Weekly Employment Bulletin

Agencies Dream of Hip Media Directors with Years on the Job
Posted: 2.21.2005

A gap in expectations and common experience has some agencies struggling to find their next generation of media directors, while seasoned professionals are being passed over for the jobs.

"Agencies are interested in up-and-comers because those candidates are more likely to have more experience with new and online media vehicles, vs. someone who came up through the ranks before those options were in the media mix," explained Amy Hoover, vice president of Talent Zoo.

As a result, some agencies are opting for candidates with fewer total years of experience than are usually required for senior-level positions.

At least, that is how it looks from the hiring side. But David Smith, CEO of Mediasmith Inc. in San Francisco, says some of that may simply be "When I Was Your Age" syndrome.

"There's always a perception among senior people that the junior people don't have enough experience," he said. "These senior people forget how young they were when they were ready to take on a senior-level position, and how much they knew."

Smith said his company, which has essentially doubled its staff in the past eight months, just hired a third media director. "We were just talking this morning about the quality of people that we have brought in. The people are out there, and there seem to be good people looking for jobs," he said.

"If agencies are having trouble recruiting, maybe they need to polish their image a little bit."

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