The Melanie Andersen Agency is always looking to add successful candidates to our database. As our clients (the companies that brief us on roles) are generally looking for specialized skill sets, we don’t advertise any of our roles, rather we headhunt according to their specific requirements.
During our search process, we look first to our database of all of the candidates that we have already interviewed and therefore have a good understanding of their experience and career motivations. Our in-house research team then move on to new research and we headhunt according to the brief and job description that our clients have provided us with. Often our clients are looking for very specific skill sets, which is why they engage our services. Our research team spend quite a lot of time on LinkedIn searching for candidates. We work with a lot of advertising, digital, branding and PR agencies and the roles that they brief us on often require specific category experience (a certain amount of time spent on a beauty account, a spirits account, or digital capabilities, for example) which are not always listed on a candidate’s LinkedIn profile. I can’t stress this enough, it is extremely helpful for candidates to list their accounts on their profile, as well their skills, abilities, and specifics about projects they’ve worked on. If a candidate doesn’t list this information, often we skip over them and target the candidates with the more detailed profiles, which means people are then often missing out on a fantastic new career opportunity!
Now, I know at first glance this may seem like a death trap – “my boss will know I’m looking for a new role” or “my clients are confidential” but rest assured – these are all unnecessary reservations. It’s never a bad idea to go into detail about your experience on your LinkedIn profile, your boss should know that you are vocal about listing your capabilities in any capacity, and should be supportive of that. It does NOT mean you are actively looking for a new job, you are just sprucing up your professional profile, and affirming your hard work, skills and knowledge. If your accounts are confidential, you can list them as “a major airline” or “an upscale beauty brand”, instead of listing specifics.
What candidates working at agencies don’t realize is that more often than not, it is the type of account, as well as the scope of their work, that matters most to a potential employer. It is not the agency where you are working, so It is beneficial for all parties involved – candidate, recruiter, and employer – to list as much information on your profile as possible.