The Hunt for Interactive Talent: Call to Action
We need to act. And, we need to act now.
Earlier this week, I was participating at one of the Market Yourself Smarter conferences. Those who attend MYS events appreciate them because they are consistently topical and practical.
The topic of the day was Employers Who Walk the Talk. A few messages came through loud and clear during the presentations and group discussions:
• To succeed, companies must tap into the passion and creativity of their employees
• This generation’s workforce has new expectations from its employers
• Leadership means effectively understanding, anticipating and responding to employees’ needs and expectations
As I was listening to discussions about the employees’ ideal work environment it struck me that if there ever was a group of stakeholders that relied on leading-edge skills from the current and next generation of talented workers, the interactive and digital marketing community is it.
Other CEO’s and Presidents at interactive agencies, web developers and e-marketing shops often ask me how we (at ThinData) are able to consistently attract and retain top talent. They all say the same things: the hunt for talent is consuming much of their time; the talent pool is thin; and, they are spending growing amounts of money on recruiting talent.
And yet, I am not hearing a great deal from the interactive and digital community – the independent firms or the digital arms of the big ad agencies – about this fundamental resource challenge that needs to be addressed with a long-term vision.
There needs to be a plan; one that is developed, monitored and updated.
The interactive and digital marketing community needs a plan that engages universities, colleges, associations and businesses. All of these stakeholders need to work together to identify the skills that are needed now and in the future as well as to methodically and substantially grow the pool of talent.
We need to sit down as a group and identify innovative ways to cultivate the required skills while fulfilling the expectations and demands of a new generation of employees who expect new types of working relationships.
If we, as a community expect to keep pace of growth as we look to 2009, 2010 and beyond…we need to start treating the development and growth of talent as an industry priority. We need to take lessons from other industries that have successfully developed formal apprenticeship and training partnerships with educational institutions across different levels.
If, as a member of the interactive and digital marketing community, you have ever found yourself struggling to find or keep the right person, you have a stake in this issue.
Let’s discuss it in more detail. Shoot me an email at ceo@thindata.com.
