Out-of-work Americans in all fields can count on a 22-week job search, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Out-of-work direct marketers aren’t as fortunate: The median length of a job hunt is exactly a year, according to a survey of unemployed DMers conducted by Bernhart Associates Executive Search LLC.
This is in part because premium direct marketing jobs require a higher level of training and knowledge and higher education levels than many others, according to Bernhart Associates principal Jerry Bernhart.
“Right now I have a few searches going on, and some of my clients are having trouble finding highly skilled workers in certain positions,” Bernhart told Direct Newsline.
Potential employers are being a lot more selective, Bernhart said. Five years ago, with companies undergoing expansion, the call was for warm bodies. “Now they need candidates that fit every criteria, and many are reluctant to pull the trigger because they feel they can afford to wait for the absolute right candidate,” he added.
A 12-month search will tax the financial cushion of most candidates, but mature candidates will need even deeper reserves. Nearly one-third of all candidates surveyed reported their searches had taken at least a year and a half – and half of that group was in the 50-59 age range. Nobody between the ages of 30 and 39 reported a search taking that long.
“Few jobs are being filled in a quick time frame,” Bernhart said. “[Potential employers] want to see a lot of candidates. Nobody can afford to make a bad hire. Business is tough as it is, and the wrong hire can cost time and money.”
Granted, these average search times can be deceiving. The greatest number of hires happen within the first three months of a search, or during the seven-to-nine-month period.
“You’re either going to find something really quickly because there is an urgent need, or your search will stretch out because there isn’t an urgent need,” Bernhart said. “There isn’t a middle ground.”
Bernhart’s research found that 21% of unemployed DMers have been looking for a full-time direct marketing job for between one and three months. Twelve percent (12%) said their search has lasted from 4 to 6 months, 9% said they have been looking for between 7 and 9 months, and 10% percent said they have been on the job hunt 10-12 months. The remainder, 48%, has been looking for more than a year.
Bernhart based his findings on 448 qualified responses to his survey, which was emailed the week of August 16 to more than 9,000 direct marketers across the country. Respondents were screened on the basis of being out of work and actively seeking full-time DM employment.
