By Business Reporter
Monday, December 20, 2010
RECRUITMENT specialist The People Group has said that demand for senior sales and marketing employees is on the increase, despite the negative economic climate.
The Dublin-based recruitment firm, which deals mainly with companies in the consumer goods, financial services, IT and business-to-business sectors, said it is now seeing companies which “over-reacted” during late 2008 and 2009 by letting a lot of talented and experienced staff go, quietly trying to boost their ranks with an expectation of growth.
“While we have seen a 25% reduction in the number of clients doing business with us this year, we have recorded a 40% increase in the number of roles we are dealing with compared to 2009,” according to The People Group managing director, Colm Buckley. “We are doing more with fewer clients and dealing with more senior roles this year than last.”
In an end-of-year analysis, Mr Buckley said companies who outsourced important functions such as sales at the start of the downturn are now finding to their cost that they also outsourced their customer relationships and hard-fought reputation.
“Businesses that have survived and that are looking to grow in 2011 are taking a hard look at costs, but are also prioritising getting close to their customers again.
“There is a new realisation that quality of service and professionalism are key ingredients to successful business in the next year.”
He added that the larger brands, both indigenous and global, are being strategic and are seeking talent with a medium-to-long-term view.
“More attention is being given to succession planning, when it comes to hiring for middle to senior level roles.
“We have dealt with a number of large companies in Ireland who are finding it difficult to hire the right type of candidate who can fit with their culture and develop up through the ranks.
“Academic qualifications and experience are taken for granted and are not enough for these companies.”
This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Monday, December 20, 2010
