“I still can’t fill jobs.”
That’s a common refrain executive recruiter David Martin is hearing from top association leaders trying to build out staff, the CEO of Sterling Martin Associates said.
“You read about all the downsizings in the tech world, with Facebook, Amazon and Twitter, but I just have not seen that at this stage in the association space.”
Executive recruiter Jim Zaniello, president of Vetted Solutions, also has seen no downturn and says certain positions are in particular demand.
“Hiring by associations remains brisk,” Zaniello said. “Organizations are still looking for CEOs and they are definitely looking for chief marketing and communications officers to tell their story even better than they ever have before.
“We’re seeing a lot of recruitment for chief diversity officers. And we’re still seeing a lot of recruitment for what used to be titled the chief membership officer, which is now more frequently referred to as the chief experience and engagement officer,” he said.
Many groups are also in hot pursuit of financial professionals, he said.
“It is exceedingly difficult to find top-notch finance talent in the association sector, (in part) because the really good ones are happy where they are,” Zaniello said.
Executive search consultant Stephanie Tomasso, head of the Washington, D.C., office of Russell Reynolds Associates and leader of its association practice, also said communications pros are in demand, all well as advocacy staff.
“Whether it’s a straight government affairs person or communications or public affairs broadly, those are increasingly difficult to find,” Tomasso said. “You’ve got a new Congress coming in, so you want to be thinking about how you’re telling your story with a maximum effect. In terms of the talent, people recognize that they continue to be a little bit more in the driver’s seat at this moment. They have the opportunity to be a little bit choosy with reference to the roles that they look at and what makes sense to pursue.”
This excerpt was taken from CEO Update. The original source can be found here.
