The Ultimate Guide: marketing job shares:

What do we mean by job share: 

A job share is a role split between two or more people. Likely two! 

Do candidates and clients really want to job share?

More and more candidates are looking for part-time marketing roles or flexible marketing roles roles. This was applicable before COVID-19 and certainly is even more so applicable now. 

Historically there has been a preconception that flexible marketing jobs were only in demand from working mums, which is really not representative. Men too are keen on job sharing. Especially in today's ‘side hustle culture’. Working part-time affording one the flexibility to focus and build ‘ones hustle’. 

It is also not just for middle management roles. There is conversely more commitment from senior candidates and arguably more benefit to the business to hire two candidates rather than one at the senior level. Taking on two heads of marketing or marketing directors gives you two heads rather than one!

Why job share? Why hire a senior marketer on a job share

• Spread risk - you are able to future proof your marketing team with two senior marketers rather than one. In the event that one leaves it is less disruptive on the team and wider business too. 
• More diverse talent with regards to skills and background - taking two candidates on a complimentary basis allows you to get the best people for the role rather than compromising and hiring someone who only has some of the experience. 
• More formal than two contractors and therefore more commitment
• More cost-effective than two contractors 
• Succession planning
• Senior marketers: CMO’s are the biggest turnover - avoid this by creating stability 
• Marketing jobs shares are particularly effective as the work is more project-based versus some other careers such as sales or relationship-driven roles in which splitting the work & relationship is hard and potentially awkward. Marketing being focused more on planning strategy, the combination of short & long term objectives
• Better for the candidate and the business. Better part-time job. Better staff. As a business looking at your marketing model there is significant benefit in taking part time marketers, or marketer on a job share option. 
• Benefits: 
  • Greater thinking and broader experience backgrounds 
  • More stability which might be counterintuitive
  • Allows a business to avoid compromising on experience

How to job share 

• Find a colleague or mutual contact that has a complementary skill-set to you and produce a double CV. Yes a double or joint CV that has both of your experiences on. The key here is in the complementary skill sets   

Where to find job shares?

• Job shares, unfortunately, are not as popular yet on the client-side, I think due to lack of consideration primarily, but this means that they are less prevalent on job boards, etc but you can find some
• Networking will be key for this and being really proactive with your network to ensure that you are front of mind for potential opportunities 
• Recruiters - it would be advantageous to speak with proactive recruiters who might be able to sell in your solution to a business 

How to recruit for a job share?

Consideration here needs to be taken about the available talent, the process, the management of expectations, whether or not the whole process is joint or joint at the end. Whether or not you are bringing together two people that do not know each other or hiring an existing unit. 

You need a flexible partner who understands how to manage the process and who has access to the talent too. 

How we work at The Hidden Market: 

We're specialists in marketing jobs and we're data & human driven too so we can match you to the best roles or clients to the best candidates. Because of how we are set up we are able to find the best flexible marketing talent and the best flexible marketing jobs. 

With brands essentially we’re an extension of your brand, connecting it to more passive talent. If you would like to learn more about how we can help you drive engagement with candidates and attract the best talent then get in touch with us - hello@thehiddenmarket.com or you can register a company account here. 

With candidates essentially we are a strong recruitment partner for you, taking the time to truly understand what might interest you and to match you to roles on your skills. If you would like to find the best marketing roles then you can sign up here.