In the past, staffing agencies were often the quickest way to sort through prospective team members and connect with creative talent. The downsides of this often included extended hiring timelines and the outlay of additional funding to pay the agencies for their services. In today’s work market, more than 60% of hiring managers report dissatisfaction with staffing agencies and cite cost, quality, and time-to-fill as the biggest pain points of working with staffing firms.
And with the coronavirus pandemic dramatically redefining the workplace, hiring managers in all industries are now looking to connect with the right kind of independent creative professionals faster than ever. 72% of hiring managers are continuing or increasing their usage of independent professionals, and nearly half are more likely to engage independent talent in the future due to the crisis.
At first glance, it may seem like many of the best independent contractors have already been engaged by insightful businesses that made the transition to hybrid teams sooner than most. However, it is highly inaccurate to believe there are no huge pools of talent waiting to help you advance your business’s key efforts. You just need to know how best to locate them.
This article will showcase five methods for locating skilled creatives without the extra time and money associated with a staffing agency. With as many as 57 million people freelancing in America in 2019, that number is only expected to grow. As a result, it’ll be important to access independent talent.
1. Conduct skill-specific queries
When looking for top creative talent, start by narrowing things down within your company’s industry. What kind of skills do your independent professionals need to command freely? What kind of aptitudes will it take to get your company where you want it to go?
Once you have clearly defined the answers to these kinds of questions, you can start making skill-specific queries online, such as searching “hire videographer,” which will bring you to websites housing the talent you’re looking for.
When you reach out to these sites, you want to be sure that your pitch is perfect. Remember, independent professionals are hugely in demand, and you will need to make a case for why these independent creatives should come to work for your business during these transitional times. Creating personable staff introductory videos, assembling colorful project exhibits that can be digitally displayed, and finding fun ways to personalize incentive packages can make or break your connection with some of the top independent talents in your field.
2. Draw on design school rosters
Soon-to-be graduates offer an excellent opportunity to find the most creative talent, so consider reaching out to the administration at the design schools of your choice and make sure they know that you are looking to hire the best and brightest.
Put together attraction packages for them to hand out to graduating seniors who may be interested in coming to work for you. These packages can include a portfolio of previous projects and contain opportunities for these graduating students to demo work. Include sample assignments and perhaps make a contest out of the completion of a demo design project.
Cast a wide net and consider making demo contests interscholastic to incentivize interesting creatives. The idea here is to drum up as much interest as possible in becoming a part of your company’s extended team and also for hiring managers to get as quick an assessment as possible on who stands out from the crowd.
3. Look to LinkedIn and other social media platforms
Do not be afraid to let LinkedIn and social media do what they do best. LinkedIn may arguably represent the largest talent pool on the internet. Professionals of every stripe go there to look for work, showcase projects, and size up the competition. Your company’s LinkedIn page should reflect your avid and active interest in engaging these kinds of independent creative professionals.
Make sure that your creative opportunities on LinkedIn and all of your other social media platforms are friendly, unique, exciting, and done with flair. This means not just posting a written announcement that your company is looking to expand its roster of creatives.
Attract what you want in an independent professional by modeling it in your open call. Consider having your current team post videos of what they like most about their projects, or share common celebratory measures your team enjoys.
Take real-time questions or problems that your current creative team is grappling with and pose them to prospective team members as open-ended questions. For example, a posted question such as “What do you do when your old website cannot keep up with your daily hits anymore, but you don’t want to lose brand awareness by changing it?” can be an opportunity for creative contractors to showcase interest and problem-solving solutions.
4. Referrals and networking still work
Instead of engaging someone at a staffing agency to do it for you, utilize your networks and ask for your referrals. If there is a particular creative professional whose work you admire, send them an email complimenting the work, and ask a general question about their future availability somewhere toward the end.
If it turns out that this person will not be available for the foreseeable future, ask for any referrals they might be able to give you. Finding out who your favorites have favorited can send you in the right direction to unearthing creative talent you would not have known otherwise.
Even friendly competitors may assist you in your hunt for the perfect addition to your evolving hybrid team. If you are on good terms with competing companies or have open relationships with members of those competitors, ask about referrals of talent. This is not considered poaching, as the independent talent market is so open right now. Independent contractors are typically hired for specific tasks or projects, so you do not have to feel strange or guilty about trying to book the next.
5. Use a platform like Upwork to find independent talent
Engaging independent talent extends to every aspect of your business, from brand awareness to the bottom line. The fresh perspectives, flexibility, and unique skills brought by independent professionals can take an established team to new heights or represent the foundation on which to start new chapters in your company’s development.
Upwork specializes in connecting proven independent talent with work offered by respectable companies. Whether you need a web designer, a UX designer, a creative writer, an illustrator, or anything in between, this is the place to go if you are looking to engage with a vast array of independent talent.
Access creative skills on demand
Bypassing staffing agencies to find hybrid team members does not have to be daunting. With so many possibilities related to the powers of social media and networking, you can encounter more independent creative talent than you might think. Every aspect of your company’s search for creative contractors will be unique to your needs and goals.
For all the steps in this personal process, Upwork provides support and solutions. Upwork aims to service every angle of the independent talent industry, from helping to launch startups with the right ground crew of independent professionals to assisting enterprise entities in finding innovative scaling pathways. With personalized help from Upwork, your hybrid team can enter the fast lane to meet whatever business goals you have set moving forward.
