The Great Resignation, where millions of people quit their jobs to seek out different opportunities, suddenly caused the job search and recruiting process to become an employee marketplace. Although a challenging time to find talent, as a business owner I learned to embrace it. I realized that, since the pandemic, the way we do business has forever changed and in order to grow and find success as a business, we have to rethink the way we are recruiting new talent.
Just as employees are leaving their jobs to find new opportunities outside of their normal industry or function, this is an opportunity for businesses to explore talent that they would not have otherwise considered pre-pandemic. Prior to the Great Resignation, for each role I would fill, the ideal candidate would have deep experience within the beauty industry. I would take one look at a résumé, and if the person didn’t fit that background, I would move on. However, I quickly realized that now is an opportunity to think outside of beauty and explore talent from other industries, who can bring a fresh perspective to my industry and business.
We recently hired a new VP of digital marketing who spent the majority of her career in technology and has only a few years of beauty experience. The constraints of the hiring environment forced me to be more open and take the leap. Her contributions and outside experience benefited our team immediately, and her tech experience brought a whole new level of thinking to our team and encouraged us to rethink our processes as well as the tools and platforms we are using to ensure we are effectively and efficiently maximizing our talents and resources. Since she joined the team, productivity has increased widely, and we’ve been able to grow areas of expertise for the brands we serve. We replicated this approach and hired talent from the fashion industry in our Influencer Marketing Department—and their background and expertise in driving sales through awareness programs has offered powerful results!
I’m thrilled to see our team grow, but even more excited to see how this diverse group of talent has really helped to evolve, shape, and grow Base Beauty Creative Agency as a whole. The effects of the pandemic will undoubtedly continue to roll out and it’s hard to predict what the future holds, especially during these unprecedented times. When it comes to recruiting new talent and growing a team, I encourage my fellow business owners to keep an open mind and take a chance on someone outside of your industry. The results might just surprise you.
Jodi Katz is the host of the long-running podcast, “Where Brains Meet Beauty.” She has been a respected voice in the beauty and wellness industry for over 20 years.
