If you’re a jobseeker, you may be feeling like 2010’s slow building wave of optimism is building a little too slowly for your taste.  While the job market has definitely picked up for marketing and communications, hiring managers continue to move judiciously when it comes to new hires.  In many cases, they are waiting for 90-95% accuracy on a job spec before activating recruitment and the timeline between an open requisition and an offer can seem like an eternity. So, are there ways to overcome sluggish hiring timelines and even future employer cold feet?  Keeping in mind that there is a paper thin line between being proactive and being too pushy, there are few things you can do to help the process (and yourself) from interview to offer.

 ·         Know your audience.  And know the company you are interviewing with.  Are they conservative?  Are they creative?  It is imperative that you deliver your message (both length and content) based on the company’s culture and your interviewer’s demeanor. 

·         Call for back-up. Once you’ve interviewed, if it sounds like there is anything about your experience that is giving your potential employer pause (e.g. not enough PR experience), provide a reference that can speak to your background in that area.

 ·         Dip into the bag of tricks (within reason).  Again, if you’re in the post-interview waiting game, it can be appropriate to send along a follow-up that highlights your background in a creative way (e.g. send the viral video you helped develop and referenced in your interview as part of your thank you). However, this tactic is tricky, so if your gut is telling you your idea is too wacky, then it probably is. 

While it’s easy to get discouraged with hurry up and wait timelines, the increase in activity for the marketing and communications job market is extremely encouraging.  And hopefully the tips I’ve outlined above will help you keep your employment prospects moving forward.