What & Whom for ?

Indeed, in the era of internal acquisition talent teams that are sometimes very similar in their functioning and professional experience to executive search firms, but also to the digital world, the explosion of professional social networks and the immediacy of contact, it is clear that the added value of a partner in these recruitment issues (or in the search for a new challenge) must be clearly identifiable in order to be relevant.

This is why it is important, whatever side of the line you are on, to have a good understanding of the expertise of the interlocutors to whom you entrust your projects.

These recurring, and probably again legitimate, questions can only be resolved with a thorough knowledge of the specializations and interlocutors in question.

At UPWARD CREATIVE the approach chosen is clear – and this has been the case since the very foundation of the firm in 2018 – it is that of consultancy and hyper-specialization, a creative recruitment firm, yes, but also and above all, in its support both on the talent side and on the client side.

In general: it is highly recommended to choose hyper-specialization:

It is quite simple to understand that it would be unthinkable to imagine entrusting the recruitment of a neurosurgeon to a partner whose expertise in the field would be almost nil, well, it is exactly the same for each specialty.

Image and creative talents require truly specific expertise when it comes to recruiting them and projecting them into their next professional adventure. A talent that makes an impact in a studio or in image management could prove to be much less so in another culture. Many parameters must be taken into account, which can sometimes seem rather blurred and cannot be read on a CV. Creative personalities who are often more sensitive, their approach and expectations are different from the more “classic” functions, you have to gain their confidence by understanding their references, their worlds, their desires and their potential.

To be able to understand a book, a communication plan, to project oneself on a creative project, sometimes with just a few sketches, to grasp the often intangible, the cultural keys of references/influences, the history of brands , to make the right bets on the arrival of a talent to the strategy of the image or the collections is not improvised and is not done without a real passion.

In the age of the “Candidate experience”, it is therefore strongly recommended that creative talents find out who they are talking to and get as much information as possible about their contacts and the exchanges they can have with these firms: in particular to make sure that the latter have a good understanding of their skills, their projects and their worlds; but also by asking the right questions: Do they work exclusively? Where is my information, my CV going? My portfolios? What kind of Clients trust them, if there is a recruitment process underway: what are the main steps? What are the deadlines? What about follow-up?

It is important to keep in mind that the more the two parties, firms and candidates, understand each other and trust each other, the more creative the ideas will be:

An impossible bet? A dream opportunity? Being positioned on roles where one is not “expected”, this type of challenge is often entrusted to Headhunters and in fact the “active listening” is often the royal road to achieve it.

At a time when brand exposure is now global, ultra-digital and where the image and the product must constantly reinvent themselves to continue to exist, and also at a time in history when the best employees are permanently solicited, it is important to identify one or more partners in acquisition talent.

Partners who will be able to make the difference with their advice and who will, above all, know how to best convey your employer branding by guaranteeing an exemplary “Candidate experience”.

It is important that a creative firm is also creative in its approach and in its support.

The idea for HR and operational decision-makers is to dig as deep as possible into the consulting part of the firm they are going to choose:

Methodology, network, approach of the talents, selection process, quantified commitments and precise timeframe of the main steps of the mission are prerequisites that appear obvious to the majority of the recruitment actors.

So in this case, it will be necessary to challenge this partner on his understanding of the DNA of the brand in question.

Testing its vision of competitors, the market, the stakes, the trends, it must be able to bring a relevant light obviously but above all complementary to that of the internal teams.