In my Q2 FMCG Job Landscape insight report, I signed off with the prediction that ‘there are definitely sunnier times around the corner’, however, given the cobwebs gathering on my BBQ, it could be suggested that I couldn’t have been more wrong!

Thankfully, though, my forecast was merely a metaphorical assessment of FMCG commercial recruitment, and without wanting to blow my own trumped, I appeared to be bang on the money!

As it transpired, the combined value of our ‘active roles’ has actually dropped slightly from the levels we reached after the 37% growth of Q2, but given that during this period we saw a reduction in our time-to-hire of 32%, this meant that the drop in value was down to the speed at which we were filling roles, rather than the volume of new jobs coming on.

This is evidenced by the fact we’ve experienced a bumper quarter of job placements which have increased a whopping 107% on the preceding period, helped by the fact that 35% of our placements during this period have come through matchmaking rather than through a typical (and more time consuming), search & selection process.

Further to this, the growth has been underpinned by an average fee rise of 28% (compared to the same time last year), which can be attributed to both salary inflation, and the increased seniority of hires that are being made.

(*Fees are directly proportional to the annual salary of the hire.)

All in all, the very slow start we experienced in Q1, appears to be well and truly behind us, which is testament to how serious businesses have become about tackling their hiring challenges, but also, credit where credit is due, is a demonstration of how well our team have reacted to the evolving landscape.

So what does this job landscape mean for you?

There are a few factors at play here which are contributing towards the buoyancy that we’re currently experiencing.

One is that businesses are starting to adopt far more targeted approaches to recruitment, which is likely down to the fact that, from a hiring point of view, the job landscape remains extremely challenging and previous attempts at a generalist approach to recruitment have largely proven fruitless. This situation is evidence that, although the market is still very much candidate-led, hiring organisations are reluctant to compromise on standards which has resulted in a recruitment standoff.

As a specialist recruiter, it is our knowledge and insight that enables us to meticulously manage the margins and consultatively advise both parties to reach a mutually beneficial compromise. The feedback we’re getting from clients after utilising our support, is that without this expertise, they were struggling to find the middle ground and subsequently fill their vacancies.

What this means for candidates is that if they’re engaging in a recruitment process without the support of a specialist recruiter (and by specialist, I mean industry and role specific with a premium approach), they need to keep an open mind about a hiring organisation’s role responsibilities and associated renumeration packages… and be prepared to negotiate.  

Further to this, it’s imperative that they speak to their peers to sense check their expectations, because rather than being shrewd, they may ultimately be pricing themselves out of the market.

*Even if you’re not in one of our processes, our team are always happy to offer impartial and up-to-date insight on salary brackets and remuneration packages for FMCG Sales & Marketing roles, if you’d like to understand how your expectations stack up against the wider market.

Another impact on candidates that can be seen from our findings, is that businesses are prepared to take their time and wait for the right person to come along, so not all vacancies are going to present themselves on job boards. As I mentioned, 35% of our placements have come through matchmaking, whereby we have confidentiality introduced the profile of a candidate to a business, which has resulted in that individual being employed. Often this occurs when there isn’t a specific job opening but the client will develop opportunities when presented with the right kind of individual.

Obviously, anyone who has come into contact with recruiters will understand the industry is awash with profiles being circulated in an attempt to pick up quick wins. The fact that our introductions are so targeted and backed up by the expertise that results from our specialism, is why this has yielded such substantial results. Clients who admit to normally shunning these approaches have told us that they were prepared to engage in a conversation about our candidates based on the level of insight and understanding we had around their profile, because this demonstrated the candidate was in fact real!

*Believe it or not, it is common for recruiters to make up candidate profiles (and on the reverse side of this, fictional jobs), in an attempt to win business (and populate their databases).

As discussed, hiring organisations are still looking to make hires even with the challenging economic backdrop, but they are doing so in a far more targeted way because they understand that leaving their vacancies to populate job boards is detrimental to their employer brands and future hiring prospects.

My suggestion to candidates who are looking to maximise their career moves over the next couple of years at least, is to mirror this approach and seek specialist support, similar to what we can provide, to enable them to hunt out the hiring organisations that offer the skills development and progression that keeps their career on the upward curve.  

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