The outlook for graduate jobs and sales jobs in 2010 looks bright

Many people believe the outlook for recruitment next year is far brighter than it has been for 2009, according to industry thought-leaders.

The economic downturn has caused problems for both graduate recruitment agencies and sales recruitment agencies over the past 18 months.

Now professionals working in recruitment across a range of industries have expressed their optimism in a recent online discussion.

The topic on social networking site LinkedIn asked recruiters their thoughts and feelings on what was in store for the New Year; the post received an almost unanimous vote of confidence.

One of the earliest signs that the economy was impacting negatively on the recruitment industry was a drop in the number of marketing and sales jobs last year. Now the signs for 2010 have become more positive, with the number of sales recruitment adverts on the rise.

A sales trainer for a multinational company said: “The future looks healthier for 2010 certainly, with recent news revealing that permanent jobs are at a 28 month high for November 2009. I think also that there will be a lot more movement [in our industry] with a strong war ensuing for talented recruiters."

"This means next year will see a lot of recruitment firms attacking the market with renewed energy," he added. "With many recruiters looking to change jobs, 2010 could be the year that brings home the importance to many businesses of their human capital.”

This comes just days after Vodafone announced a graduate recruitment drive for 2010 that will see 50 graduates employed in September.

Sales and marketing adapts to new business environment

I was at a networking evening last night when I was passed a recent survey revealing that people in marketing and sales jobs are adapting their methods, products and services in the wake of the economic recession.  We are certainly seeing our clients adapt strategies and using innovative ways to generate new business and increase profits. 

The latest Marketing Trends survey published by Chartered Insititute of Marketing (CIM) at the start of this month. Conducted for the insitute by Ipsos Mori, the Autumn 2009 edition reveals how people working on the frontline of marketing and sales jobs view the prospects for the economy and their own businesses.

As well as revealing a growing optimism throughout the sector, the survey indicated that people in sales jobs are well aware that their organisations need to adapt in order to prosper in the changing environment of the UK market post-recession.

The most fundamental sign of this recognition was in the participants outlook on customer spending behaviour. 72% of those surveyed that since late 2007, customer behaviour and spending patterns have fundamentally shifted. For many sales professionals, this has required their companies to change their products and services since the last survey. 53% said that their company have changed their products and services because of the effects of the recession.

Opportunities have also been opened up by the economic downturn, according to some 36% of those surveyed. The small increase from 28% in the spring 2009 survey could indicate that a growing number of companies are realising that new sales training and product re-evaluation could benefit their business.

David Thorp, director of research and professional development at CIMM:"It’s good to see that marketers are responding to customer needs by changing their products and services. For now, marketers are wisely concentrating their spend in the most effective activities, and still see the need to invest in training. As we move into the New Year, I’m convinced this more professional approach will stand them in good stead when the economy fully recovers."

In addition the survey revealed that those in marketing and sales jobs have clear ideas about where investment could go to increase sales. 77% of those participating in the survey believed that Customer Relationship Management (CRM) offered the best R.O.I, suggesting that a more widespread implementation of sales training incorporating CRM methods could be beneficial to sales.
   
Trends within the sales and marketing sectors are looking towards a continued movement in new adapting new development and sales training stratgies which Pareto has been helping its customers across the UK get ready for 2010.

New, confident year for sales and marketing jobs

Confidence is definately coming back to the economy and we are seeing this come across when speak to our long standing and new clients.  Many clients are very starting to look to the prospects of 2010 and we seeing a good level of interest in sale training courses.

This has been backed up by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) who described an optimistic outlook across sales and marketing with its latest Marketing Trends Survey. The ninth such survey, the autumn 2009 report shows that levels of optimism have increased dramatically since last year's low point.

The CIM says that this outlook demonstrates how initial signs of optimism seen in the previous survey have been consolidated by the events of the past six month. Out of the companies surveyed, many report that they have increased sales and marketing spends whilst reducing their redundancy levels over the last half of 2009.

Marketing's bleakest hour was in autumn 2008. Then, just 11% of those surveyed expected economic conditions to improve. However sentiments have continued to brighten throughout 2009, with the number of people expecting conditions to worsen halving from 70% to 34% by spring. Now, levels of pessimism have dropped to a mere 12% and over half of all surveyed expect the economy to improve (51%).

UK marketers and sales professionals have also become more positive about the business prospects of their own organisations. In the 2008 survey for autumn, nearly as many were pessimistic (27%) as were optimistic (29%). In 2009, this has changed significantly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 51% are confident that their business will improve over the next year - the same amount as are optimistic about the economy. Only 16% expect that their business will get worse.

Although the CIM says that the industry's outlook has yet to reach the same levels of confidence seen prior to the recession, a recovery in market confidence is a welcome sign for sales recruitment. CIM's director of research and professional development, David Thorp said "2010 will certainly be an interesting year for marketers, with the continuing uncertainty about an economic recovery, the UK general election and an ever-growing presence of digital and social media."

Sales training 'most important task' for managers

We have been taking to with some of our sales training clients regarding a new concept around sales training for marketing teams.  Everyone who has contact with customers within an organisation is a sales person in some shape or form from the receptionist who greet customers at the front desk to the marketing team.

The marketing team of any company is in most cases the first point of contact for most customers.  Therefore managers of marketing teams should be focusing on increasing skills through sales training.

We have been talking to some of our clients regarding this and have had some fantastic results and outcomes for them and their marketing teams.

Whilst researching this I was also interested in a recent blog entry on one of the many blogs I follow by Paul Newsom, follow him he is very good and has some fantastic views.

Paul Newsom wrote for BusinessBlogs that, although managers have many different responsibilities, such as hiring, planning, reporting, admin and motivating staff, sales training is one of the most important.

Mr Newsom also advised that directors maintain continuous sales development courses for employees to ensure that skills are not neglected, while reinforcing training is the key to making it work.

"Sustained coaching is vital to derive the benefit and value of most sales training and help the team to apply the knowledge and use the tools they have learned in the class room," he explained.

I was also motivated by the The Forum of Private Business who recently called upon the government to provide greater funding for sales training providers to boost firms' profits as the upturn comes.

The group believes that there are currently not enough opportunities for companies to take advantage of high-quality training.

I passionately believe that sales training could help get UK business improving sales and back on track for 2010.  Plus by extending communication and sales training to the marketing department would provide a more connected process, wouldn't that be fantastic, watch this space...

 

Employment is on the rise within the sales sector

Sales Sector News

Employment is rising after months of decline in the jobs market, according to new statistics. Figures released by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that the proportion of British employers currently operating a freeze on recruitment stands at 37 per cent, whereas the percentage recorded at the beginning of summer was 61 per cent.

However, an increased number of jobs which are going to be made available include sales jobs but are likely to be part time positions, as firms adjust to the economic circumstances. Though the economy is said to improve more after Christmas, therefore making more jobs available within sales development and many other sectors.

The study was carried out in partnership with Harvey Nash and also found that approximately half of all employers in the UK are continuing to freeze pay rates, with only four per cent set to introduce rises above the rate of inflation.

CBI's deputy director general, John Cridland said: "The worst of the recession may be over but firms remain ultra cautious about increasing pay. Market conditions continue to be very tough and growth in 2010 will be feeble, so pay is going to be squeezed for some time to come."

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) also reported at the same time, that public sector wages are still higher than those in the private sector.

Slowdown of Ad spend decline good news for Sales Jobs

Ever since the economic recession, marketing budgets for advertising have been shrinking. But a new report from Nielsen says that this decline has consistently slowed down over the last year.
In what is sure to be good news for anyone working in sales jobs, Nielsen reports that in September 2009 total advertising expenditure was down 10% year-on-year, whereas in May 2009 the figure was 16% year-on-year.
Retail sales jobs in branded products were the most affected by the recession. Whilst supermarkets and other retailers of basic goods engaged in price and advertising wars to promote their budget ranges and increase sales, brand advertisers tended to reduce their advertising.
Nielsen reports that in the first twelve months of the recession (July 2008 to June 2009) all but two manufacturers chose to reduce media budgets by between 6% and 66%. Audi and Seat were the only two manufacturers who maintained their advertising spend.
Conversely, ASDA increased its average ad spend by 40% during the same period.
One of the most significant increases in advertising spends however was the Government's Central Office of Information (COI). The COI increased its advertising spend by 33%, using marketing to promote public services and information rather to increase sales. It ran awareness campaigns on the HPV vaccine for young girls, the spread of swine flu, and the dangers of smoking and drinking.
The slowdown of decline in the marketing industry may eventually offer a boost to the graduate jobs market. Marketing and advertising once provided graduate recruitment schemes that attracted students from a range of academic disciplines, offering them the opportunity to put their studies to work in sales jobs as well as acquire valuable sales training.

Recruitment agencies will help graduate job competitive market

Students who are now starting to apply for next year's graduate training programmes will find it a very competitive market, though recruitment agencies can help. Some graduate schemes are hard to get into, as graduates are having to face assessments before gaining employment. Most programmes are offering timed aptitude tests, numerical tests, psychometric tests, competency based interviews and even residential assessment centres where group exercised and presentations occur.

Some graduates however, are lucky. A Loughborough University computing and management graduate, Matt Tasker said: "It is a long, hard process but you just have to keep going at it. I applied to around seven schemes and so, for a time, in the flat I was sharing with four others, there were a lot of phone interviews going on. We used to put a sign up on the door saying 'phone interview, do not disturb.'"

When leaving university, people have to be persistent by applying to a variety of programmes rather than just one or two. Using agencies will help graduates more than going it alone, though doing both will ensure maximum effort is being made on the graduates part.

Next year will be extremely competitive next year, despite the improving economic state, final year students will be up against last years unsuccessful graduates as well as peers in their own year.
John Morewood, senior graduate recruitment development manager at HSBC said: "It will be competitive, in 2010 HSBC is expecting to take about 216 graduates on to its UK retail and investment banking graduate programmes. Normally, they attract about 20 applications for each place."

Employers may need new graduate recruitment strategy

We are finding that lots of our clients are looking at how, when and why they recruit graduates.  One area that is influencing this is the recent research into why graduates are choosing their place.

Graduate recruitment strategies aimed at getting Britain's best and brightest may need to change according to new research into student behaviour.

A survey conducted by the Higher Education Careers Service Unit (HECSU) has shown that the UK's top students are choosing their place of study on course reputation rather than the prestige of the university's name. The study has called the current system of ranking universities in to question.

The survey of 50,000 students was contained in stage one and two of the HECSU FutureTrack report. It revealed that some of the highest achieving students in some subjects are likely to be studying at what is commonly called a 'new' university, rather than one of the Russell Group Institutions.

The Russell Group is a colloboration of twenty UK universities. Sometimes referred to as the British equivalent of the American 'Ivy League', its members receive two-thirds of research grants and contract funding in the country. As well as Oxford and Cambridge, the group includes the Universities of Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Traditionally, these universities have been seen as attracting the best students and lecturers, and subsequently are a major focus for graduate employers. From sales jobs to the legal or medical professions, graduate recruitment is often targeted at these universities at the expense of less established, newer institutions.

HECSU's director of research, Jane Artess, called for employers to adapt to the research and expand where they look for graduate recruitment.  "It is known that many students choose where to study based on departmental or course reputation as much as university" she said. "But Futuretrack shows clearly where and why students with very high points enter 'new' universities and specialist Higher Education institutions as well as those places usually associated with top grades."
Artess also said that many high achievers may elect to study close to home, rather than study at a traditionally prestigious university at greater expense.

She said: "This strongly opposes current views by many employers that they can only find exceptional candidates from the Russell Group. This simply isn't the case."

"Employers should try and find out about the departments and courses they are interested in; the net should be cast much wider".