Commentary

Dear Bev: Are there any particular skills ad agencies are looking when they hire for digital media jobs?

At a recent industry conference, one panelist claimed that if someone was a whiz at Sudoku, it was a pretty good bet they'd do well in digital media. While that may be a good start, my guess is you need a few more qualifications to get a digital planning or buying job. I asked some well-regarded senior level digital media executives for their opinions. The answers I got all pointed to the brainy tech savvy, digitally evolved candidate - in other words, a millennial. And then I got an unexpected earful on challenges that come with a millennial-centric staff.

The Basics
There was general consensus that strong math skills are key for a digital candidate. "It's not simply someone that's comfortable with numbers, I'm interested in someone that has great math skills, a passion for the medium, and can also mine data and build stories," said one agency managing partner. Another wanted someone that could get excited by a 1,500 line spread sheet.

But beyond that, there's a level of creativity and flexibility that's called for. "People that don't need four corners," said one digital pro. "This isn't a business where you follow steps one through ten. We're constantly changing and defining the way we do things."

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Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk
Are they on Facebook? Is it part of their daily routine? Everyone nowadays can use the internet, but having it be a veritable part of your life is different and it's the younger tech savvy crowd that brings this to the table. "I want a person that lives and breaths digital and understands it from their personal experiences," said the managing partner.

Another executive asks applicants what their favorite web sites are. "I'm not very excited if all they tell me is Yahoo and AOL. The more niche it is, the more likely this person is really involved in the web and that's a plus for me and my clients."

Barrier to Entry: It May Be Your Age
These skills are an easy fit for a Millennial but how about if you've been on the traditional media side and want to switch? There's a perception that after you've worked in traditional anywhere from seven to 10 years, the digital media side may not be welcoming you with open arms. Some of the executives I questioned thought the switch would prove difficult and others thought it was less about age and more about attitude. Said one executive, "It's less about age and more about mindset. It doesn't matter if your 20 or 40 - it's a complex medium but if you can embrace it, you can do it. It might be easier for the younger generation but at end of day it's whether you want to learn it or not."

Millennials Rule
Everyone acknowledged that the opportunity to climb further faster is on the digital side. "We have a digital media supervisor who is 23 and their counterpart on the traditional side is 30," admitted one interviewee. Another commented somewhat tongue in cheek, " I have friends that have crazy titles and they've been in this business for 20 minutes."

"We're promoting people too quickly, but one agency does it and the others follow. The digital business is scaling more quickly than the talent."

All of the executives found their younger counterparts to give off a premature sense of entitlement. "I've got a department of high maintenance kids," said one. "On the traditional side there are more adults, more rules of business. That's not the case in digital yet. They grew up in this media and have been able to move through very quickly. In the past you had to win your stripes."

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