Human Resources Blog - Spark Hire

3 Ways to Attract Creative Job Seekers

Depending on what industry your company is in and what kind of work you are doing, the need for creative talent may fluctuate. However, having creative minds on your team no matter what kind of business you conduct is an ideal situation for any company. Creativity can take a company a long way, and creative minds are always bringing something new and interesting to the work table. By chance you may stumble upon a creative job seeker in your hiring process and they may be perfect for the position at hand. With this you luckily got what you needed out of a candidate and then some. What if you want to target creative job seekers though? How do you attract creative talent to your company and get them to apply for your open positions?

For starters, if you want to hire creative minds then you must be creative in your hiring as well. Creative job seekers won’t be intrigued by the traditional, run-of-the-mill hiring process. You want to show creative job seekers that your company is a place they can let their creativity run free. How can you do that with a stiff and boring hiring process? Well, you really can’t. So let’s take a look at some creative ways your company can start attracting creative talent.

Company Video
The best way to attract creative minds is to show that your company welcomes and fosters their creativity. You can easily show what kind of company culture your company has by recording and sharing a company video. In your company video talk about how your company offers an environment where creativity flourishes. What are some creative ways you engage with your employees and how does this work itself into your every day business? Perhaps in your company video you can have current employees talk about what it is they love about your company. If you aren’t quite a creative-minded company just yet, talk about how you want to bring creative minds on to change the atmosphere and shake things in the company up a bit.

If you are a creative-minded company, then talk about projects or events that your company takes pride in. Showing is always better than telling, and with a company video you can show job seekers what your company is all about right from the get-go. Plus, having an interactive job post that allows candidates to see deeper into your company is sure to attract top job seekers- creative job seekers particularly.

Request Candidates Submit Creative Portfolios
If you want to hire creative minds, then ask them to prove their creativity! Most companies that hire creative job seekers already ask for portfolios, but it’s very important to reiterate the fact and suggest that your company do the same. In your job post, tell job seekers that they must submit their creative portfolios to you in order to be eligible for this role. That can be a portfolio of work samples from past jobs, freelance positions, or just work that they are proud of that shows off their creative flair.

If you are hiring for a graphic designer, a photographer or a role such as these this portfolio is inevitable and, in fact, a must. However, if you are just looking for someone with a creative edge to what they do, then you can have them show off their creativity in their portfolio. By requesting this in your job post you are showing job seekers that you are serious about hiring a creative mind.

Video Resumes
Another great way to attract creative talent is to suggest job seekers send you a video resume in addition to their other application documents. With a video resume, job seekers have the chance to show you their personality and their communication skills right off the bat. Creative job seekers will love the fact that they can show you their personality right away rather than just write about it in their resume or cover letter. It’s very easy to say that you have a bubbly personality, but it’s another thing to actually have it. Plus, with a video resume these creative job seekers have another outlet for sharing their creative portfolio. A video resume is a great platform for showing off work samples– especially ones that deal heavily with art and design. Ask your candidates to send a video resume over and attract the creative job seekers as well as the talented ones.

What are some ways you try to attract creative job seekers to your company? Share with us in the comments section below!

Nicole Nicholson

Nicole is the Content Editor for Spark Hire and mainly writes for and edits the work for the Spark News blog. She graduated in 2010 with a BA in Journalism from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She has a passion for writing, editing, and pretty much anything to do with content. In her free time she frequents the Chicago music scene and writes reviews on shows for her own personal blog. Connect with Nicole and Spark Hire on Facebook and Twitter