4 Recruiters on How to Win the War for Talent

Over the past year, the advertising and marketing industries have reported staffing shortages. Rather than being able to rely on full timers, many agencies are increasingly being forced to outsource projects to freelance creatives. While this is undoubtedly frustrating for those at the top who are running the agencies, this new shift has enabled talent to take more control over their schedules, their work and, by extension, their lives. Adweek spoke to four recruiters to get their perspective on the talent market, including their explanations for where agencies have gone wrong and how talent can take advantage of this extraordinary opportunity for workers to find the right career opportunities. Inside the War for Talent: What Holding Companies Are Doing to Attract Job Seekers Overworked creatives So why is it that agencies have become so short-staffed? According to Christie Cordes, a recruiter and founder of Ad Recruiter who works directly with CEOs and hiring managers in HR departments, the talent shortage speaks to a much deeper issue with agency cultures. “Agencies have sort of become vendors to clients [rather than] consultants," Cordes told Adweek. "With the merging of social media and the importance of communication without words, the content strain on agencies is tremendous—so working inside the agencies, for creatives, is awful." She explained that the environment inside agencies—the overnight deadlines, the constant pressure, the rapid-fire assignments—are causing creatives to burn out. She also cites a lack of mentorship that stems from agencies hiring young, fresh-out-of-school talent while edging out the older, more experienced folks. “Creative talent needs to be nurtured. Until [agencies] do that, they’re going to keep bleeding talent because that’s not the right atmosphere for creative people,” she said. “They’re being treated like mice; like hamsters on a wheel.” The result is a wave of creatives finding greener pastures as freelancers where they can set their own schedules. Independent Agencies Preach Flexibility and Transparency to Lure Top Talent A candidate's market Barbara Tejada, recruiter and owner of Mighty Recruiting, used the term “candidate's market” to describe today’s environment. Simply put, it means that available jobs outnumber the people who are looking for them. “It’s great coming out of a year like last year where we saw the industry laying off a lot of people,” she said, adding that the environment has completely flipped in favor of the talent. "It’s an all-out talent war. Agencies don’t want to lose their talent and are counter-offering to try to get people to stay. There are a ton of jobs, and the talent has their choice right now as to what they want and what they can do.” Nicole Bouchard, recruiter at Syndicatebleu Creative Talent, is seeing agencies hiring back talent they cut or furloughed due to the pandemic, but they're running into roadblocks. "[There are] candidates who are juggling a few different opportunities. Or candidates already in full-time positions who don’t want to leave for another opportunity. It’s more competitive for the agencies.” What Will It Take for Agencies to Retain Diverse Talent? More leverage for talent Like Cordes said, one way that talent can take advantage of the staffing shortage is by freelancing. Although it's not for everyone, freelancing can carry a lot of benefits that a creative wouldn't necessarily get in a full-time position—namely, the freedom to choose their hours, their jobs and where they physically work. But even those looking for a full-time agency job have leverage now when it comes to hours and the ability to work from home. After offices closed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, creatives, like many others, found that working from home was preferable to working in an office. So much so that, according to Diana Qasabian, managing director of Syndicatebleu Creative Talent, a lot are reportedly turning down jobs because it would require them to work in an office. “I’ve never had more people decline offers than I have this past year," she said. Qasabian primarily recruits talent for contractual or contract-to-full-time roles. “They’re [also] being very particular,” she added. “Because there’s so much work for people with agency experience or just talent in general. They’re getting multiple offers, so they’re being very picky.” The surplus allows workers to pass on opportunities that don't appeal to them. Due to this shift, talent can take advantage by advocating for themselves and negotiating everything from rates to benefits to in-office expectations. And if a company isn't willing to negotiate or isn't receptive to the talent's terms, the talent can simply walk away for another opportunity. “It’s funny because recruiters are the ones getting ghosted now!” Tejada joked. “Earlier this year, [talent—especially] freelancers—were like, ‘This is our market’ and [realized they should be] asking for their highest rates. Agencies can get a little ticked off, but it is their market." Young Marketers Want Agencies That Align With Their Values—Especially on Climate Issues How to find these jobs The first step to taking advantage of the staffing shortage is finding the jobs. Or have the jobs find the talent. “The talent, especially in our industry, can attract the agencies to them,” Cordes said, pointing to the power and importance of a solid social media presence. “How do they represent themselves on social? What do their bios say? How gorgeous is their LinkedIn? … If you make them gorgeous, the agencies will come to you.” Cordes recommended that talent build an online presence to act as their billboard. She advised creatives looking for jobs to be consistent and active across all social media accounts. Every detail counts, she noted. You need to have a publicly-accessible profile—especially on LinkedIn. “[A lot of creatives] hate LinkedIn so they have blank profiles. They’re thinking about it all wrong—LinkedIn isn’t for them; it’s for me,” she said, explaining she won't reach out to you if your profile is blank. “Don’t hide your talent. Don’t hide your light. Don’t hide your experience,” she stressed. “Shine all of that, and you will attract employers to you.” To Survive A Competitive Talent Market, Agencies Must Rewrite Recruitment Rules

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