Here’s the problem: the top-tier, cutting-edge, difference-making marketers are, for the most part, already employed and not looking for a job. (TWEET THIS)
Tell me if this sounds familiar:
Your new vacant marketing position has everything an ambitious marketer could want. Competitive compensation, plenty of potential for upward mobility, great perks, a great culture in a dynamic organization.
You know you need extraordinary talent in this position to ensure your growth, and have invested heavily in making it attractive to phenomenal marketers. So why, after weeks have passed, have you only gotten a handful of lackluster applicants to your job posts around the web?
It’s simple. They’re too busy and motivated enough by their current role to be spending any time on online job boards. And unless you can find a way to steal their attention long enough to consider not only a career move, but a move to your position in particular, you have little hope of filling your seats with the kind of people that will grow your business and keep you ahead of the competition.
They’re Comfortable
Exceptional marketers rarely have a hard time demonstrating their value and smart companies are willing to pay for it. Due to drastic changes in digital and how consumers making buying decisions, the most effective companies are marketing-driven. So even in a still-recovering economy, the demand for high-performing marketing experience and leadership ability has continued to grow.
They’re successful at their jobs and driven to provide continued results for their employer.
Sure, some A-players will occasionally look for opportunities when they feel they’ve hit a ceiling at their own company or are laid off due to circumstances out of their control. But you can’t count on these factors lining up when you need to hire quality but are only getting the middle-tier talent that more frequently lurks on job boards.
They’re Busy
Being a hard worker doesn’t always make you a good marketer. But a good marketer is almost inevitably a hard worker.
When they’re not obsessing over strategy, analytics, and improving ROI, they’re mentoring the talent under them or engaging the marketing community with thought leadership. And that’s just the long hours at the office; not to mention whatever their home life and personal time is like.
With a long list of priorities to take care of and plenty on their plate at any moment, don’t expect great marketers to come across your position by happenstance, even if it’s the perfect opportunity for them.
The Alternatives
So what do you do when most of the A-listers are already taken? Do you gamble and hope you find a genius whose employer recently went out of business or is looking to make a big career move? Settle for a B-team applicant that’s a little less impressive than you’d like?
Or do you change tactics to something a little more active than a few job posts to approach these passive candidates?
Finding the top marketers you want is hard enough when they’re employed; getting their attention is even more difficult. Communicating with marketers on a level they’ll understand and appreciate isn’t easy, especially if you’re not a high-level marketer yourself. And even in the off chance you do catch their eye for a few moments, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to convey your message in a way that interests them.
Here are a few things you can do to try to entice top talent to listen to your offer and consider applying.
