How to hire for creative skills

​Hiring for creative skills amongst creative, digital marketing and tech professionals is a very broad discipline, but so rewarding if done right and done with cultural fit in mind! When you hire professionals with the creative skills you need in line with your company culture and ethos, you make a hire with better longevity, higher productivity, and generally better morale.

 However, hiring creative skills is no mean feat, there are plenty out there to choose from and ensuring you get the right ones that align with your company’s or team’s current and future needs is vital. Enjoy the DMCG Global guide to hiring the creative skills you need to meet your needs with the future in mind.

Top creative skill set examples to consider:

The move towards online and digital marketing was already in motion prior to 2020, however, global events accelerated this trend and led to changes in how businesses approach recruitment for creative roles and removed significant barriers in the drive toward diversity and inclusion.

Most significantly for creative professionals, the trend towards digital, online strategies has had an impact on creative industries such as marketing and advertising and led to increased demand for the skills needed to capitalise on this shift.

Here are some examples of skills that are in demand amongst creative professionals:

• Time management

Life in the creative industries means being able to balance time working creatively and the time spent on more mundane, but essential tasks.

• Varied creative media skills

Knowledge of the platforms and tools available to develop and produce creative digital media such as photo, video and audio editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Pro Tools or Apple iMovie are in high demand.

• Project management for creative professionals

In the creative industries this means being able to balance planning and execution and allowing time and space for the creative process and the spark of inspiration. Strong creative project managers can foster talent and still hit deadlines.

• Idea generation techniques of creative professionals

Looking beyond brainstorming to use creative techniques such as problem or solution-centric ideas challenges, first principles, or SCAMPER to generate, develop and evaluate relevant, creative ideas that spark conversations will be vital to creating innovative ideas to meet the creative requirements of forward-thinking businesses.

• Visual or written storytelling

Strong evidence of an understanding of story structure, narrative and how it can be used across different media to grip an audience and to persuade them.

• Empathy and emotional intelligence

The ability to understand target audiences and develop the tools to reach them effectively often hinges around emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence can also help build and strengthen working relationships.

• Creative problem solving

The process of searching for innovative and novel solutions to existing problems and being able to understand and utilise tools and techniques to do so quickly and effectively is a high-priority skill set for most employers.

• Communication and collaboration

The ability to communicate a creative vision effectively whilst still working inside of a brief and to bring together other people to achieve your tasks and meet your goals is the mainstay of successful creative projects.

How to identify which creative skillset you need

There are a few essential, effective ways to conduct a skills gap analysis at a team level and identify which creative skillset will be the best fit.

1. Assess upcoming projects’ creative requirements

By looking at the requirements for upcoming projects and listing the creative skills required to achieve these you can be sure that your hiring expectations are realistic and that you’ll utilise current employees more effectively.

2. Assess your current team’s skills

There are numerous ways to measure your current team's existing skill levels:

• Get your team to fill out surveys listing their competencies

• Initiate individual and group discussions on areas of strength and weakness

• Examine feedback from existing performance reviews

3. Identify any gaps in their knowledge

The gaps between the skills and knowledge your upcoming projects require and the skills and knowledge your current team possesses are the places you need to focus your recruitment.

One final key factor to take into account is your overall company culture. What qualities do you value as a company? How will new hires fit into your existing structure? It is important to balance your creative needs with your cultural ideals. Hiring without taking cultural fit into account risks destabilising your existing team’s structure and workflow.

How to hire for creative skills

• Create dynamic advertisements that focus on accuracy

 You’re hiring for a creative role so it’s ok to stand out and be a little different with your job listing but remember to focus on accurately describing the position, the skills you need, and the responsibilities involved. Avoid buzzwords and job titles that do not convey the scope of the role. Being a creative rockstar might sound fun but you’ll get fewer hits and applications.

• Make sure you’re seen by the right people in the right place

Discover where creative professionals hang out, network and look for jobs. Connect using social media channels and networking events. Look for up and coming talent at Graduate showcases or jobs fairs, post your adverts on specialist jobs boards and utilise the connections and recommendations of your current team.

• Get in touch with a specialist recruiter

Specialist creative recruiters develop diverse talent networks and connections with large numbers of the strongest performing creative professionals which means they can help you fill roles quickly and efficiently.

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Successful marketing teams start with talented individuals that can collaborate effectively to drive performance and results. Our global talent consultancy at DMCG Global helps to quickly connect marketing agencies and brands with the right individuals anywhere on the planet. If you are looking for marketing professionals and would like a bespoke, high-quality recruitment service, our expert consultants will be happy to help.

Get in touch below to find out more.

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