5 Questions for MEC's Global Chief Talent Officer, Marie-Claire Barker

AdForum MEC launched a quotnew type of behavioral hiring experiencequot at Advertising Week XII What inspired this unique talent acquisition event and what does the strategy behind it specifically look for in terms of qualifications and the suitability of candidatesMarieClaire Barker This is something we started back in January There were a couple of needs First we needed to move quicker in terms of making decisions on people People have a lot of choices out there and they need to know very quickly what your decision is And you know what it is like amp8211 as a candidate there is nothing worse than sitting and waiting to hear back Second it is important for candidates seeking entry level positions to be able to come in and meet a whole range of managers that are doing the screenings Whilst the decision is made quickly the candidates are given two hours facetoface time with our management teamIn terms of strategy we are looking at behavioral tendencies because at that level candidates don39t really have much in terms of skills or experience to pull on What39s important for us is behaviorally are they going to be able to work well in the organization are they able to influence thought and be creative thinkers and collaborate with the rest of the team That39s the way we39re asking the questions amp8211 to figure out their cultural sensibilitiesamp160AdForum MEC evaluated candidates against quotkey tenants of the agency39s culturequot resulting in sameday offers to associates in digital planning and analytics and insight Please explain how these quotkey tenantsquot guide the interview process and how interviewees can demonstrate they possess the talent skills and values MEC desires in employeesMarieClaire Barkeramp160Creative thinking is an important cultural focus area that we emphasize at MEC We39ll ask questions to determine previous behavior because previous behavior is a good indicator of future behavior We39ll ask candidates to give examples of when they39ve had to solve a problem in a very innovative way Then we follow up with questions on why it was tough how did they think differently to solve the challenge what resources they used etcWe39re looking for evidence and examples of an individual39s problem solving capabilities amp8211 thinking in new ways and their resilience in terms of trying to come up with a solution And they can do that in any walk of life They don39t necessarily have to have had a job in media in order to do that It can be any experience they can draw on It39s really about looking for behavioramp160AdForumamp160You39ve stated quotAs an industry we have a responsibility to drive forward innovation in the area of talent management for the growth of our people our clients and our futurequot This is a relatively new evolution in the industry considering that not too long ago candidates were simply thankful to have jobs Can you elaborate on this elevated level of commitment to new hiresMarieClaire Barkeramp160This generation coming in isn39t necessarily looking for a career with an organization They39re looking for an opportunity to learn and grow amp8211 whom are they going to be working with what are the opportunities for them It39s almost like a continuous educational process for them This generation has more access to knowledge and learning than any generation before them It39s in their DNA When we bring them in we know the reality that this generation tends to plan their careers in twotothree year cycles amp8211 not only at MEC and across the advertising industry but many other industries as wellSo our plan is to develop the individuals To give them so much exposure in that two to three years that they39ll be able to look back on their time at MEC and say quotThat time at MEC was the most stretching challenging and supportive time of my careerquot We ensure they learn an awful lot and that they are exposed to senior people We get them engaged in projects early We encourage them to take risks We have a talent manifesto of quotDon39t Just Live Thrivequot Everybody is assigned a project where they can thrive in their own unique and special way We39re constantly looking at ways of growing our individuals amp8211 and not necessarily with a traditional approach to a learning agendaAdForum Advertising is a very competitive industry and agencies compete with each other to attract and hire the newest and most talented individuals who are looking to establish their careers How does MEC appeal to this newest generation of young and emerging ad professionals amp160MarieClaire Barker Our MEC Live Hire event at Advertising Week resulted in the hiring of 10 new employees and some of those new hires are relocating to New York City from places such as Toronto Washington DC and Florida To be honest a couple of them explained that they came to Advertising Week specifically with hopes of being interviewed by MEC We promoted the initiative heavily through social media to raise awareness We encouraged people to visit MEC39s LinkedIn career39s site to learn more about what we were doing We used the strength of our network to get the word out thereAdForumamp160Finally what advice do you have for young job seekers looking to start a career in advertisingMarieClaire Barkeramp160They need to go in with their eyes open They need to go in with a very open mind Sometimes when they leave education and look at working in advertising they do so with a very narrow view of what they want to do This generation amp8211 more so than any amp8211 wants to make a difference in the world They look at the big tech organizations as being the only place they can do this and sometimes our industry gets overlookedHowever we can do so much for individuals in terms of making a difference in the world through a client39s brand a client39s business amp8211 and these young professionals get to have variety they get the unique opportunity to work with many different people with many different clients quite often in a global nature My advice is don39t dismiss our industry too early on and go for the big tech companies that promise a different culture This incoming generation can get a lot of stretch a lot of challenge and a lot of growth in advertising amp160The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecom MyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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5 Questions for MEC's Global Chief Talent Officer, Marie-Claire Barker

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