“It can be interesting to see the range of experimentation,” he continues. “In an interview, we tend to look at both the outcome and the process behind it – but less ‘what could have been’ at an embryonic level.”
APPRAISE PEOPLE’S STRENGTHS QUICKLY
In an increasingly competitive landscape, being able to quickly understand an individual’s creative process and review their work at a glance can be invaluable. “We look for people who place value on thinking, not just craftsmanship,” confirms Manchipp, who adds that the allure of WIP is particularly strong in motion work.
“Hiring managers want to quickly sample the projects that people have worked on, but also dive deeper into their thinking and how they solve creative challenges,” agrees Scotland. Having built its name as a platform to showcase work-in-progress designs, Dribbble is well placed to do both – and will soon be launching a bespoke case study creation tool. “We’ve found that recruiters and brands are looking for ways to identify and connect with potential talent, all in one place.”
“The communication during this process also needs to be tailored and personal to the candidates,” adds Ruffner. “You need a good level of engagement throughout. If you can’t, it’s likely you’ll lose your candidate to a competitor who can.”
And according to Ruffner, competition for the people that hit that sweet spot is fiercer than ever before. So, what’s the secret to recruiting the best talent for your agency in 2022?
SPEED AND EFFICIENCY ARE OF THE ESSENCE
Remote working unlocks many opportunities, but it adds an extra layer of challenges when it comes to attracting and retaining the best talent. Fellow agencies all over the world have access to the same pool, after all, and with a wealth of opportunities for the most talented individuals, the recruitment process must be smooth.
Generalist recruitment platforms can be useful in some cases, but Ruffner also advises exploring more targeted niches to find the perfect fit for a role. “This helps reach specialised talent, while cutting down on candidates that might not be right for the role,” he explains.
“Websites can often take ages to navigate,” points out Manchipp. “Those hiring will undoubtedly have more than one person to consider. If your site requires each job to be clicked on, opened, read, and closed, only to click to another… the chances are many projects will not be seen. It helps to see all projects in a clear overview.”
Ruffner agrees that speed is vital. “Due to the competitiveness of the market, you definitely need to be faster with your hiring,” he says. “The entire process, from first conversation to sending an offer, needs to be around two weeks.”
Fostering a large, vibrant community is important, but so is the means to find and connect with talent
Whoever can identify and connect with talent, get them excited, and make an offer fastest will win out
“Candidates are no longer expected to have to travel to a work location every day, so job searches are becoming more global – opening the market up further for recruiters,” explains Tim Ruffner, CEO at specialist recruitment platform Join. “People are more likely to hire someone who is the right fit but lives in a different city, rather than settling for someone less suited to the team who is located closer.”
“We’re definitely finding that recruiters and hiring managers want to connect with a bigger talent pool more efficiently,” agrees Scotland. “Fostering a large, vibrant community is important, but so is the means to find and connect with talent.” For instance, Dribbble has built-in functionality so that recruiters can message or even schedule a call with people directly from their portfolio page.
“For us, recruitment is a balance between finding extraordinarily talented people, who are not deluded; who have experience, but are not made cynical by it,” says Simon Manchipp, Founder & Executive Strategic Creative Director at branding agency SomeOne.
Digitalisation of the recruitment process has been accelerated significantly by the pandemic: with the right tools, you can easily access an international talent pool. And with a marked increase in the number of remote and hybrid roles, the best people could be at your fingertips – wherever you’re based.
ENGAGE WITH THE CREATIVE COMMUNITY
Find out more at dribbble.com/hiring
“Remote working means talent have more options than ever,” agrees Lawrence Scotland, Senior Director of Marketing at Dribbble. “With this in mind, we designed our platform not only to help designers get found, but to help hiring managers find the right talent more efficiently.”
“With recruitment going – in most cases – entirely virtual, whoever can identify and connect with talent, get them excited, and make an offer fastest will win out,” explains Scotland. “It needs to be easier, more engaged, faster, and more seamless. Any friction or disconnect will increase the likelihood that talent will go elsewhere.”
