BRANDEblog

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

30 Minute "Training" from the WSJ

Making every moment count, I had barely enough time to read the Wall Street Journal as I pulled out of Jamaica and headed home on the LIRR. Good thing I did too-- it was chock full of interesting tidbits of info that I've condensed for you to read with a cup of coffee.

Google Hiring: In January '06, the average number of interviews-to-hire was 6.2! Factor in the fact that they hire an average of 16 people a day, increasing the populaton 3,000 in '04 to almost 6,000 in '05, and you figure these HR people are pretty busy. Recognizing that they can't keep up with demand, they have reduced the number of interviews to 5.1 and they're trying to streamline the process because they are losing top candidates in the process. At the same time, they are raising the standards by which they select and hire new people because of the rapid rate of career progression. An average hire might be promoted 5 or 6 times due to Google's expansion.

Team Spirit: Remember back before the dot-com burst when we all had manager meetings where we had to do trust exercises like fall backwards into the accountant's arms or walk over fire with the production manager. Well, the good old days are back but this time, we're banging the drum to drum up team spirit. "Drumming has emerged as a popular option (to spice up dull meetings and think as a team) because it requires no talent. Tell THAT to Ringo.

Big bucks deluxe for New Media Talent: It's a human capital constrained market in the world of digital advertising as more and more companies and ad agencies are trying to keep up with online spending demand. People are shifting 20% of their budgets to digital media which is up significantly from 5%. But there is truly a war for talent as salaries are escalating and bidding wars are common. The real issue is finding someone with the knowledge and expertise in both traditional and new media because there's a tremendous need for both. And, with stiff competition from Yahoo, MSN and Google (who has been running full page ads in Adweek, Ad Age and the NY Times-- I wish I had their recruitment account) the small guys can't afford to get in the game. Don't look now Nick but your Creative Director salary increased from $115K in '05 to $185K in '06. Good thing you love working with us!

Well, I think I'm pulling into Cold Spring Harbor. See you tomorrow.

Written at 5:38 AM by JODY.

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