Next month marks the end of my tenth year in recruitment, which feels like quite a milestone.

Back in 2016, I somewhat stumbled into the profession under the pretence that I could talk to people all day, be professionally nosey and somehow get paid for it. It sounded like the perfect fit.

What’s kept me here is the thousands of people I’ve met and what those conversations have taught me about how people think, what motivates them and why businesses make the hiring decisions they do.

I’ve learnt that salary is rarely the whole story. Timing, ambition, progression, leadership, flexibility and sometimes simply a gut feeling, can completely change someone’s decision.

That’s what I’ve always found interesting about recruitment: sitting somewhere in the middle. You hear what candidates really think about opportunities and what businesses actually need beyond the job description. Those two things don’t always line up.

Why Marketing Recruitment?

Eight of those ten years have been spent specialising in Marketing recruitment which, for someone who likes variety, has been a great fit.

From Brand and Product to Digital, eCommerce and Category, the roles, people and businesses are rarely the same.

I’ve also enjoyed seeing the commercial impact good Marketing can have. Whether that’s a product appearing on a supermarket shelf, an eCommerce strategy changing how people shop a brand, or an industrial business communicating its value more effectively, the results are often very visible.

There’s something particularly satisfying about placing someone and later seeing their work on a shelf, online or even an old-school billboard on my commute.

From the UK to ANZ

In 2024, I relocated from the UK to Melbourne, swapping an established network for a new market and plenty of new conversations.

While the markets have their differences, people’s underlying motivations are surprisingly similar.

Across ANZ, I’ve noticed how consistently flexibility, leadership and genuine development come up. Strong candidates aren’t necessarily actively looking either, so an opportunity needs to give them a genuine reason to move.

For businesses, that doesn’t always mean paying more. Often, it’s the manager, scope, progression or simply how well the opportunity is communicated.

A changing Marketing market

Marketing itself has changed enormously since 2016.

Digital and eCommerce are increasingly part of broader Marketing roles. Data, insights and commercial thinking carry greater weight. Retail media has reshaped FMCG, while AI is quickly influencing how Marketing teams work.

Across industrial and B2B businesses, I’ve also seen Marketing move beyond the traditional perception of a support function, with greater emphasis on brand, customer insight, digital and go-to-market capability.

For employers, being clear on what they really need from a hire is increasingly important. For candidates, demonstrating commercial impact and an ability to influence can be just as important as technical Marketing expertise.

Hearing both sides

This is probably one of the most valuable perspectives recruitment gives you.

Candidates tell us why they really rejected an opportunity. Hiring managers tell us why the strongest CV wasn’t necessarily the strongest interview.

We see where salaries and budgets don’t align, where businesses are asking too much from one hire and where recruitment processes lose good candidates. Just as importantly, we see what gets results.

With enough exposure, patterns start to emerge.

Through my role at Blackbook Executive, I spend most of my week speaking with Marketing professionals and business leaders across FMCG, consumer, B2B and industrial businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand.

In the coming months, I’ll be sharing some of the themes that keep coming up, from salaries and candidate behaviour to career progression, hiring processes and changing Marketing skillsets.

Ten years and thousands of conversations have taught me a lot about this market, but there’s always more to learn. I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learnt, challenging a few assumptions and hearing what others are seeing too.