We, as recruiters, understand that first choice when looking for marketing staff is to brief us for candidates who have the relevant industry experience. It makes sense that an FMCG company would want the prospective candidate to have exactly that experience. BUT, there is a huge skills shortage in this country.
Good candidates are able to pick and choose, so why not be open-minded and progressive in your approach? Why not interview candidates from eclectic backgrounds who could possibly bring with them a diverse skills base and fresh ideas to the table. A superb candidate with a retail or financial services background might do just as well in an FMCG environment. As long as the relevant tertiary and marketing experience is there, why shouldn't the candidate be able to market a different product? I would even go so far as to say that you should be open to an alternative tertiary to marketing if the experience is right. As a recruiter I am very aware of the demands and sense of urgency that exists when you need a Marketing Director as soon as possible and it certainly helps when the candidate has the understanding of the products being marketed.
However, closing your mind often means that some outstanding candidates are being overlooked because their experience does not entirely match that of your business. This also actively encourages a marketplace where candidates are being heavily poached and headhunted. If the skills base is there, surely the candidates skills are transferable across industries and wouldn't that encourage the ‘out of the box, lateral thinking' approach you are always after?
When I have persuaded my clients to be open-mined and they have recruited a candidate from a different background, I am pleased to say that there have been great successes, but, alas, there are too few open-minded clients.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jackie Jacks is a Marketing Consultant at Ad Talent, Cape Town.
Visit our PRESS OFFICE: Ad Talent is a vibrant, dynamic business with branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town specialising in the communications industry. Our business is about shaping careers and growing business by identifying the best candidates in the industry and introducing them to your company where they can make a significant, long-term contribution.- more....
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