Struggling to find the creative talent you need? 5 ways to switch up your hiring
Discover five innovative ways to switch up your hiring strategies and attract creative candidates
The creative industries are experiencing a boom. It is estimated that over 1.2 million new workers will be needed in the sector over the next decade. Yet, 73% of creative businesses struggle to find people with the right skills.
This talent shortage means that employers hiring for creative talent need to find new ways to attract the best creative talent and develop strategies to develop and retain existing talent more effectively.
How to attract talent in the creative industries
Talented creatives have chosen their careers because they are driven by curiosity, imagination, and expression. Their expectations for their workplace go beyond more traditional concerns of money and stability. Creatives want to be excited and intellectually stimulated by their work. They also value flexibility and the freedom to work in the ways that best suit their creative process. 30% of UK professionals say they would prefer greater flexibility to a pay rise.
Flexibility doesn’t just benefit employees; flexibility can increase productivity. One creative business, Radioactive PR, implemented a four-day working week and saw 70% growth in the year following.
5 out of the box recruiting strategies to switch up your hiring
To better appeal to creative talent, employers should try to think outside the box when it comes to developing recruitment strategies aimed at attracting individuals with the right skills and experience, such as:
1.Developing your employer brand
Just as consumers want to purchase from companies with strong brand values, talented creatives increasingly want to work for a company that shares their values and has a reputation as a supportive employer. 75% of applicants consider employer brand before applying (although they may now know it).
Ensure that your employer brand demonstrates the qualities that sets you apart as an employer, your workplace culture, and your brand purpose. Ensure that you showcase these values uniformly across all your public-facing channels.
2.Leveraging passive candidates
Believe it or not, you have a network of creative talent at your fingertips. Your current employees’ professional networks and channels, such as LinkedIn, enable you to target passive candidates with the skills you need rather than waiting for candidates to come to you.
You can also utilise current employees for testimonials. 86% of candidates use review sites like Glassdoor to decide on where to apply. Try to spark passive candidates’ interest in your vision and tell them exactly why they should want to work for you.
3.Use non-traditional media to stand out
Most job descriptions candidates come across will be in the same format; a written blurb followed by bullet-point lists of required skills and competencies. By leveraging digital innovation and non-traditional media you can stand out from the crowd. Videos, podcasts and social media posts are all great ways to reach out and let people know about open vacancies. Using them will appeal to creative talent and tell them that you offer a working culture that embraces innovation, new technologies and encourages creativity.
4.Hire for potential
When you are hiring for creative skills consider the long-term outlook for your business. What creative skills will you need to support that vision? It is unlikely that you will find candidates that tick all the boxes. If you are trying to choose between two qualified candidates or you are struggling to find the skills you need in the short term, you might look for talented creatives who show potential. Hire for soft skills such as collaboration and communication and use training and development programmes to develop talent further to better fit your needs.
5.Grant freedom and flexibility
Creative talent are most happy when they are offered a level of creative freedom and flexible working practices, such as hybrid working, casual dress codes and adjustable breaks. Work with your employees to set standards for productivity and then allow them the autonomy to work independently.
This will foster a culture of trust, innovation, and balance that creative talent values and allow employees to develop the engagement and self-motivation needed to drive your business forward.
How to recruit diverse talent to your agency
Fostering diversity in your workplace can also be an excellent way to access talented creative professionals and encourage a workplace culture of inclusivity that is attractive to creative talent.
These three simple steps can help you change up your hiring strategy to recruit diverse creative talent.
1.Change your interview practices and processes
Assess your current hiring processes and identify any bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Make sure your job descriptions are worded in a way that encourages applications from under-represented groups and consider changing how and where you source candidates. For example, if most of your applications come from job boards consider using LinkedIn or employee referrals instead.
2.Challenge unconscious bias
Everybody possesses unconscious biases. Invest in bias training for your hiring and leadership teams to allow them to identify and avoid unconscious bias, particularly when conducting interviews and screening CVs. Examine your job adverts and other materials such as group emails, company newsletters, or workplace policies and remove any biased language.
3.Create an inclusive workplace culture
Take steps to encourage a supportive and welcoming workplace culture. Re-examine holiday and time-off procedures and look for ways to make them more flexible and inclusive. Encourage an atmosphere of respect and open communication that allows everybody to feel heard and supported.
How DMCG Global can help you attract creative candidates
If you are looking for advice on how to create a recruitment strategy that attracts the best creative or marketing talent available, DMCG Global can help. If you are looking to appeal to top-quality professionals and would like a bespoke recruitment service, our expert consultants would be happy to discuss you needs. Get in touch below to find out more.
