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Hey Fishes,
Can anyone give me referral ?
Thanks!
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When does HCL pay annual bonus? Which month?
Here it is.
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Thoughts on Klick??? Very intrigued
Coach
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Hi! Pay us what we're worth. Hire people to support us (junior to mid-level talent) so that we can focus on leadership, growing junior talent, and big thinking for you, instead of doing grunt work all the time. Stop running departments so lean. Focus on communication and treating these people like leaders in their respective departments.
As a hiring manager myself, it's slim pickings out there when it comes to actual senior talent. Many candidates are actually mid-level who want the title and sometimes the money, but without wanting to step up to actual management responsibilities. They think "managing" just means having someone do their bitch work and getting credit for things. What agencies need to do is invest in experience and people who actually do embrace the tough parts of their roles. Problem is, these people know their worth and look for more than just a title bump.
Thanks! Your first paragraph is exactly what I’ve got, so that’s good. We’ve got money, lots of junior and mid talent, and room for leadership possibilities!
Paragraph 2 is unfortunately also right and the problem. Just too few people for too many spots...
I think you could also be more open minded about people who have good DTC but limited HCP. I’ve seen lots of people complain about not being considered. We can teach the nuances of HCP, and in my experience, people with consumer tend to be more creative than strictly HCP books
CD1, I see your point. We make sure people have a mix of DTC and HCP assignments, unless they were expressly hired for HCP only. And our DTC people don’t really care if they don’t go to an HCP client meeting if it’s not their account. I agree that they often can’t talk the science like true HCP creatives can
I made $175000 in 2011 as an ACD. That’s ~$200000 in today’s dollars. Are you offering $200K to ACDs?
If not, you’ve got your answer
That is exactly the amount I have for an ACD. :)
The only time I’ve ever found decent candidates, if I searched myself. When I did this I found that the recruiters had red tape on a lot of candidates. Everyone sometimes deserves a second chance and we shouldn’t be letting recruiters who don’t do the work curate for us.
Unfortunately that’s how you have to do it. The candidates are more open to creatives contacting them. The chances of even opening the LinkedIn message is much higher. I had a call this week with a recruiter, they struggled to find the notes on the call, then check if we were connected on LI-and then they pulled a bait and switch. Originally the job was for a CD role in the first email on the call it was lateral ACD role. Pure laziness.
Don't pass us over because we're over 40...
I’m over 40 too. I go by Talent not age... 👍
For Copy: This industry wants every candidate to just know how to work in this highly specialized industry. Not only know the science but magically be highly creative too. Invest in training to avoid frustrations and junior/consumer talent feeling like they are not made for this industry and quit. There are so many PhD candidates who want to get in to our (communications) industry that will take such jobs in a heartbeat. If the industry/agency invests in training them and help them navigate the transition, soon these folks can easily rise to the top.
For Copy and Art: Staff your teams properly so that juniors are not burnt out burning the midnight oil. By the time they reach mid-level, their souls are crushed just doing grunt work. Keep a check on abuse. Train. Train. Train. Give them opportunities. Give them a chance to build portfolios. Send them to award shows, events, spark their curiosity from time to time. Take a chance with your employees and they will surprise you. Not just your favorite people. Promote from within. Take care of mid-level creatives who can become successful Senior level creatives. Shuffle your promising mid level creatives to brands that will help them shine.
Hold your recruiters accountable.
I do and have promoted from within. I need someone more senior than what I have possible.
Just like SVP1 said decent pay is important, especially at higher positions. Work/life balance and how stable the agency is with work is also considered.
Your ECD has 300 creatives. I have much less. But- here’s a tip- put a 15 minute coffee meeting on her calendar. I appreciate when people do that. You need to squeak. But it’s not for complaints- unless you’re bringing ideas to solve. It should be a time to get top of mind for future projects or to raise your profile.
What kinds of challenges are you running into? Recruitment can't find candidates, or they're not biting even if you find a solid candidate you want to hire? Might be able to provide some more feedback if you have specific issues you want to troubleshoot.
I agree with SVP1, start with recruitment and make sure you're aligned on what you're looking for.
Here’s some actionable advice: if you work for a holding co agency, you undoubtably have been told not to talk salary with candidates. “Leave that to HR,” they’ll say.
Don’t. Make that a priority. Don’t hire based just on a book. Look at a book and say “I’m willing to pay to get this person in here.” 100 out of 100 times you will be making a good hire if you figure out who is worth it
Here’s another reason you can’t hire anyone: Your hr department is network. So, if a good creative got thrown under the bus at one of your sister agencies, guess what? You can’t hire them. Even if it was 10 years ago, even if the duck up was in the service of their boss. Even if they learned or changed profoundly. You cannot even see their resume. Since there are 5 holding cos, chances are you are not seeing 20% of the talent out there. Plus, the way people job hop, you’re likely to not be able to hire someone who hasn’t worked for the holding co. Some EVP didn’t like them or needed to blame them for something 10 years ago at XYZ, you can’t bring them. You won’t even know they exist.
Maybe have an open mind when you look at books. Often people (especially recruiters) look for an exact match to the position, regardless of whether the candidate is talented or intelligent. I’ve been rejected for not having the exact experience for a particular cate- never mind that every category I’ve worked on was new at the time. When i was hiring, i never looked for exact experience, i looked for smart talented people. I can teach you the specifics of a category, but I can’t teach you to be smart. Sadly, most recruiters (and some creative heads) want to check off boxes so they can cover their ass. They don’t look for talent, at all.
Seriously though, OP, what is the salary for your open position?
ACD up to $200k