BOSTON, July 12, 2012 — Recruiting is changing, rapidly. The importance of having an online presence grows every day. This is especially true in advertising and creative.
Vitamin T, a division of Aquent, caters exclusively to the needs of ad agencies, mid-sized companies and digital creatives.
There is a history, a reputation behind the brand but Vitamin T is carving out a different path. They are personable, accessible and in a time of social media they know how to communicate.
Two minutes in to a conversation with Kelly Moeller, Manager of Vitamin T Boston, I could see why they were creating a buzz. She is fun and engaging. You can tell that she loves what she does, knows the industry well and it translates to what Vitamin T does for their clients.
Moeller gave her insight in to what makes Vitamin T unique, what job seekers should be doing and a couple great examples of job seekers finding ways to get noticed.
How has recruiting changed in recent years?
We went form one dimensional conversation (Fax a resume, send it in the mail) to where we are now. By the way, I had a resume come in the mail today for the first time in a year.
Now, I can find out things in two minutes about people. Be diligent about creating a brand. Be proactive.
I gave a talk at a UX conference about a web portfolio. If you are a hiring manager and narrow it to ten from 5 from 500. What are the deciding factors? Think like a hiring manager. The whole concept of brand really resonated with people.
Does your brand have continuity? Does it match up on all the channels? I went through an exercise with my sister. She thought she would be a CEO upon graduation. She didn’t have a LinkedIn. I may have strongly worded to my sister “What do you mean you don’t have a LinkedIn” and told her to get a brand put together.
Why is an online presence important?
Another thing I ask when I’m talking to talent is have they looked at who they are competing against. So many awesome powerful tools out there. Dribbble is big right now.
Do you scope out people, go to portfolio sites, pull other portfolios of competitors? There are only a finite number of opportunities. Especially if you are in web. You have to have a website. Why are you sending me a PDF if you are a web designer?
It’s an undertaking to think of yourself as a brand. It’s intimidating. One tool I recommend is Twitter. Especially if you are in an innovative field. You get the opportunity to follow Jeffrey Zeldman, godfather of HTML. Awesome opportunity.
People see that you are engaging in these conversations and then they want to engage with you. This buzz helps push the concept of your brand because you are living in breathing in that space.
Finding balance is difficult. Finding balance between that first and third dimension. Sometimes you can over-do-it. When I look at someone I want to know in 15 seconds if you can help my organization.
Personality is a huge part of the equation. In smaller companies environmental fits are important. Our clients want something that spurs the creative part of their brain. They have to feel like they are contributing, creating.
What is an important thing to remember for companies and job seekers?
Life is a conversation. From day one to the final day. It’s a very long conversation. Understand what your competitors are doing. It’s valuable intelligence for companies when doing retention. How are our benefits compared to our competitors? What is our pay like?
If you are not in the know you are falling behind. There is opportunity to understand the great world. Start-ups are so cool to watch. Am I going to quit and work there, no, but I will engage with one at a networking event.
Totally cliche but knowledge is power. Know your industry. It will give you an edge. Networking is key.
What is the process at Vitamin T? Explain what you do.
So I’m a little biased. I came to this company three years ago. We have an office in every major metro market. 25 offices.
We work with creatives. There is no better job. We work with people that design and build the things I love. Someone I work with probably built the iPhone app I have. Talent that worked with me worked on Wendy’s new interactive drive-thru boards.
The coolest part is that we are engaging with companies at the cutting edge of technology. Start-ups, bio-tech, online app and development tools. Something my nieces may engage with will probably be built by someone who works with Vitamin T.
We are so deeply embedded in the community in Boston. We have beers with these people. We are a giant, fun family and get to be part of the conversation. We have an event coming up about HTML and HTML5. Something so young and new and exciting.
We get to be our own brand. If you go to our website, you can get to know how I am. We are encouraged to be innovative. We are encouraged to help people find their dream job. People when they talk to me always feel like they know me. It creates this familiar and warm conversation out of the gate.
Add that dimension to your web presence. Put that picture up of you hiking that mountain.
One of my clients got a job because they showcased that they brewed their own beer. Manager said we should talk.
The best example I have for job seekers is a dear friend wanted to get in to Arnold. Great advertising agency. Could not get any traction. WHEN A RESUME JUST ISN’T CUTTING IT she did more.
She put the Arnold logo on a piece of foam core. Took the brand on a date. Went to a movie. Had some wine. Spun around in eachother’s arms…
Jeff Barrett is a recognized leader in public relations, experiential marketing and social media. Co-Founder of Status Creative, 2011 PRNewswire Award Winner for “Best Use of Video In Social Media” and record holder for Most Strikeouts in Tee-Ball.
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