Well that was a whirlwind! I've been 'back' with Network Marketing for 3 months already and there are two questions that I'd place in the 'most frequently asked' category. The first is 'why did you come back?'; that's an easy one to answer. Great company, great people and fantastic working ethic. Simple really. The second is 'what's changed?'. Everything and nothing - let me explain. Whilst there may not have been a revolution (there was no need) there has certainly been an evolution. The classic 'buzz' phrase of the moment is 'working smarter' and this fits for a description of what we are achieving.

More use of the digital medium, more networking, more use of social tools and more and more consultative support to a client base that want more from a 'supplier' than a CV service. In some ways this mirrors my assessment of the jobs market for North West marketing specialists. There are jobs out there and good ones too; we're working on more North West briefs than we have done in the last couple of years. The candidates that are finding the right move for them are the ones who are 'working smarter'. One of my candidate interview questions is always 'what have you done relating to your job search so far?' The answers can range from an endless list of applications made to 'nothing'. The successful candidates are the ones who are networking, asking questions, keeping open lines of dialogue, supporting applications in various ways (tailoring CV's, cover letters etc) and more importantly listening to feedback on how to improve their chances of success.

A client brief at the moment can resemble something more akin to the entire works of Shakespeare rather than a job specification. However, its not always the person with the closest skill match that gets the job. This accolade usually goes to the person who invests the time to understand the client requirement beyond the boundaries of the job spec. I regularly hear from job seekers that it's a 'tough market' and 'there aren't many jobs out there'. There is some truth in this but my response is to ask if they are working smart? So the marketing job market has evolved in the North West as have Network Marketing. There are more internal recruiters, more preferred supplier lists and more reasons to 'work smart' but there are also many opportunities and many reasons for me to believe 2013 will be an unbelievably successful year. Contact me if you're looking for that next elusive marketing role in the Northwest and Manchester or if you're looking to recruit outstandingly great marketing staff for your business.