off the market currently with the number of vacancies available. A clear process with good timelines and virtual drinks with the team will always prove best.  

58% of 47,606 people surveyed by us in May 2021 said that 2 interviews were the maximum number of interviews they would expect before accepting a role.
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How should candidates approach interviews? 

Think of how you can build a relationship through the camera! It’s as tough for you as it is for the interviewer so find a common connection and way of showing your interviewer that you can fit into their team culture remotely.

Experience is one thing, team/business fit in a remote world is a whole other.

Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions or need any support with hiring or your job search. 

Daniel Bolter
Principal Managing Consultant – Professional Services
danielb@spheredigitalrecruitment.com