Survey: Good DM Candidates Hard to Find

Almost a quarter of direct marketers surveyed by an Owatonna, MN-based headhunter are finding it “very difficult” to fill their open positions.

Among the 182 companies that responded to the Bernhart Associates Executive Search survey, e-mailed to a random sample the week of April 9, 24% said they were having a "very difficult" time finding qualified candidates, while 53% described it as being "somewhat difficult." Only 18% said they were having little or no difficulty filling positions.

When asked about their hiring plans for the current quarter, two-thirds said they would be adding to staff, while 11% said they have a hiring freeze.

Bernhart Associates president Jerry Bernhart said in a statement that he had suspected that a talent shortage seemed to be developing in certain direct marketing job functions. For instance, analytic-related positions remain in very strong demand and dominate the list of anticipated openings, followed by positions in creative, circulation, and sales.