The Head of Strategy position at any ad agency is a very demanding job. So demanding that they sometimes (not all the time) need recruiters or head hunters to help them find the best talent when they have open positions.
This is a list of account planning recruiters that I compiled over the last nine years or so. I know this does not represent all the recruiters out there but it should give people a start if you don't know any and are looking for new career opportunities. By making this information open and transparent I hope it will help match good strategic planners with good agencies. Bad agencies shouldn't have good talent.
If you are a student or a junior advertising staffer don't get your hopes up. Agencies rarely hire outside recruiters to find people with very little experience. They hire outside recruiters for tough to fill jobs. They get paid on finding good qualified candidates with experience. I worked as a brand consultant and junior account planner for 3-5 years before I could get the attention of a recruiter. Even then it was nearly impossible for the recruiter to sell me in that economy. Understand this and set your expectations before you reach out to them. I wish somebody had told me that.
ACCOUNT PLANNING RECRUITERS ORGANIZED BY HOME OFFICE LOCATION
01. [AUSTIN] Chris Stephens - stephens60@sbcglobal.net
02. [AUSTIN] Lisa Kojis - lisa.kojis@PrincetonOne.com
03. [CHICAGO] Sherri Bedster Kessel - ad1sherri@gmail.com
04. [CHICACO] Amy Sroka - asroka@mhajobs.com
05. [CHICAGO] Lisa Casper - lcasper@mhajobs.com
06. [DALLAS] Lisa Gordon - nalleyco@gmail.com
07. [FLORIDA] Brian Kissel - brian@mrimarketing.com
08. [LA] Robert Cormier - rcormier@grnsanjuancapistrano.com
09. [LA] Melanie Otey - melotey@pacbell.net
10. [LA] Julie Sandler - julie@basicrecruiting.net
11. [LA] Serena Wolf - serena@WolfCreativeCo.com
12. [LA] Lisa Pescherine - lisap@thewattsgroupcrecruiters.com
13. [LA] Jamie McCaan - jmccann@lucasgroup.com
14. [LA] Laura Laser - laura@lastertalent.com
15. [LA] Karen Morgan - karen@morgansearch.com
16. [LAS VEGAS] Julie Aron - juliearon@hotmail.com
17. [LONDON] Caroline Watt - caroline@carolinewatt.com
18. [NORTH CAROLINA] Robin Haggard - robin@heatcorp.com
19. [NYC] Ada Alpert - ada@alpertsearch.com
20. [NYC] Debbie Strobel - debbie@adrecruiters.com
21. [NYC] Elizabeth Lukas - elizabeh@tangerine-ny.com
22. [NYC] Wendy Klein - townewendy@aol.com
23. [NYC] Stephanie Redlener - stephanie.redlener@thetalentbusiness.com
24. [NYC] Rati Vaishya - rati.vaishya@thetalentbusiness.com
25. [NYC] Lori Bring - lori@ohareny.com
26. [NYC] Stephen Regan - sregan@jegssearch.com
27. [NYC] Ryan Brogan - ryan@magnetagency.net
28. [NYC] Sharon Spielman - sspielman@hsksearch.com
29. [SAN FRANCISCO] Christina Murphy - christina@cm-recruiting.com
30. [SYDNEY] Richard Scott - richards@austcorpexecutive.com.au
You'll notice that I included the home base or city for each of these recruiters. That makes it easier to meet them in person but most recruiters handle job placements all over the country. Find recruiters that you have good chemistry with, understand the business and those that will sell your value. I have my personal favorites but I'll leave it up to you to find the right fit for your personality.
Let me know if you have any questions.
In my experience I have found that planning recruiters don't work with junior planners. Pretty sure that's the industry standard but I may be wrong.
Posted by: T.O. | 04/01/2012 at 11:10 PM