News

What’s the market like?

It’s the burning question on everyone’s lips. In regular times, a recruiter will hear that question multiple times a day. Throw in a global pandemic and people are ten times more curious about the state of play.  They are almost fearful asking it as most expect the worst in reply. And with unemployment set to rise to 10% you can understand the trepidation.

Well I am pleased to say that the market in the senior HR space is okay.    It’s not as buoyant as pre-Covid days, but it’s not dire. In fact, the market at this level tends to be relatively stable year-round.  With our size market, roles at the senior end are never abundant and duly impacted by the pyramid factor i.e. less jobs the more senior you become.   Of course, Covid 19 has had an impact. Early on there was an immediate pause on roles whilst businesses dealt with managing the crisis and took stock of the impact on their bottom line. Many businesses have been adversely impacted by the crisis and people have been displaced through no fault of their own.  But, the vast majority of organisations are navigating through, adjusting where they need to and getting on with business. Some are even thriving. And it’s important to remember that HR has been front and centre throughout this whole ordeal.  Advising, planning and facilitating new ways of working, managing risk, wellbeing and thinking about future workforce impacts.  Many HR folk have leaned in, stepped up and as most would say “never worked harder”. But it has also highlighted gaps or lack of capability in the function and leaders have had to make courageous decisions to seek out new talent required.  Hence, we are still seeing demand for highly competent, commercial, agile HR professionals.  

Whilst the good news is that opportunities still exist out there, it is more competitive than ever. Over time organisations have also gained greater clarity on what they are seeking (or not seeking) so briefs are specific and based on a range of factors:  maturity of business; regulatory impacts; nature of organisational change; credibility of existing HR function; perspective of CEO; aspirations of the business – to name but a few. Specialist roles are often seeking deeper expertise in their field but at the same time, increased breadth and the ability to collaborate across disciplines. 

The important question should be less about what’s the market like and rather – what do I need to do to be relevant, competitive and stand out in this market? What is my compelling proposition? What can I do that other HR folk can’t or don’t. Where have I really added value in the businesses I have worked?  There is nothing wrong with being open and flexible with regards to your preferences, but know your offering.  What can you leverage that organisations will want to buy in? 

How then to find the jobs that are out there? Don’t base the market buoyancy on advertised jobs .  That typically reflects the junior to mid level.  You need to align yourself with experts in your field, (like Tandem Partners). Do they have a track record recruiting at your level and in your field?  You’ll need to talk to more than one recruiting partner as no single firm owns the space.  Leverage that network you have developed over many years. Reach out to any alumni you have as people that know you, trust you and can often recommend you to their network. By all means gather market intel and then ensure you are best placed to compete.

Remember at the end of the day you can’t control the market (none of us can).  But you can control how you present yourself in it.  That’s worth focusing on! 

Angela Horkings