Bernhart Survey Shows Improved Outlook for Digital and Direct Marketing Employment

As reported by the major digital and direct marketing news media

Owatonna, MN, October 13, 2009 --With the drumbeat of layoffs diminishing only faintly, the latest Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report shows digital and direct marketers are poised in the current fourth quarter (Q4) to add to payrolls for the third consecutive quarter.

"Clearly, it remains a difficult job market in the digital and direct marketing industry, but the overall trend is definitely moving in an encouraging, positive direction," said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading digital and direct marketing recruiter who has been issuing quarterly direct marketing employment reports since 2001.

With 352 companies responding to a survey that was in the field from September 28 through October 12, here are the key findings:

• 30% of the respondents said they will add to staff during the remainder of 2009, up from 20% in the Q3 survey (July through September 2009).
• The percentage of companies planning layoffs was unchanged at 8%.
• Companies reporting hiring freezes spiked to 45%, compared with 30% in Q3.
• B-to-B marketers are more upbeat about Q4 job prospects with more planned hires and fewer layoffs-than their B-to-C counterparts

Bernhart attributed at least some of the jump in the anticipated Q4 hiring freeze index to seasonal variations. "We've seen this happen in our past fourth-quarter surveys when companies have held off on hiring decisions until after the holidays," he said. "That may have been exacerbated this last quarter by the recession's severity."

Most of the new hiring, Bernhart pointed out, is expected to take place on the services side with 41% of participating service providers reporting that they plan to add to staff in the last three months of 2009. Agencies were a close second at 39%, and client-side companies, at 18%, said they plan to make the fewest new hires. Among B-to-B direct marketers, 33% said they will hire during this final quarter, compared with 24% on the B-to-C side.

Despite the continuing surplus of job seekers, nearly 60% of companies responding to the survey said it was either "very difficult" or "somewhat difficult" to fill certain positions. Bernhart explained this apparent inconsistency with what he calls the "checkbox" syndrome. "Companies are looking for the perfect candidate, so what we're seeing here is an apparent inability to recruit applicants who meet each and every one of the required criteria needed to trigger a hire."

"Companies that made hiring mistakes in the past are now holding out until they feel highly confident that the candidate's personality and work style will complement the workplace," Bernhart continued. "To help measure that, many are putting candidates through a more extended interview process, including assessment tests. For example, I just had a candidate interview with eight different department heads within a single company. While that's a more extreme case, it gives you a sense for how important that aspect of the hiring process has become."

In addition, Bernhart observed, "Employers who laid-off workers are squeezing more work out of those who remain. This increased productivity is enabling companies to maintain or even boost output without having to add to headcount."

As for what specific positions will be in greatest demand by industry employers this holiday quarter, Bernhart said the list of job categories named was wide and varied--with analysts, sales, and account managers getting the most frequent mention.

Looking back on this year, Bernhart said the employment picture has brightened considerably since February 2009 when the numbers sank to record lows. "Economists are predicting that the overall U.S. unemployment rate will continue to climb into 2010," said Bernhart. "However, our survey is showing that, for online and offline direct marketers, it's possible we've bottomed out."

Still, Bernhart added, given the severity of the economic downturn, any rebound in digital and direct marketing jobs likely will be subdued as we move into 2010.

Bernhart Associates' fourth quarter survey was e-mailed to more than 8,500 senior executives, human resource officials, and other participants in online and offline direct marketing the week of September 28.

Bernhart noted that "Digital" has been added to the title of the quarterly survey to reflect the growth of digital media in the marketplace, as well as the increased number of Internet-based companies that have asked to participate.

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), in 2009, direct marketing advertising expenditures as a portion of total US advertising expenditures will grow to over 54%, and they will generate 8.3% of US GDP.

Results of past surveys can be found in the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Statistical Fact Book and on Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC's website.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Digital and Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an e-mail to survey@bernhart.com with "Opt-In" in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates' website.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

5 Solid tips for multichannel marketers looking for work in this economy

The following is a guest blog for widely followed direct marketing blogger Jim Gilbert of Gilbert Direct Marketing and columnist for All About ROI (formerly Catalog Success) Magazine.

Note from Jim Gilbert: Filling my virtual shoes this week, while I’m on vacation, is Jerry Bernhart, President of Bernhart Associates Executive Search and author of the Direct Marketing Employment Outlook Survey.

By Jerry Bernhart

For those of you actively looking for employment, let me offer a few things you can do to help you get that extra edge. I'm sure you've heard some of this in other places, but these are key points that are worth repeating.

Make sure your resume screams, "I can add value! I still see way too many resumes that are long on titles and descriptions but short on specific accomplishments and achievements. That always amazes me because metrics are an integral part of the direct marketing process, and yet on their resumes direct marketers often neglect to include what really matters most- quantifiable results. If you don't brag on your resume, no one else is going to do it for you. Be specific, quantify where possible, and use some choice action verbs to describe what you achieved. Companies have already taken steps to slash costs, so think more about what you've done to contribute to revenue growth such as acquiring and keeping new customers, new products, new market segments, how you've helped improve recency, frequency and monetary value, etc. Don't forget to make your resume keyword friendly. Use terms that are specific to your job or career objectives, and use them often.

Network more, visit job sites less. In the Spring 09 Bernhart Associates Employment Survey, we asked employers to identify their biggest source of new hires. Surprisingly, it was not internet job boards or career sections on company websites. It was referrals- referrals from employees, former employees, vendors and partners. In fact, referrals beat out job posting websites two-to-one. If you're spending most of your time on job sites, you need to start shifting that to your network. If you've already exhausted your network, add to it. Think of all the vendors your past employers have had relationships with. Reach out to them. Even the vendors have vendors. Many of my best clients are companies I first contacted out of the blue. I didn't wait for a job posting to appear. Of course, you have to do your homework and company websites have never made that job easier.

For individual contributor positions, play up your strength in project management. Companies that are hiring right now have a much greater need for indians rather than chiefs. They still have campaigns to get out the door with sometimes very limited resources, and it seems every employer I talk to tells me how they want someone who can "roll up their sleeves" and be "hands on". So, be prepared to talk about the successful projects you've managed, and how you delivered them on time and within budget.

Get references and put them on LinkedIn. I really like it when a candidate I don't know about says he has references I can check right now, and there they are on his LinkedIn profile. Sure, you won't find any bad references up there but I look for common characteristics. If everyone talks about someone's keen team building skills, then you can pretty much bank on the fact that this person is a good team builder; good stuff to know if you're an employer with a job to fill that requires strong team building skills.

Get better at interviewing. Sometimes it's not the best candidate who gets the job, but rather the one who has the best interviewing skills. Many have the mistaken notion that interviews, by their nature, are very one-sided: The employer asks questions, you provide answers. That's part of it, but there are certain things you need to get across about yourself, your skills and your accomplishments, and you have to be able to do it in a finite period of time. Check my Bernhart.com website under Search Tips for a few pointers.

Jerry Bernhart has Twenty years experience in multichannel direct marketing recruiting, and only multichannel direct marketing recruiting. He can be reached at jerry@bernhart.com, or www.bernhart.com.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

New Direct Marketing Group on LinkedIn

An exciting new LinkedIn Group for direct marketers has appeared and it's quickly gaining popularity. It's called DM Q&A, moderated by social media expert Jim Gilbert. Jim wanted to create a group where members could ask questions about any aspect of direct marketing-
direct mail, email, social media, direct response TV, strategy, execution, creative development, lists, vendor recommendations, etc. The group has already attracted an impressive line up of industry experts. Have a question? Chances are they'll have the answer, or know someone who does.
You can check it out at http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/2080726/.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Bernhart Associates Launches Twitter Group for Direct Marketing Job Seekers

Owatonna, MN, July 13, 2009- Direct marketing job seekers will soon have a new on-line tool to help with their job search.

Leading direct marketing recruiter Jerry Bernhart will be moderating a new weekly chat session on Twitter focusing specifically on all things related to jobs and hiring in direct marketing.

"There are online communities for just about every subject you can imagine," said Jerry Bernhart, owner of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, who is also well known in direct marketing for his quarterly employment reports. "This is a natural extension of the use of social media to help those who are looking for their next career opportunity in direct marketing, including ecommerce and emarketing."

Bernhart said the new forum will use Tweetchat, allowing messages to be posted and read by participants in a matter of seconds. ""It's kind of like texting but a whole lot faster and easier," said Bernhart. "It also allows quick and easy sharing of links."

Participants can choose their level of participation, jumping in and out of the discussion whenever there's something of interest being discussed.

"It will be an opportunity to ask questions, share ideas and get advice onlots of topics, including resume preparation, interviewing tips, job leads, salaries, bonuses, finding candidates, job offers, counteroffers, job descriptions, anything related to hiring and jobs in online or offline direct marketing," said Bernhart.

Employers are also invited to put up tweets on positions they are looking to fill.

The first direct marketing careers Tweetchat event will take place Sunday, August 2nd, at 8 pm Eastern time.

To participate, go to tweetchat.com, sign-in with your Twitter account, and enter DMCareers in the "Hashtag to follow" box. Bernhart explains that once you're in the group there is no need to use the hashtag because Tweetchat automatically applies it to each message, saving you the bother of typing it in each time you want to post. Bernhart adds that if you want to monitor the discussion but you won't be home at the time, no worries. Tweetchat works great on your mobile phone, too.

Visit our website at www.bernhart.com

Recession Easing Its Grip on Direct Marketing Jobs

by Jerry Bernhart

Owatonna, MN, July 13, 2009- Hundreds of direct marketers, agencies and service providers are offering some new glimmers of hope for direct marketing job seekers, according to the latest Bernhart Associatess employment update.

“It appears the direct marketing job market is scraping the bottom,” said Jerry Bernhart, Principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, a leading direct marketing recruiter who has been issuing quarterly direct marketing employment reports since 2001. “This is the
first quarter in two years in which the hiring index is showing improvement, and planned layoffs are continuing their trend lower,” said Bernhart.

According to the survey, 20% of the respondents said they will be adding to staff during the current summer quarter, up from 16% in the spring. Layoffs declined for the third quarter in a row, with 8% planning to reduce staff compared with 13% last quarter and 20% at the start of 2009. The number of companies reporting hiring freezes held steady at 30%.

The hiring freeze figure was even higher for agencies, with 44% reporting that they’re holding the line on hiring.

Bernhart said responses to the hiring freeze question underscores the prevailing mood
of uncertainty. “We always ask when they plan to lift their hiring freezes, and the vast majority said they expected those freezes to remain in place through the rest of 2009,” said Bernhart.

Bernhart noted that business-to-business direct marketers are faring better overall in the key employment indicators compared with their business-to-consumer counterparts.

For example, when asked if they plan to reduce staff 13% of business-to-consumer direct marketers said they expect further layoffs this summer compared with 9% among business-to-business respondents.

Despite the uptick in the survey’s overall results, Bernhart foresees no significant comeback in direct marketing hiring until at least 2010.

“You can’t stage a recovery with only one in five direct marketers planning to hire, and one-third of the others holding on to hiring freezes with no plans to lift them until at least the end of the year. In my conversations with senior level executives, there is no consistent level of optimism in the current economic environment for them to jump into the employment market. I’m also seeing that same caution in executive search. Companies are telling us they’re thinking about making staffing changes, but they are slow to pull the trigger.”

Despite the abundance of job seekers, the survey also shows that filling open direct marketing positions is not always an easy task. When asked if they were experiencing difficulty hiring new talent, 42% said it was either “very difficult” or “somewhat difficult” to fill certain positions.

When asked what specific positions will be in greatest demand this summer, Bernhart said the list of job categories named was across the board including analytics, sales, creative, technical and marketing. “There was lots of mention of analytics from agencies, service providers and marketers,” said Bernhart.

A record 402 companies responded to the random survey which was emailed the week of June 22.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, marketers – commercial and nonprofit - spent $176.9 billion on direct marketing in 2008, which accounted for 52.1 percent of all ad expenditures in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated approximately $2.057 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for approximately 10 percent of total US gross domestic product. Also, there are today 1.6 million direct marketing employees in the US. Their collective sales efforts directly support 9.3 million other jobs, accounting for a total of 10.9 million US jobs.

Results of past surveys can be found in the DMA’s Statistical Fact Book and on the website of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

Companies interested in participating in the Bernhart Associates Quarterly Direct Marketing Employment Report should send an email to survey@bernhart.com with “Opt-In” in the subject line, or they can sign up directly on the Bernhart Associates website.

About Bernhart Associates:

Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC, is owned by Jerry Bernhart, a leading and nationally recognized direct marketing recruiter, writer and speaker focusing on senior level Multichannel Direct Marketing, CRM, ECommerce, Database Marketing, Business Development and Quantitative Analysis positions. Jerry has been a leading direct marketing recruiter since 1990, and specializes in direct marketing positions, online and offline, at all levels. The Bernhart Associates Employment Survey, now in its eighth year, has become the most widely followed employment report in direct marketing. In February, Bernhart Associates partnered with the Direct Marketing Association in providing exclusive analysis for the DMA’s 2009 Employment Outlook Report, a comprehensive study of trends in hiring and employee retention in direct marketing and available for sale at the DMA Bookstore. Viewed as a leading authority on issues related to direct marketing recruiting, Jerry is a frequent speaker at national direct marketing conferences and is often quoted by the direct marketing news media. Jerry has written dozens of articles for all leading online and offline direct marketing publications and conducts a widely followed employment survey for EM+C covering internet marketing and ecommerce.