2022 Cheat Sheet: New Talent Trends

 

2022 and beyond will offer a better employee experience, not just for new talent but for all of us. The last 20 months have been tough in every way, and lessons learned must be carried forward if we are to successfully diversify our industry. 

Hybrid/remote/in-agency, the conundrum of not just how we’ll work, but where we’ll, work is currently top of mind. We don’t have all the answers but communication, listening and adapting will be key to arriving at the right shared solution.

 

2022 will also be about growth, being mindful that isn’t just financial gain but providing inclusive opportunities for all. Investing in career pathways that offer learning and development that both excite and engage us to achieve more than we ever imagined. And, as the great resignation rages on, we cannot accept the only opportunity for personal growth is by leaving our current employment.

 

To do our best work, we must be free to bring our authentic selves into our roles, celebrating our exceptional differences. At DDB we believe creativity thrives on diversity and ‘No Duplicates’ is a mantra that holds us accountable. As an industry, we must move beyond demographic checkboxes to ensure unique perspectives, expertise, and experience shows up in our work, our relationships, and our culture. How we do that is by living out our values, those are our Four Freedoms – The Freedom to Fail, The Freedom from Fear, The Freedom from Chaos and The Freedom to Be.

 

New talent will be entering the industry at one of the most exciting moments in time. A time where they are in the driving seat to shape the future. To build agencies that really care, with a shared purpose that harnesses our industry to be a force for good. 

That sounds like an exciting 2022 to me.

 

Choice. Careers can be everything you dreamed of, should you choose wisely. Choosing an agency that prides itself on a thriving culture is a decision that will pay dividends for years to come. Culture is the most important foundation for a career. It’s important for a million reasons but particularly when you’re starting out because it will help frame your reference as to what a great place to work looks like.

So, what is good culture? The simple answer is, you’ll never encounter anyone that makes you feel small. The minute anyone else makes you feel less than, it’s time to look for something else. That’s not to say a great culture won’t push you, challenge you or have you learn a million things every day, but you won’t be made to feel insignificant in the process. 

As a result, you will love what you do and let’s face it, doing what you love is a great way to not only spend your days but a great way to spend your life.

What enables a great culture? A set of unwritten rules that govern how people show up every day. Clarity on what is acceptable and what is not. Confidence in knowing you can be yourself and that your individuality is not only welcomed but celebrated.

The sooner you find that place, the better. Otherwise, you need to unlearn fitting into a small space when in fact you should take up every inch of the room when you walk into it. 

You can feel culture. So try it on and if it doesn’t fit, move on. You can choose. 

Choose wisely.

 

 

 

Some of the key themes for new talent in our industry in 2022 include diversity, hybrid working and more choice than ever.

 

As agencies, including M&C Saatchi, deepen their commitment to breaking down barriers to entry into our industry we feel genuinely hopeful that we’ll see increasing levels of diversity emerging and thriving. We’ve felt the benefit of attracting talent from outside our sector and assessing new talent based on potential alone and so continue to invest heavily in expanding our Open House scheme, which is open to all. 

 

We hope to see more agencies join the charge particularly in challenging socio-economic barriers. And to achieve diversity at all levels, rather than losing talent to other industries who recognise the incredibly creative and commercial skills we have developed, we need to fight back – establishing our industry as a destination for those seeking a career change, bringing transferrable skills and experiences.

 

Whilst, like most, we support the benefits of hybrid working – we also recognise the challenges this poses for new talent. In the UK for example, our brilliant ERG network ‘Juniors’ stay closely connected to all M&C Saatchi talent who are new to our sector (regardless of age). They know that onboarding, development and career growth for new talent can be both helped and hindered by a way of working that is still ‘finding its feet’. The demands on managers have therefore changed and we all need to respond with the right development and support. We’re using new tools to enable employee-led coaching conversations that ensure we are focusing on what really matters to individuals.

 

We also expect new talent (and all talent) to continue to embrace choice. Yes, choice over when, where and how they work. But more fundamentally, ongoing choice over who they work for and why. 2021 sparked many of us to sharpen our proposition to employees and genuinely think harder than ever about our purpose and culture. Long may it continue. We think that challenge will only lead our industry to a better place – a more innovative, inclusive and forward-thinking place and it’s something we at M&C Saatchi are embracing globally. 

 

 

One of the few positives the pandemic brought is that businesses now understand that teams can be formed - and run successfully - from almost anywhere. As a result, 2022 holds many opportunities for both new and existing talent.

 

We’ve only just scratched the surface of what remote or hybrid working could be, and what this, in turn, means for new talent opportunities. Instead of being concerned with where recruiters are finding talent from, we are ‘growing our own’ through our own Junior Grad Scheme (we’ve called it The Academy).

We’ve also been investing heavily in automation, so our people’s time is better spent on outcomes for clients. We’ve partnered with experts to ensure we continue to deliver our D&I (Diversity & Inclusion) objectives. I’m part of the leadership team that brought the 10,000 Black Interns initiative to the UK marketing and advertising industry and my team work hard at looking into untapped talent pools. 

 

Finally, offering flexible working models will become essential to a workforce who are re-evaluating their careers and where they’re working from. At UNLIMITED, we place human understanding at our heart when it comes to any decision regarding our people. Since the pandemic, we’ve embraced a permanent hybrid working model that’s proven attractive to new talent and has made our culture BETTER.