By Lucy Marino, Executive Director, Marketing and Creative, Robert Half
I was speaking with a creative agency leader looking to hire for several positions and she voiced a frustration I’ve been hearing a lot lately: “My network is tapped.”
In the creative world, where professionals often find their next opportunity through who they know rather than job boards, a creative agency leader with a limited network faces significant challenges recruiting talent.
Given that some marketing and creative positions have unemployment rates as low as 2.1%, it’s not surprising that agencies are struggling to recruit. According to research from Robert Half, another contributor to the shortage of available skilled creative talent is fewer professionals considering a job change. Seventy-seven percent of workers say they are generally happy in their role.
At the same time, networking has declined. Research by professors at the Yale School of Management shows that professional and personal networks shrank by about 16% during the pandemic. Without intentional efforts to meet new people and nurture existing relationships, creative agencies will face increasing difficulties in hiring.
Here are seven strategies that I’ve found to be effective when it comes to growing and deepening your network, which makes recruiting creative talent easier:
I wholeheartedly believe that successfully building relationships — at its core — is about helping the other person. So, flip the script on how most people approach networking and embrace an attitude of giving versus taking. Find out what the person you’re speaking with needs and see if there’s a way you can be of assistance. When you take an interest in someone and their goals, that’s when you make an impression.
Tip: When getting to know someone, consider who or what you can connect them to. For example, can you make an introduction to someone they might benefit from meeting or share an article that could help with a creative challenge? These types of efforts will foster trust and reciprocity.
Reaching out to former colleagues, collaborators and clients has never been easier, even if they’ve moved or changed jobs. Send them an email or message asking how they’re doing and providing a shared memory.
Tip: For closer connections with whom you’ve had positive professional experiences, consider writing them a recommendation or testimonial on a professional networking website. Just four or five sentences are enough to enhance their profile and make them feel valued. This is a thoughtful gesture that most of us don’t do often enough and can help strengthen relationships.
For newer connections or those whom you don’t know well but are interested in learning more about, reach out and suggest a phone or video call or in-person meet and greet if they live locally. (If you’re wondering why you should invest time in developing these relationships, research from Stanford, MIT and Harvard scientists says, “People with whom you have weaker ties are more likely to have information or connections that are useful and relevant.”)
Find out how Robert Half can help you find your next great hire.
Whether you’re attending a 30-minute webinar or a virtual one-day conference, you can maximize your networking opportunities by keeping your camera on, participating in the chat or comments section, and taking note of people who voice thought-provoking ideas or perspectives. Afterward, reach out to those people and share the impact they had. You may have just made a new connection.
Tip: Help those who wanted to attend the event but couldn’t by bringing them up to speed. In a professional networking post, highlight what you felt was the most interesting information shared. Quote people directly, remembering to tag them. This action shows you’re an active contributor to the creative community.
Spontaneous interactions, side conversations and chance encounters are the hallmarks of in-person events that can make the time investment worthwhile.
As well as attending industry conferences and events for graphic designers, copywriters, video editors and content creators, such as your local AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) chapter, consider artist and author talks and local events at Creative Mornings and Ladies, Wine & Design. You will likely come away from these lectures and activities with new ideas and contacts. You may even be interested in sponsoring some of these events in the future to boost your employer brand.
Tip: You can often find creatives with specialized skill sets working out of coworking spaces. Search “coworking spaces near me” online and check out the spaces’ social media presence and the events tab on their websites to find information on event registration or sponsorship.
Discover how to make better hires with these insightful questions to ask potential employees.
When you have a dozen irons in the fire at work, you may be tempted to opt out of attending an in-person or virtual networking event. In the short term, deciding to focus on tackling your to-do list might make sense, but in the long term, you may be hindering yourself.
When you aren’t meeting new people and being exposed to different ideas, you’re missing out on connections and conversations that may not seem significant now but could lead to bigger things, such as an in-demand hire, in a few months’ time.
Tip: Make it harder to bow out by signing up for events with a colleague or friend. Posting on social media about your planned attendance a few days beforehand will also increase your accountability.
Instead of leaving your office to learn and mingle, you can bring creatives to you by hosting an event. Think about what creatives in your area are most interested in right now and see if you can cater to this need by bringing in experts to discuss the topic.
Maybe that means co-hosting with another organization (e.g., an AI video software company), which employs these professionals, or creating a seasonal speaker series consisting of friends who are also influencers in the creative community. By hosting events, you create opportunities for others to network, which will reflect positively on you and your creative agency.
Tip: Live events can get complicated quickly, so start small.
Just as a successful creative career requires discipline, so does growing relationships. It’s best not to wait until you’re in the mood or in need of connections.
Instead, make relationship building a regular part of your week. Block off 15 minutes on a Tuesday and 15 minutes on a Friday to engage with people, especially those you recently met at an event. Whether you interact via social media or professional networking sites, email or pick up the phone, keep in touch in a way that’s helpful or encouraging.
Tip: Keep a running list of articles, podcasts, books and quotes that your contacts might benefit from hearing about. You can send them the links as part of your communication.
By employing these strategies, you’ll not only expand your network and ability to recruit creative talent, but you will also enrich your professional and personal life.
Follow Lucy Marino on LinkedIn.
