They say there are two sides to every story and never has this been truer than in today’s job market. While we constantly hear about industry-wide skills gaps sweeping the UK, stories about candidates going above and beyond to secure a job continue to emerge, leading us to question just how candidate-led the market really is right now. Just last month, University of Gloucester graduate Jade Delaney saw her bid to secure a work placement go viral when she painted herself gold to emulate Wall Street’s ‘Fearless Girl’ statue before parking herself outside of McCann Bristol's office. The stunt worked, with Jade offered a one-month trial placement there as a creative. Asked about her successful stunt, Jade said: “There aren’t really any advertising jobs. They come up and then go the same day. I don’t know what role I want, so I wanted a placement to try different roles, I need to find an agency that fits me – I can’t just rock up and say, ‘give me a job’.” Jade isn’t the only one who’s gone above and beyond to get noticed. Back in March, Anastasia Glover caught the attention of a recruiter (and the world’s press) with her grime rap that detailed her struggles landing a marketing job after full-time education. Texan Chase Zreet successfully applied to work for Sprite through marketing agency Wieden + Kennedy with a love rap about the drink. And then there’s Adam Pacitti who famously spent the last of his money on a billboard appealing for someone to give him a job. After going viral, Adam received 60 job offers and ended up taking a role at marketing agency KEO Digital. All of these innovative job seekers have one thing in common; they’re fresh out of education and lack experience. So, despite the skills gaps, it seems that employers are still looking for the holy grail of a creative and driven graduate who also possesses work experience. Students are encouraged to explore work placements while they’re at university, but it’s not always financially viable, especially when a high number of those opportunities are unpaid. So, what’s the solution? Here are our top tips for graduates who lack work experience but want to bag that all-important first role that will kick-start their career. Highlight ALL of your skills It might sound obvious, but you’ll have accrued more workplace skills than you think while studying. IT, communication, administration, research and problem-solving skills are all valuable to employers. And remember, softer skills like professionalism and friendliness go a long way too. ​ Network If you can’t afford to take a free work placement, the next best thing is to get to networking events in your area that potential employers and recruiters will attend. Introducing yourself to key players and making a great first impression could help you get your foot in the door. Know the industry Get immersed in the latest industry news that affects your potential employers. Not only will this give you a better idea of the movers and shakers in the market, but this level of awareness will help you stand out from the competition in a face-to-face situation. The most important piece of advice is not to panic. Most professionals have been there themselves, so understand your situation. Impress them with your personality, drive and determination, and you’ll be sure to secure an opportunity in no time. In the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing an exclusive series of articles on LinkedIn that examine the agency career journey, from graduate to client services director, detailing exactly what professionals need to do to ensure they achieve continuous progression. Stay tuned for more information and in the meantime, speak to the Henry Nicholas team who can provide the help and guidance you need to further your career.

It’s no secret that the marketing industry has been caught up in an ongoing skills shortage in recent years. In March 2018, Marketing Week revealed the results of a survey of 8,405 UK students aged 18-24 with 51% saying marketing was ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ mentioned at their school with just 3% believing marketing offers a real career opportunity. It’s hard to believe that an industry that was so popular with young people just ten years ago is now one not widely considered as a serious and rewarding career option. So, what’s to blame? Marketing has undoubtedly changed exponentially over the years thanks to advancements in digital and easier access to data. Perhaps the most significant thing these advancements have enabled marketers to do is reach a bigger audience through an increased number of platforms. Great news for the marketer, but perhaps not for the audience that’s constantly bombarded with sales messages at every turn. In the article that accompanied its survey findings, Marketing Week stated the industry has to contend with a “perception problem among the younger generation that it is intrinsically linked with advertising, which Generation Z notoriously either distrust or dislike.” However, a lack of trust in brands from increased ad exposure isn’t the only reason young people aren’t considering a career in marketing. As the scope of marketing has grown, so too has the role of the marketer. While organisations still want professionals possessing the skills fundamental to the marketing function, they now want someone proficient in areas such social media, email marketing and data analysis along with a good understanding of data laws. CMO of OpenJaw Technologies Colin Lewis summed up the conundrum in an article for Marketing Week when he said: “If you were hiring a carpenter, would you expect them to be an expert at plastering, proficient at rewiring and competent at carpet-fitting? Even if someone were available with 100% of the skills needed to do the job, they’d be unlikely to apply for it, as there would be no development opportunity.” Then there’s the added fact that individuals possessing some of the skills demanded of marketers could land roles in more lucrative fields. Speaking to Campaign, senior brand manager of Coca-Cola Louise Maugest said: “We need more data savvy people, but a lot of them don’t even think about applying for marketing jobs and tend to go more towards programming, finance, consulting.” Not only is the expectation placed on marketers unrealistic, but it makes defining the role difficult. This uncertainty around marketing and precisely what it involves today is unlikely to attract young people to consider it as a legitimate profession. It’s for all of these reasons that marketing should consider giving itself a rebrand, with employers making more of an effort to help young people understand what a career in this field looks like, the (realistic) skills it requires and the real opportunities it can deliver. Whether this is achieved through offering marketing apprenticeship schemes or getting more involved with schools, colleges and universities, we’ll have to wait and see what the industry pulls out of the bag to secure that all-important young talent. What do you think it takes to attract young people to a career in marketing? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Alternatively, if you’re already sold on marketing, explore our latest roles today.

According to conversion experts Invesp, it costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one, yet 44% of companies have a greater focus on customer acquisition, with just 18% focused on retention. Walker Consulting predicts that the experience a customer receives will be the key differentiator for brand loyalty by 2020. The big question is, how do businesses measure the effectiveness of customer experience? A blog post from HubSpot recommends they follow the simple acronym OCCAM, which is: Outline goals and plan. Choose trigger or timing. Analyse the data. Make adjustments. Indeed, the data gained from customer satisfaction surveys goes a long way in helping organisations understand the success of their offering and are a vital tool in helping to improve processes and outputs. There are several satisfaction surveys that businesses can use to gain such data, including: Post-purchase. These surveys are sent to customers to measure the satisfaction of a product or service that's been purchased, covering all elements of the buying process from ordering to delivery. Market research. Surveys to existing customers to find out what they would like to see from your brand in the future, whether that's new products/services or changes to processes. Net Promoter Score. Used to find out how likely a customer is to recommend your brand to others. Customer satisfaction surveys can undoubtedly provide a plethora of data that can be used by businesses to fulfil an agenda of continuous improvement. We practice what we preach at Henry Nicholas and heavily rely on satisfaction surveys to ensure we keep improving and offering outstanding service. For example, we’ve listened and applied changes from feedback and now boast a candidate Net Promotor Score® of 78, which is considered by global NPS standards as 'world-class'. Here we take a look at some of the key benefits of these surveys and what they can help you achieve for your business. Identify the need for change As well as providing data on the general mood around your brand, satisfaction surveys can also help you to dig deep into each department to identify what’s working and what’s not, something that’s invaluable when it comes to long-term strategic planning. A tangible way to measure your efforts While analysing patterns in sales data can go a long way in establishing whether a product or service has been a success, hearing the thoughts and feelings of customers provides insights businesses wouldn’t previously have been exposed to. Customer comments, whether good or bad, offer the knowledge required to make significant decisions about processes, offerings and even how best to utilise your employees. Shows customers you care Giving customers the opportunity to have their say will go a long way in helping to drive customer loyalty through the perception that they’re valued. Additionally, providing you listen and act upon feedback, whether that’s fixing problems or offering incentives, customers will feel as though they’re getting more personalised service, something they have come to expect in today’s digital age. If you’re convinced by the power of customer satisfaction surveys and are ready to get started, take a look at the some of the best rated online survey tools of 2018, according to PC Magazine: Survey Gizmo GetFeedback Checkbox Survey SurveyMonkey FluidSurveys For more news and views on all things data and insights, stay tuned to the Henry Nicholas blog or explore some of the latest roles in this sector today.

Following a series of high profile cybersecurity breaches and system failures, including the headline-stealing WannaCry ransomware attack on the NHS and the more recent TSB system outages, organisations are being forced to up their game when it comes to protecting the data captured within their networks. Understandably, this has resulted in a substantial increase in demand for security professionals, with the salaries on offer higher than ever before. In this blog post, we explore some of the most sought-after cybersecurity roles in the tech industry right now and why. Data Protection Officer There’s a reason why Reuters referred to the data protection officer (DPO) as the ‘hottest ticket in town’. This relatively new role has risen to prominence in light of the GDPR which introduced a duty to appoint a DPO if you’re a public authority or carry out certain types of processing activities. In fact, according to a recent study by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) as many as 75,000 DPO positions will be created in response to the GDPR across the globe. A DPO is typically responsible for monitoring internal compliance, advising on data protection obligations and acting as a contact for supervisory authorities and data subjects. Penetration Tester Back in 2016, there was a distinct buzz around the emerging role of the penetration tester thanks to the growing security concerns around IoT and BYOD, coupled with increased web and cloud-based applications in businesses. Fast-forward to 2018 and the rise of ransomware means penetration testers (aka ethical hackers) are in high demand with organisations requiring their skills to probe and exploit any security vulnerabilities in applications, networks and systems. In an article for CSO, security columnist Roger A. Grimes referred to the role as ‘win-win’ stating: “If you hack in past the current defenses, you’ve given the client a chance to close the hole before an attacker discovers it. If you don’t find anything, your client is even happier because they now get to declare their product secure enough that even paid hackers couldn’t break into it.” Security Analyst Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggest that information security analyst jobs will increase by 28% by 2026. As threats to systems intensify, businesses require professionals to protect their valuable information from unauthorised access. Security analysts wade through metrics and data for any suspicious activity and mitigate risks before any breaches can occur. Public sector bodies and healthcare organisations, in particular, are increasingly on the lookout for analysts to work on the front line and lead efforts to counter any attacks that threaten their data and systems. For more insights into the technology job market, stay tuned to the Henry Nicholas blog or explore some of the latest roles in this sector today. ​