August 2019 Blogs

Every month, we take time out to get to know one of our superstar recruiters a little better. This time, we sat down for a catch up with Andrew Midgley to find out more about his Henry Nicholas experience, and discover what marketing and PR candidates and clients are looking for today.  Andy is a senior consultant placing marketing and PR candidates with agencies across the south of England. He is also the exclusive recruiter for a Bristol-based charity. He has been part of the HN team for 7 years.  Hi Andy. Thanks for chatting with us today. Can you start by telling us about your role?  I’m a Senior Recruitment Consultant, mainly working across Wiltshire, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire with marketing and PR agencies. I also work with a science-related charity here in Bristol. My role mainly consists of managing client and candidate relationships, advertising roles, and maintaining and building my network. I have been doing this for nearly eight years, so I know a lot of people in the industry!  What are some of the common roles you recruit for?  A key focus of mine is placing client services roles for agencies, so that could be, Senior Account Directors, Account Directors, Account Managers, and Account Executives. Then there are the roles on the creative and technical side, including, Digital Project Managers, Designers, Developers, people like that. A lot of my clients are working with big tech companies, so it can be focused on candidates with experience in that niche.  Can you tell us about your career journey so far?  Well, I went to Bristol Uni and did a drama degree. I originally wanted to be an actor, and then went on to do a cameraman internship at Granada studios – I’m originally from up north. That didn’t work out, so I decided to head back to Bristol and sort of fell into recruiting.  My first role in recruiting was working in a huge firm and it had a very intense atmosphere that wasn’t really my thing. I knew Tony Allen, he was a good friend from uni, and I asked him if I could come and work at Henry Nicholas. He thought it would be weird to be my manager! When a position opened up in another part of the business, it was perfect timing. I haven’t looked back!  What are candidates looking for in a role at the moment?  It’s more and more about company environment for candidates, they want flexibility and the opportunity to work remotely. In my industry, people are also often interested in working for an established company, so a lot of it comes down to client reputation as well as the type of brands they work with. I do a lot of work with agencies in B2B tech marketing and although it’s not everybody’s thing, some candidates love it. One factor for junior candidates is finding a role where they can get a wide experience across a number of areas. It is quite easy to get pigeonholed at an early stage if you’re not careful.  What about clients? What do they want from candidates?  Most of my clients want someone with agency experience, they are also looking for relevant sector and campaign experience. Many of my clients are integrated, this means they wouldn’t be happy with just a social media specialist or someone who can just do video production – they want generalists who have experience delivering first-class campaigns across the full marketing mix.  What do you love about working for Henry Nicholas?  I really like the atmosphere. I love that everyone gets on and that, even though we are all quite different, we all have areas of interests that overlap. I like that we are a close group and tend to go out for a drink on a Friday night! What do you get up to in your downtime?  At the moment, DIY. My girlfriend and I just bought a house, so most of my time is spent on that right now. Aside from that, I love football, and I support Leeds United in a big way. I also like socialising and going to gigs; I should probably get some proper hobbies!  Thanks for speaking with us Andy! Looking for your next marketing or PR challenge? Or ready to find the talented candidates you need to grow your agency team? Drop Andy a line. You can connect with him on LinkedIn or by email at a.midgley@henrynicholas.co.uk. 

Jess Ashley explores how Fintech is powering the capital’s jobs market.  In July, Fintech professionals and experts from around the globe came together in London for Fintech Week 2019. This gathering of the best and brightest in an ever-growing industry saw more than 2000 attendees flock to the capital – a reflection of just how quickly the sector has grown since the first Fintech start-ups began to appear in around 2015.  London has become a major hub for these organisations, who combine financial products with the latest tech, such as Blockchain, to change the way consumers and businesses interact with financial products. It is likely to soon rival San Francisco as a home for Fintech ‘Unicorns’ – privately held start-ups valued in excess of $1 billion. It’s a sector that is also seeing significant investment from ‘traditional’ banks and financial institutions as they compete to remain relevant in the future of finance. Start-up competition is disrupting the market with accessible consumer-focused tech, and established financial organisations are turning to Fintech to ensure they can offer the same seamless experience.   But what does this mean for the London jobs market?  In April 2019, Finextra reported a 61% rise in jobs in the Fintech space in London. These fast-paced and fast-growing businesses need talented people to scale up with them, and it’s not just tech roles that are on the rise. We are also experiencing a boom in marketing and PR roles, as start-ups race to ensure that they have the communication skills on hand to shout about the amazing work they are doing.  These newly created roles represent an exciting opportunity for marketing professionals to be part of a rapidly evolving industry. If you’re looking for a challenging and ever-changing role, then this is the perfect sector to focus on. In terms of skills, you need to be highly adaptable, creative, bold, and able to hit the ground running, to make your mark in Fintech.  I’m also seeing a rise in data-focused marketing and digital roles within the Fintech space, particularly in CRM (Customer Relationship Management). The use of data to segment and target key audiences is a vital marketing tool in an industry that is driven by advances in data processing and tech.  If you're looking for your next role in Fintech, or you’re searching for people who could be your next Fintech superstars, Henry Nicholas can help. Drop me a line at j.ashley@henrynicholas.co.uk or get in touch on LinkedIn to talk marketing, digital, PR, CRM, data, or creative talent.   

Make sure your first impression counts with our Digital Marketing Agency interview tips.  Digital marketing experts are in high demand as more and more brands shift their budgets away from traditional marketing into the digital space. But having sought-after expertise doesn’t make the interview process any less daunting. What if you say the wrong thing? Or forget the answer to an important question? How do you make sure you are a candidate who gets remembered for all the right reasons? First of all, breathe – you wouldn’t have this interview if you didn’t deserve to be in the mix. Now, spend some time preparing to succeed, acing an agency interview is about demonstrating both experience and value. We have brought together 5 tips to ensure you impress on the day, below.  1. Do Your Research Every agency has a different ethos and specialism. It’s vital that you understand the brand and business before you step in the interview room. Research their website, projects they have been involved in, even how they leverage their social media. If you’re comfortable with who they are and what they stand for, it will be much easier for you to demonstrate how you could fit into their team. It’s also worth taking the time to get to know who your interviewer/s is/are and their industry background – doing your homework can be a great way to stand out from the crowd. 2. Demonstrate Experience (With Examples) Agency interviews are often focused on your portfolio of past work, this means you have to be prepared to highlight key examples and discuss past projects. Focus on the projects where you can discuss the skills most relevant to the role you are interviewing for and spend some time thinking about how you can communicate key examples. You could even run through some scenarios with a colleague or friend to help you better understand how to vocalise your thoughts. Remember to show enthusiasm and passion for the work you have been involved in – agencies are looking for candidates who can offer more than a skills match on paper, they want someone who really cares about what they do.   3. Focus on Results  It’s important that you are able to connect your experience and expertise with tangible results. How did a campaign you were a part of impact monthly sales figures or visits to a website? Can you share some positive feedback from a client? This connection between what you have delivered and meaningful results is something that many candidates overlook and it can help to make you a memorable interviewee.  4. Showcase Creative Thought Most digital marketing roles require creative thinking, even if the role you are going for is not a directly creative one. This can be a difficult thing to demonstrate in an interview but one way to approach it is to prepare some examples of times when you thought outside the brief – when you approached a problem or project in an unexpected or creative way to achieve a goal. These examples can be invaluable in showing off your creative mindset.  5. Get The Basics Right You may be the most talented digital marketing professional in the world, but if you overlook basic interview etiquette then you are unlikely to be a contender for the role. Show up on time (or ideally a little early), dress smartly and appropriately for the role, and shake hands with everyone before the interview begins. Maintain appropriate eye contact and thank everyone involved for their time before you leave. It may also be sensible to send a short follow-up email thanking your interviewer/s for meeting with you.  Looking for your next digital marketing or agency role? Get in touch with consultant Jess Ashley to talk about your next big move. Contact her via email at j.ashley@henrynicholas.co.uk or through LinkedIn.

Every month, we take some time out with one of our talented recruiters to find out what makes them tick. This time we sat down with Jess Ashley to talk about her Henry Nicholas journey so far, and why culture is a key draw for clients and candidates right now.  Jess is a specialist marketing, digital, PR, and creative recruitment consultant focused on the London market. She has been part of the Henry Nicholas team since April 2019. Hi Jess! It’s lovely to catch up with you. Can you tell us about your career journey so far?  I graduated two years ago and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I had some friends who were working in recruitment and it sounded like an interesting challenge. I started out at a recruitment business in September 2018 doing marketing mix recruitment – PR, digital, creative – those sorts of roles. I joined Henry Nicholas in April 2019, and now head up their in-house marketing team for recruitment in the London area.   Do you enjoy working in recruitment?  Yes, I think because my degree is in English and Drama, I am quite a creative person, and recruitment allows me to use some of that creativity. It’s also a space where you are always learning. While the role stays the same, there is always a new role, client, or specialism to get to grips with. Marketing, especially, is always evolving – there is always something new to learn! What types of roles are you placing at Henry Nicholas?  I’m focused on in-house roles in London in the creative, marketing, PR, and digital space. So, that could be anything from Marketing Assistant up to Head of Marketing or Head of Digital and PR Manager. I’ve also placed quite a few Customer Relationship Management (CRM) roles recently – I’ve seen a real rise in data-driven roles.  That’s interesting – why do you think roles have become more data-focused?  The marketing world has become a lot more data-focused in the last few years. The use of data analytics and looking at customer data in order to segment and target key markets has become a hugely popular way of getting your voice heard by the right people. Organisations are looking for specialists who can run these types of analysis and optimise their campaigns.  What are candidates looking for in a role at the moment?  Salaries and benefits are always going to be important, but I think overall culture is also a really key part of candidate attraction at the moment. More and more people are stressing that the environment they work in is important to them. Flexibility is another big one, if clients are able to offer some sort of flexibility, it can make a role very attractive. Career progression is something that is also a big draw, particularly for junior roles – people want to know if they will have the chance to grow and develop within a business.  How about clients? What are they looking for in candidates?  Similarly, clients want someone who is going to be the right fit, not only from a skills point of view but in terms of culture. They want the right type of person, someone who is going to be a good addition to their team. For senior roles, they are looking for people with the confidence and skills to inspire the people around them. We are also seeing lots of booming startups here in London, particularly in tech and Fintech, who are looking for candidates who are incredibly driven and can hit the ground running.  Why do you think clients and candidates should choose Henry Nicholas?  We definitely approach our candidates with care and we really want to know what drives them and what type of person they are. It’s not just about putting someone in a job because they have the necessary skills. It’s about getting to grips with what they are after in the short and long term, to make sure we are connecting them with the right opportunities. It’s really satisfying when you put the right person into a business and they come back to us down the line as a client.  Finally, what do you love about working at Henry Nicholas?  Everyone here is really, really lovely, really easy to get along with. It’s a great work culture, we have an autonomous approach to recruitment that never feels heavily target driven like other agencies – you have room to breathe. So far, I’ve loved getting to know our client’s businesses and getting to know what makes them tick. From a candidate side, placing someone in a role and seeing them excel is a lovely feeling.  Thanks so much for taking the time out to talk with us, Jess.  If you’re searching for in-house marketing, digital, PR, CRM, data or creative recruitment candidates, or you're looking for your next big move in the industry, speak to Jess. You can connect with her by email at j.ashley@henrynicholas.co.uk or on LinkedIn.  .