When you are looking to hire through an agency
Companies enlisting the aid of creative placement
agencies expect to find better-qualified creatives
and screening of staff and freelance talent. As an
employer, your goal is to save time, energy and
attention. When you call in search of creative staff
or freelancers, placement agencies are there to select
the candidate with the right skills for the project,
with less stress and more productivity for you. Here
are four tips for working with a temp agency:
1. Once you have discussed your creative staffing or
freelance needs, you will work with an account rep
or staffing manager. Look for a firm who will assign
you a company representative that works to gain
an in-depth understanding of your needs. Emily
Brewer, Aquent Creative recruiter, says, “Clients
need to understand that 90 percent of what we do
for them is behind the scenes, and we are only submitting
the cream of the crop. We are working hard
to understand their business, culture and goals and
doing all we can to find them the right people. The
candidates we submit are prescreened and prequalifi
ed candidates, not just random resumés.”
2. The agency should get to know you, your needs
and your budget, but you have to do your homework
as well. The better information you can give
the agency, the better the match it can make. Dave
Willmer, executive director of The Creative Group,
offers, “More information is better than less when
it comes to letting the staffing manager know your
needs. In addition to describing the hard skills
required for freelance positions, think about the
traits that make someone successful in your organization
and describe these qualities to the staffing
manager. Don’t stop with the big picture; you also
want to address the details. Is the dress code conservative?
What kind of hours do people work? Is there
a challenging personality type the freelancer will
have to work with?”
3. Once you have developed a relationship with a
temp agency, look for follow up. Find firms that
proactively keep in touch, making sure the placement
is working out and staying ahead of recurring
needs. Willmer says, “Once we’ve placed a
freelancer, we’ll follow up with both the client and
the professional to ensure the engagement is working.
If for any reason it is not and the client notifi
es us within 16 hours, we’ll replace the freelance
professional promptly at no charge to the client. It’s
important for firms to let their staffing manager
know how the freelancer is working out as soon as
possible. Regular feedback is essential for forming
a successful working relationship.” Brewer adds, “I
work closely with other team members in the office
to maintain contact with my client base as regularly
as possible. We call, e-mail and showcase talent we
think would be a great fit, regardless of whether the
company has called us with a need. This shows businesses
that we think about them and not just when
they call us.”
4. Rushing to put a body in a chair in front of
a project rarely is successful. I recommend you
be better prepared to hire through a placement
agency instead of trying to find someone in a lastminute
panic. This means looking for a staffing
firm before you actually need one, because by the
time you need one—yes, panic has set in. Marcia
Murray of Murray+Tatro says, “Usually the panic
seems to come from a firm’s clients, so the firm has
inherited a last-minute need. When that happens,
it can’t be easily avoided. Also many companies
don’t have the luxury of keeping extra people on
staff to take up the slack and jump in if needed.
Many of my clients ‘run thin’ in the creative
departments for economic reasons. I suppose in a
perfect world they could have an open-door policy
about looking at portfolios for future needs, but
frankly most of our clients are too busy.”
Lion’s share
To get the most out of a relationship with an
agency: Do some research, check references and
find someone comfortable for you and your needs.
The best relationships are built on trust and experience,
and these will not magically appear when
you need to find creative staff or a freelancer. Jojo
Varona of The Job Shop confirms this, “Our clients
know that when we send them candidates,
the candidates have been properly screened. We
meet with every single one of our candidates, and
the candidates know where their resumé is being
presented. If we don’t have a candidate to present,
we tell our clients up front of the difficulty of
the search. There are a lot of candidates out there
and a lot of open positions. The key is finding the
appropriate candidate for the right position. Our
clients know that we will not send them a candidate
just to send them someone.”
Yes, it will cost you to take the time to research
placement firms for your creative staff and freelance
needs, but it most likely will cost you more not to do
the research in advance.
When you want to get work via a temp agency
Since clients look for a large variety of staff and freelance
help based on product experience, style, salary
level and proficiency in certain software, placement
firms look for top quality creatives—and that could
be you! Placement firms are highly motivated to
match their clients’ needs with talent from their creative
pool, meaning your first step is finding a temp
agency to represent you. Follow these four tips for
getting hired through an agency:
1. Placement firms generally look for creative professionals
who are highly skilled, have great portfolios
and demonstrate strong communication skills. Most
prefer personal interviews, so be prepared. You are
not only showing a portfolio, you are selling the
agency on working with you. Brewer says, “When I
am searching for and screening talent for our active
pool, I look for a background that is solid in whatever
their industry is. I look for people who have
worked for well-known companies, who can articulate
the results they have achieved in past positions,
who are professional and personable and who have
great portfolios. Basically, I look for people who I’m
able to passionately represent to my clients and who I
feel confident would represent us in the most positive
light possible when they’re on site with a client.”
2. Many agencies have staff who are working or
former creatives, so the agencies are able to more
accurately evaluate the knowledge and skills that
are necessary for different creative jobs and projects.
Be certain you can speak to how and why you did
the work in your portfolio. Says Willmer, “Our
evaluation process includes an interview, and where
applicable, a portfolio review as well as skills testing.
We also perform selected reference checks. Our goal
throughout this process is to understand the freelancer’s
skills and experience, as well as the type of
environment the individual is most likely to thrive
in. When making an assessment, it’s important to
take the whole picture into account.”
3. Talent, skills, enthusiasm, experience can all be
there and still a placement can go wrong. Because
the creative process is not a product sold off a shelf,
some agencies take temperament and personality
into the mix to better assure a match. Karl Heine,
principal, Creative Placement Agency, says, “Once
we have established that a candidate is talented,
we’ll explore for personality. Personality is connected
to emotions, and it’s what inspires creative
thought. We try to match someone’s personality to
where they will work and for whom. Some creatives
like a fast-paced, deadline-intensive environment.
Others prefer a more relaxed environment. We
explore what drives them, their passions and inspiration.
We like to ask a lot of questions about what
works best for them, what they want to do in the
style of work, agency or corporation, travel or location.
We’re in this business to make the right fit for
our client and candidate.”
4. Know the difference between strong design communication
versus simply cool or pretty pictures.
It’s about getting hired because you can deliver the
message that the client needs, so only show your best
work and be able to communicate why your solution
worked for the client. Heine says, “When we review
portfolios, we look for: Did the work communicate
a clear message from a visual perspective? Did it read
correctly from a copy and typography perspective?
If available, was the piece or campaign successful for
the client?”
SIDEBAR: Karl Heine, Principal, Creative Placement Agency:
The best way for an
employer to prepare
for a new hire and
engage in a relationship
with a recruitment
agency is to plan
ahead and evaluate
the open position.
Writing a detailed job
description that clarifi
es the responsibilities
is extremely helpful.
From the staffing
agency’s viewpoint,
here are some of the
questions that would
assist in the search
process:
- Can we set up a
meeting in person
so our agency can
get a better picture
of your company’s
personality?
- Will this search be
handled through
human resources or
will our agency be
dealing directly with
the hiring manager?
- What type of personality
type would
fit best with your
present department
or team?
- Are there any other
skills you would
like this candidate
to have that are
not listed in the job
description?
- Are there schools or
similar companies
that you respect
that would help as a
reference point?
- What is the time
frame to fill this
position?
- Is this a new hire or
a replacement?
- Do you have additional
company
information that
would offer attractive
benefits to
entice prospective
candidates?
- Is this our exclusive
search or have
you engaged other
recruitment agencies
as well?
- Are you posting this
everywhere on the
web or a few choice
sites?
- What are those
websites?
- When reviewing
work, do you want
digital samples or
a website with the
candidate’s resumé?
In regard to a traditional
portfolio, will
our candidates need
to drop it off or will
the portfolio be
reviewed during an
in-person interview?
- Is viewing a portfolio
on computer
acceptable for an
in-person interview
or are printed samples
necessary?
