​Hiring Account Management resource in the current climate... and beyond

Reduce your time in filtering, qualifying, interviewing the wrong candidates, and keep your new Account Manager for the long term!

In the 11 years we have been managing recruitment campaigns for Account Management people, we’ve become used to job descriptions that all read very much the same. It is always vital that we use our industry and recruitment experience to ‘flesh out’ the brief, which enables us to pinpoint exactly what our clients are actually looking for.

One size certainly doesn’t fit all and in the current climate, where budgets are tight or frozen, and with many, many job seekers in the market, it has never been more important to make sure your campaign talks to the right people. 

Unintentionally, but without a bit of extra thought and detail around the unique facets of the role, you will receive a higher than needed and less relevant volume of applications. With that comes the time and resource to process, respond appropriately to EVERYONE, filter, qualify and interview. Some carefully chosen words can save you time, money and protect your brand. It’s a complex and sensitive market at the moment, and a lack of clarity around the role can kick start some pretty bad press. 

Your service offering, nature of projects and client accounts, business model, business strategy and culture all feed into what type of person you are looking to join you in your Account Management team.  

Below we have detailed some definitions and detail to help you refine, describe, and attract the right person. Whatever description fits, if sector experience (Retail, Healthcare, etc.) and/or discipline experience (Corporate Comms, Digital, CRM, Integrated) is essential, make sure you say it. 

Account Manager A - When you have lots of project work you need an Account Manager. 

Career path: Account Executive > Senior Account Executive or Account Manager > Senior Account Manager > Account Director 

An all-rounder Account Manager will be experienced in managing projects and campaigns for a portfolio of clients, delivering a high-quality service and support. They will be the key day to day client contact and enjoy close and accessible relationships with key stakeholders. They will also be responsible for writing compelling briefs to inform and engage the creative teams in the delivery of a variety of work. Project delivery, creativity and relationship building are the attributes in an excellent AM. Depending on how many years’ experience, and who this person reports into, will determine whether they are called an Account Manager or a Senior Account Manager. 

Account Manager B – When you have got lots of pitch work, strategic projects and client business growth to consider, you need to think about career paths.

Career path: Account Executive > Account Manager > Senior Account Manager or Strategist > Account Director 

If your business is more strategically-led, and growth focussed, it is likely any Account Manager you bring in is going on a path that will take them away from pure project delivery, into a growth/development/strategic direction. As such, if you are bringing in AM level, think about where their skills and attributes are going to take them in the future. We have first-hand experience and have met many Senior AM’s who become frustrated and unhappy when the next step isn’t aligned to their natural attributes or career goals. If you need AM’s who are thinkers, natural planners, presenters, opportunists, results driven, as well as able to manage clients and project delivery, then definitely detail and qualify this. This is especially critical when you want to employ people who
will stay with you long term.

Account Manager C – When you are at the size where you can model your business with growth, relationship building and do-ers, you need a Project Manager.  

Career path: Account Executive/Project Executive/Project Co-ordinator > Project Manager > Senior Project Manager 

A Project Manager is responsible for the end to end management of campaigns, delivering multi-media assets and working in partnership with the Account Management team, internal and external resource, and suppliers. They touch a wide variety of media projects, starting from brief receipt and reviews, right through to production and delivery. Everything is planned, recorded, and executed by this role.

This is an ideal role when you have an established Client Service team, mainly focused on liaising with the client and growing the account, but you need someone to manage the organisation and delivery of large and complex projects.

Day-to-day projects could include roll-out of designs, digital design and build, pre and post-film production, film and photography shoot management and event management.

Account Manager D – When you have a large film and/or motion graphics offering you need a Producer.

Career path: Production Exec/Assistant/Co-ordinator /Runner > Junior Producer > Producer > Senior Producer 

With all the attributes and skills of a Project Manager, the Producer comes with specialist film/motion experience. Whether you are a specialist film and motion agency, or department, or you're experiencing growth in this area, it’s vital that a Producer is responsible for managing and overseeing all film and photography production. They will work independently to plan and co-ordinate various aspects of production, such as overseeing the script and concept, co-ordinating, and feeding into the creative, storyboards, logistics, directing, editing, and managing and arranging finance.

A Producer will be expected to work effectively with creative teams, Photographers, client leads, internal and freelance production crews. They will be a self-starter, proactive and capable of managing a team and working closely with key stakeholders to produce a high standard of work.  

Account Manager E – when you’d like your Account Manager to play more of an internal role, you may actually want a Studio Exec/Manager or Traffic Manager.  

Career path: Account Exec/Project Exec/Studio Exec > Studio Manager/Operations Manager/Traffic Manager  

The structure of your studio or agency is such that for this hire, you need an internal focus, but with the flexibility to take on the management of client projects too. You need all the ingredients of a good Account Manager, the experience in project delivery but without so much creative, strategic, or business planning focus. The Traffic Manager's main objective is to ensure that all marketing collateral, and work from Client Services, flow efficiently to the creative and production departments. This person is responsible for keeping everyone on task and projects to deadline, handling the logistics and keeping all parties updated on progress. They may also take responsibility for the management of projects in busier periods or for smaller teams. This role can often lead to an Operations Manager or Director at a senior level. 

At Beyond The Book, we are here to help you. If you need your job title and/or job description reviewed, to ensure you are talking to the right people and protecting your time, spend and brand at the same time; we would be more than happy to discuss on the phone, on a videocall, or come and visit, to offer as much value as we can.