With our friends at Aida Partners we wrote an article on the world of work in digital communication. It is written with rich positive nuances, filled with data and general comments on the world of digital communication. We conceived it as a snapshot of a world that is changing rapidly, creating new professional and entrepreneurial opportunities in light of one of the worst crises of recent years. And so among a sensible freshness that derives from the competence and love for this work, we have developed a theme with the hope that an educational, cultural and continuous information research process can also develop in our beautiful country!

Working in digital communication: many opportunities, few good candidates

The marketing and digital communication area is among the few sectors that need to strengthen staff through the hiring of new staff. And this is where yet another Italian paradox begins, with specialized agencies encountering difficulties in recruiting young people in possession of the skills required by the market.

The most alarming aspect of this situation is that the job offer does not clash with the lack of potential candidates, but with the characteristics of the training given to them by degree courses, master's courses, professional courses and internships.

The agencies, in fact, are looking for figures for their departments who have web skills, creative skills, at least a smattering of metrics for measuring results and a good knowledge of the scenario, while the preparation of those arriving at job interviews it is often incomplete or extremely sectoral.

Ideolo's search

Ideolo, a New Media Digital and Engineering agency specialized in Proximity and Digital Marketing, has been looking for some resources to include in its staff for over a year: creative figures and designers in web, mobile and Proximity Marketing: accounts in the Brand Reputation Management and Digital PR; and a programmer analyst in J2EE environment and Oracle technologies.
However, the agency notes a clear disconnect between the skills sought and those possessed by the candidates, especially in the testing phase that Ideolo uses to select the applications received. An initial screening is done internally by comparing the information and any references contained in the curricula with what emerges from an online search aimed at verifying the aptitudes and interests of the figure in which the agency is interested. After an introductory interview, Ideolo subjects candidates to an operational test which consists of assigning a small project to be developed over two days and presented in the form of a presentation. Those who pass this test are contacted for the negotiation phase leading to hiring.

“What we notice during the interview phase is that very often the figures we meet have skills that seem to travel on two opposing tracks – explains Luca Zambrelli, CEO of Ideolo -. Those who come from web agency backgrounds have expertise focused on the web and a general understanding of social media. Those who come from training courses oriented towards the purest communication, however, are very focused on graphics. Fortunately, in recent years, master's degrees have been emerging that deal with some issues related to digital in a little more depth and which aim to train 360° communication professionals with transversal skills".

Tested by the facts, what at first glance might seem like an overly demanding and selective approach led Ideolo to include 2012 new figures in its team in 8, equally divided between digital marketing, web development and mobile app development. New figures have also entered the Art department, confirming that even in an emerging professional field such as New Digital Media, preparation and talent take precedence over improvisation.

The scenery

In the world of communication the recurring question is whether rock bottom has been reached, given that 2012 managed to overthrow a terrible 2011 at the top of the annus horribilis rankings. According to UPA estimates, in fact, in the best case scenario, 2012 would have closed with a decline in investments in advertising and communication of around -7%. In this context of acute suffering for the sector, the only area authorized to smile seems to be the Web/Digital one with an annual increase estimated at +12%, a sign that companies are effectively directing their communication budgets towards this area in continuous evolution and expansion. According to Audiweb data (October 2012), 38 million Italians declare that they access the web from any place and tool, of which over 18 million through mobile devices (cell phones, smartphones and tablets), where the youngest and most with the highest levels of education and professional status. Furthermore, the online audience continues to grow, going from around 27 million unique users in 2011 to over 28,6 in 2012, with an increase of 6,4%, driven above all by daily use of social media.

Press review / January 2013:
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