Attract Top Talent

Only a few years ago, catalog companies were “offering the moon” to attract the best and brightest management-level talent. But this year, it’s more of an employer’s market, and catalogers can afford to be more demanding when it comes to selecting the right people.

Moreover, a lot of very qualified candidates may be open to making a move now or in the near future — or they may already be searching for a position. As an employer, you can open wide this window of opportunity and hire the talented management team you need to move your company forward before the economy turns the corner and hiring competition heats up again. All you need to get started is a plan.

Liz Kislik, president of Liz Kislik Associates, a customer service and management consulting firm based in Rockville Centre, NY, advises that you start by asking yourself: “Is my company ready to dive into this talent-rich pool?” Catalogers for the most part aren’t doing enough to highlight the benefits, perks and corporate culture that make them attractive employers, Kislik continues. If that describes your recent hiring practices, here’s how to overcome that particular challenge and attract top talent to your company.

Hiring Strategy Review

To be sure, management hiring has become more complex for catalogers. For instance, many jobs now require a more comprehensive package of skills. “As an industry, we’re looking for people who can cross lines and understand, for example, technology, merchandising and the Web,” says Kislik.

Shirlee Berman, director at Spectrum Retail Associates, an executive recruiting firm based in Ardmore, PA, concurs, adding that many catalogers she works with are looking for candidates with a combination of skills and experience. “They may be like Urban Outfitters, the retail store ... that now has catalog and Web arms. They want to hire people with merchandising experience to go along with the catalog background.”

Regardless of the position you must fill, recognize that hiring for a major job title is a big investment in your company’s future. “It’s important to get it right, so it’s worth taking some time to do so,” stresses Kislik.

Following is a look at several key areas catalogers should be prepared to highlight when recruiting new management-level employees. Determine your company’s positioning on these job facets before you start shopping for new talent.

Salary and other compensation. It used to be that candidates wanted a pay increase of at least $10,000 to consider changing jobs, says Wendy Crandall Weber, president of Crandall Associates, a direct marketing executive recruiting firm based in New York City. But today there isn’t a standard percentage to draw away a qualified candidate, she notes.

Beyond salary, there isn’t much in terms of compensation being offered by catalog companies to attract even highly desirable managers, Crandall Weber asserts. “It’s not that kind of market. Some companies are sweetening the pot with stock options, but that isn’t the drawing card it once was, since so many [employees] have gotten burned in the last few years,” she says.

Instead, salary and other money-based perks have become what Kislik calls a “baseline issue,” in that they must be adequate for a candidate to consider a job move, but they aren’t the only factors. “Today, people are looking at less tangible things, such as company stability. They’ll ask, ‘Is this a place where I’m going to be happy working?’” Kislik says.

Robert Buchsbaum, CEO of art supplies catalog Dick Blick Art Materials, Galesburg, IL, concurs. “People want stability, a good benefits package and the ability to get ahead if they work hard,” he notes.

Takeaway tip: Try to discern applicants’ other job desires, such as emotional and intellectual needs. “If they can find comparable pay, what other factors go into making a career-move decision?” asks Kislik.

Job titles. Crandall Weber says job titles are more of a secondary consideration for most job candidates today. It’s the kind of factor that will weigh on the “plus” side when catalog professionals are considering the positives and negatives of a potential job move. But it’s not generally a make-or-break issue, she notes.

“Although a vice president title, for example, is a plus, things like salary, the responsibilities of the position, the stability of the company and the ability to grow within the company are more important to most candidates,” she explains.

Also, she says the company’s size, sales and reputation influence the concessions candidates are willing to make regarding title.

That said, she admits there are some candidates who have their hearts set on a certain title and just don’t want to compromise.

Company perks. We’ve all heard of the posh corporate facilities that feature on-site childcare and preschools, community organic gardens and convenient dry cleaners, all nestled in beautiful 50-acre, college-like campuses. But is all of that truly necessary to attract good people to your company?

“It’s nice to have the mini-mall corporate centers that enhance quality of life so that employees aren’t so chore-bound after hours,” says Kislik. “But do you need to offer it? No.”

Sometimes the perks actually do help to enhance employees’ quality of life; but other times, they’re just window-dressing, she notes.

Flexibility and other lifestyle issues. Such issues have been growing in importance to management-level employees. Says Crandall Weber, “Although money still talks, many job candidates are looking for companies that are flexible.”

For example, she notes that in major metropolitan areas where living in an affordable house often dictates a long commute, many candidates look for employers willing to consider telecommuting, even one day a week. Other candidates may be looking for positions that don’t require too much travel.

Flexibility also may entail a more casual “make-your-own-hours” approach for managers. As Kislik explains, “It’s not only a question of can you use a sick day to take care of a sick child or elderly parent, but also, how will it be viewed when you do so? Or what if you leave early to attend your child’s annual soccer tournament? Sure, the company may say it’s OK and within the rules, but will you be sneered at?”

And if your company truly does have an open and flexible environment, that can be a tough benefit to adequately communicate to job candidates. Takeaway tip: Facilitate conversations between applicants and current staffers who can answer questions about the corporate atmosphere. “Give candidates a chance to talk to some of their would-be peers,” Kislik advises. “In general, not enough companies do this. Your best advocates are the current folks who are happy in their jobs.”

Relocation requirements. Due to the often out-of-the-way places some catalog companies are situated, relocation is an issue many catalogers must deal with when it comes to hiring executives. And relocation also is an area in which salary is impacted.

Says Berman of Spectrum Retail Associates: “One company may be in a high-income area with a high cost of living. Another is in a not-so-urban area. And while the cost to live may be a lot less and the quality of life very desirable, the salaries are not likely to be what they are in, say, New York.”

But location issues also impact the demographics of the type of candidates who may be willing to make a move. For the applicant, what stage he or she is at in terms of lifecycle events is very important when considering relocation issues, says Kislik. A job in a rural setting in the middle of the country may not appeal as much to a single, 20-something job candidate as it might to someone with a young family seeking a small-town lifestyle.

Executive search firms can be helpful when you must open the pool of potential applications required for a particular geographic region. Says Kislik, “It sometimes helps to look outside of your own backyard.”

And when executive searches are handled on a contingency basis (i.e., the recruiter gets paid only if a match is made), you can have the benefit of more applicants at no upfront cost to your company, says Berman.

Corporate culture. When you want to hire new blood, corporate culture is another important issue to consider in seeking the right employee-employer fit. For example, does your company foster an entrepreneurial environment or a hierarchical one?

Berman suggests that you ask if yours is a laid-back company or a more structured environment. “And be honest with yourself when you answer. This is a sort of marriage you’re performing here, so you must be clear with what you’re looking for if you want a successful union that’s going to last.”

Also, look at your corporate history. What was the company before it was a catalog? Were its roots in department store retail, Internet or something else? When you’re looking at new staff hires, make sure the people will fit into your culture, Kislik says. “Look not only at what appears to be the company culture today, but also the culture of the ‘something else’ that it was in a previous life … because chances are that’s still lurking around,” she notes.

In addition, it’s helpful to know the reputation of your company outside of your four walls. This is another area where an executive recruiter can be helpful. “A recruiter is someone from whom you can get an unbiased, outside view,” says Kislik.

Key Selling Points

The most important strategy you can use is to present an exciting job opportunity, says Berman. “The company in a sense is selling itself and the job it wants to fill. People are looking for opportunities not only to make money but for career longevity, for fulfilling work.”

It’s not just the money, says Berman, but also that catalog job seekers want to know where they can be in five years, and where they can go from here.

Crandall Weber agrees that stability and longevity are important to today’s catalog professionals — particularly due to an employment market that has been less than ideal. “

With so many people unemployed, it’s unnecessary for employers to dangle many perks to lure excellent catalog professionals.” For now, she stresses, “The promise of a rewarding position at a stable company is what most catalog professionals really want.”

Alicia Orr Suman is a Philadelphia-area freelance writer and the founding editor of Catalog Success.