Why are great marketers changing jobs in 2019? Well, how long is a piece of string? Is there a suggestion that marketers have unique motivators beyond the standard reasons for moves throughout a career? If you are a marketer considering your next move, knowing a bit about what your comrades in the field are up to is interesting.
One of the biggest trends is individuals seeking to complement their consumer focus (B2C) with a business focus (B2B), essentially getting into B2B where they’ve been predominately or wholly B2C.
As a great marketing professional, progressing through ranks and looking at new industry moves over time while honing both skills will be invaluable. Given the established tech landscape in Dublin, there’s always a need for good B2B experience, of which there tends to be a shortfall. So, if presented with the opportunity to take a promotion or lateral move that offers a B2B remit, my advice is to grab it. It’s a winning injection to your CV.
Next on the list is moving strategically in order to access and learn about new and different technologies and tools. If you’ve been working with a particular CRM such as Salesforce but another company is bedded in with HubSpot for example, you may have a challenge on your hands if your main competition at interview has in fact been using HubSpot these last three years. They’ve been developing flows and campaigns day in and day out until it has become second nature to them. So, all other things being equal, the hiring manager may make the more obvious choice.
If an offer comes your way to join a new team or organisation that operates with new or different systems and tools, consider it very carefully. You will add massive value to your CV and you will soon be boasting a multitude of CRMs, analytics, research or other software tools.
People management is another great motivator to switch marketing jobs. As careers develop and deepen, a lack of people management skills can be the deal breaker, precluding your suitability for a senior role even when everything else fits like a glove. If there’s a role that ticks a few boxes and you’re on the fence, but it comes with an existing direct report, team, or hiring potential, think long and hard about what a great opportunity it can be for you. It could make the difference to future success.
It’s interesting contextualising this advice within the bigger picture of people making very regular moves now, which is what we’re seeing. It is fine and acceptable and almost expected to move at a frequency. Gone are the days of 7-10 years of ‘lifer’ tenures being the best way. The shorter tenure is very often suiting both individual and company, like for like. People are human. We change. The world changes. It’s a guaranteed concept – everything must change. It’s inevitable and it’s good. In fact, it’s vital.
So, go out and throw your name in the hat to take on a different challenge. Move on to something new. Be bold and brave, give it all you’ve got. Join a company to add and sew and reap value by your hard work. And then, when you’ve completed a few cycles or calendar years or product iterations, step back and evaluate a successful job done with integrity and positive impact. And move on to something new! It’s wonderfully freeing to know this is fine and no longer frowned upon. It’s not ‘job hopping’. It’s an intelligent, strategic, value-led career plan.
Interested in ticking off one of these reasons to move? Call me at +353 1 632 5043 or email me at louise.oreilly@recruiters.ie. I’ll do my best to help.
Louise O’Reilly is an associate principal marketing recruitment consultant at RECRUITERS.
