Tag: hr | Page 5 | Artisan Creative

The Proust Questionnaire for Creatives

Thursday, January 26th, 2012|

You’ve heard of the Proust Questionnaire, I’m sure. Made famous in the back pages of Vanity Fair Magazine, it was named not for questions, but for the answers given by Marcel Proust to a set of questions asked by his friend Antoinette Faure.

I remember them best from a television show called “Inside the Actors Studio” where, at the end of every episode, host James Lipton would ask these questions of the famous actors he interviewed. His questions included: What is your favorite sound? What is your favorite curse word? If you weren’t an actor, what would you be instead?

Barbara Walters uses a variation of the Proust Questionnaire in her interviews – which, in turn, inspired us at Artisan.

I asked our Recruiters what Proust-like questions they would like to ask (or do ask) when they interview talent, and I love the responses! Definitely a lot more interesting than the adage “Tell me about yourself”, the answers to these questions reveal aspects of a candidate’s personality that help hiring managers determine if someone is the right cultural fit for their position.

And so I bring you…(drum roll, please)…The Proust Questionnaire for Creatives

Some that aren’t too outside the box:

What is your definition of creative?
What is your ideal job and where?
What inspires you?
Who is your favorite designer?
Who is your favorite architect?
What is your favorite source of design inspiration (website, magazine, blog, etc)?
What projects have you worked on that you are most proud of and why?

Some that would be fun to answer, take some real consideration but still be job related:

Name 3 things you could not live without?
What is your favorite part of the day or favorite part of your job?
We used to have the drop shadow, now we have the reflective surface, what do think is next?
What keeps you motivated?

Some that might make me wonder what they’re looking for exactly:

Where is your ideal travel destination and why?
What 3 things that you use in everyday life should be designed differently?
What was the last book you read?
What is your favorite TV show or Movie?
What is playing on your iPod right now?

And a few that I’ve honestly never thought about before an interview (but maybe I should)!

In your time away from work, what do you do?
Are you doing what you love or doing what pays the bills?
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
If you could invite three people (dead or alive) to dinner who would they be and why?
Do you believe in aliens?
What’s the most despicable act a creative supervisor has done/can do to you?

I’m definitely going to add some of these to my interview preparation list!

Granted – these are just some of the unusual questions potential hiring authorities could ask during an interview. The best advice is to be prepared to answer these kinds of questions as honestly and calmly as possible. Guess that’s just one more reason to do some practice interviews with imaginative friends!

Wendy Stackhouse, Consultant for Artisan Creative

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How to Decrease Turnover & Keep Employees Happy

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012|

You might think that with today’s high unemployment rate, as a business owner you don’t have to worry about turnover – nobody’s leaving, right? Wrong!

The fact is, for every person who is putting off looking for a new job, there are those who are already working and planning to move on. As soon as they can.

Why? They are unhappy where they are.

Employers have downsized and added to the remaining staff’s responsibilities. Employees are stretched thinner and thinner. Benefit packages have shrunk and, with fewer retirements, there is less opportunity for promotion and career advancement. Companies are not doing enough to recognize their talent and do what they need to do to keep them happy.

Fewer rewards, more work, less potential for advancement = looking for a new role.

But can companies really afford this kind of turnover?

In reviewing an article on the cost of turnover, although there are several formulas that try to determine an actual number, no one knows the actual answer – because every situation is unique. However, one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the cost is always too high!

As the economy improves, however incrementally, unhappy employees are going to be causing more and more turnover all over the country.

The good news is that companies can combat potential talent turnover right from the start by improving their actual hiring process.

Utilizing recruiting resources – whether internally or through an expert staffing agency – is instrumental in hiring successful long-term employees. As specialists in talent search, Recruiters have access to large networks of potential talent whom they identify and qualify specifically for your company, culture, and role. This multi-step approach ensures they are selecting the right talent for your position – talent who are interested in, motivated by, and excited about your opportunity.
Recruiters are also vital to helping address unexpected turnover as well. With access to thousands of talent, Staffing Agencies can quickly find stopgap solutions, providing freelance or contract talent until the empty full-time position is filled. With HR resources often stretched across many positions, utilizing external staffing resources for specific full time hires will usually speed the search as well. Recruiters’ direct access to talent networks, existing relationships in the field, and use of multiple job boards all aid in a more efficient and effective candidate search.

In addition to improving internal hiring processes, employers must also be willing to make changes internally as well. Money and productivity losses due to employee turnover can be minimized by thinking about keeping your employees happy and fulfilled:

Find new ways to publicly reward good work and show talent they are valued
Offer more vacation days to counterbalance the longer hours now being required
Offer optional telecommuting opportunities to create better employee work/life balance

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Unlimited Vacation?!

Thursday, January 19th, 2012|

Good and Bad by vees via Flickr Creative Commons

Have you heard about the new trend in vacation policies? Unlimited vacation has taken off quickly, being put into practice at some major companies: Netflix, IBM, Morningstar, and Blue Wolf, according to this article at The Grindstone.

Sounds great!

Also known as a “results-only work environment,” for a self-motivated employee who gets their work done and finds themselves with time on their hands at the office, this could be a great part of a benefits package.

But is it for everyone?

US workers get fewer paid vacation days, on average than workers in any other First World country, with only 13 days. Here is a helpful chart I found on infoplease.com:

Italy	42 days
France	37 days
Germany	35 days
Brazil	34 days
United Kingdom	28 days
Canada	26 days
Korea	25 days
Japan	25 days
U.S.	13 days

Clearly, the US has a way to go to become competitive with these countries and there is no doubt that US workers could use more time off to spend unwinding and recharging, not to mention developing their creativity.

Of course, unlimited vacation sounds wonderful and for many workers, it is a great benefit—increasing productivity and efficiency, while boosting morale and reducing turnover. But there are some potential downsides:

If you are a natural workaholic, you might not ever feel like you are truly “off” if you can work whenever you want.
If you function better with more structure—and many of us do—you might find it difficult to get your work done without daily the daily accountability that comes with being in the office.
Employers save money on recordkeeping, but they don’t pay for any accrued vacation if you leave your job—use it or lose it for real!
Dynamics with co-workers can suffer if you get to leave when you’re done, but they can’t because they still have work to do. If you are very efficient, you could go home early every day while the methodical person in the office next door has to stay.

Unlimited vacation sounds to me like getting some of the benefits of freelancing without the disadvantages: work on your own schedule but still have health insurance and paid days off. Then again, I’m fast and disciplined about getting my work done.

How do you think you would do with unlimited vacation?

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative

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Maximizing LinkedIn: Connections

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011|

Last week we talked about what to do first when you sign up with LinkedIn. I hope your profile is 100% complete, even if you are still making changes and reworking your story.

Now it’s time to connect!

LinkedIn is a place to network with people you know from your work life and your personal life. In other words, people from your real life. Only.

They don’t have to be in your industry or have any professional connection to you. They just need to be people you really know and whom you would be happy to introduce to someone else you know.

You will hear from people who are looking for high numbers of connections, not high-quality connections. High numbers are useless if they do not represent real relationships.

So for each person you consider adding to your connections, ask yourself:

Do I know them in real life?
Would I introduce them to other people I know?

That’s it!

Don’t worry about if they’re in your industry if you’ve worked with them if you know what they do or even if they are working at all. You never know what connections will end up being important.

I will finish with a story. Once upon a time, I wanted an informational interview with someone who worked in one of my target companies. I asked my coach, “How do I find someone at X company to talk to?” My coach’s response was, “Check LinkedIn.”

Two minutes later, a lovely woman sitting two rows behind me had a copy of my resume to hand to her friend that night at a basketball game because her friend worked for my target company and my friend knew I was a safe person to introduce to her. Two minutes.

Two days later, I was having coffee with her.

Next time: Joining Groups

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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7 Reasons to Use a Recruiter to Find Talent

Monday, October 3rd, 2011|

If you’ve ever been in a position that required you to hire staff, then you’ll know exactly why the recruitment industry exists – to help clients make their way through the costly and often confusing hiring maze!

Recruiters are experts at developing key search criteria for a given position and then sourcing, qualifying, and negotiating with talent to secure a successful full time or freelance placement. Though much recruitment is conducted through a specialist recruitment agency or a contract recruiter hired for a short time to assist with key hires, some recruiters can also be found working full time directly for the company doing the hiring. It really depends on the size and type of business you are running.

Is hiring a recruiter right for your company?

Before you decide to use a recruiter to find talent, consider the following:

A recruiter can save you time by going through the dozens, or even hundreds, of applicants interested in your position to find only the best of the best.
A good recruiter will have high-quality candidates already in their network – an amazing, creative, and experienced pool of talent already qualified and ready to present to you.
The best recruiters will always pre-screen candidates, making sure that you only interview those who are truly a good fit.
Recruiters offer substantial cost savings. They post your jobs to numerous paid job boards on your behalf, take care of taxes and insurance for freelancers, and only get paid for their services if they are successful.
A specialist recruiter knows the industry and the skills required for certain positions. Therefore, they understand your specific needs intimately and, with a little education about your company and culture, can become an extension of your company to potential candidates.
By involving a third party not associated with your company, recruiters allow you to search for talent confidentially, without posting the details of your talent search publicly. This is key if you’re looking to replace a current employee or vendor.
Recruiters have access to candidates who are not on the open market and may not hear about your opportunity otherwise.

Have you used a recruiter to find your staff? We would love to hear your story!

Looking for a job yourself? Consider using a recruiter for your job search as well!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative, with help from everyone on Our Team

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7 Reasons to Use a Recruiter in Your Job Search

Thursday, September 15th, 2011|

Last week I asked the recruiters at Artisan to give me their number one reason for using a recruiter to find a new role. I ended up with a pretty comprehensive list. If you are considering adding a recruiter to your job search team, here are some great reasons why:

A recruiter is a consultant acting on your behalf. They are as committed to finding you a perfect new role as you are. They are pro-actively advocating for you and thinking of new opportunities.
A recruiter can get you a lead into the company culture and processes that you could not find out on your own. Your own research can only get you so far. Recruiters can often provide details not listed on job descriptions.
A recruiter can negotiate salary and benefits for you. By knowing the clients’ actual salary range and benefits offering, recruiters may actually be able to get you a better package than advertised.
Resumes from recruiters go to the top of the pile (assuming your recruiter has a good relationship with the client).
An extra set of professional eyes on your resume is incredibly important (especially but not exclusively to eliminate typos).
A recruiter has access to opportunities not listed on job boards.
A recruiter with a great reputation for representing outstanding talent adds value to your brand.

Having a recruiter on your team can be the difference between landing the perfect role and sitting home by yourself wishing for that great job. Consider signing up with a recruiter who places people in your area of expertise. You’ll be glad you did!

Wendy Stackhouse for Artisan Creative, with help from everyone on Our Team

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Top 8 Traits Employers are Looking For: Creative and Marketing

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011|

I was reading an article on 8 traits employers are looking for on BioSpace.com the other day and although some of them were right on target, others missed the mark in terms of Creative and Marketing roles. And of course, the hard part is making sure you show them all off in your interview.

So here you go, à la David Letterman, my Top 8 Traits Creative Employers are Looking For (and how to work them into your interview):

[DRUM ROLL, PLEASE]

8. Engagement. Direct eye contact and listening skills are just as important as being articulate. Show how well you collaborate right from the start.

7. Confidence. A classic, but still so important. You are creative and skilled and talented. You ARE!

6. Dress. Whatever your style, be clean and put together. Hiring managers expect you to be professional, but still want to see a bit of that personality shine through. Check out our blog for more tips on what to wear to your creative interview.

5. Do your research. Know as much as you can about the company culture and the person you are meeting. Prepare a couple of interesting questions to ask your interviewer. LinkedIn is a great place for finding inspiration!

4. Adaptability. I agree on this one. If there is any chance to express that you’re ready for anything, do so.

3. Curiosity. Creative people are interested in learning new skills and coming up with new angles on old problems.

2. Stories. A great story is gold. Have a few stories prepared to illustrate how you accomplished something challenging, delivered a project with unexpected results or learned a valuable lesson. Come on, you must have some stories to share!

And 1. Energy. Be a bright shiny penny. There are a lot of people out there who are tired, overworked, and underpaid. You might be interviewing with one of them. Remember – you may be between roles and stressed, but you are NOT tired!

Did you notice anything that was missed from the lists? What traits do you think are important? We’d love to hear your favorites!

Wendy Stackhouse, for Artisan Creative

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What Really Happens During A Reference Check?

Thursday, August 11th, 2011|

If you’ve never had to conduct a reference check for a perspective employee yourself – you may wonder what, specifically, employers ask your former managers, colleagues and friends about your work experience?

Or, if you’re a small buisness looking to expand, you might wonder what types of questions are best for checking the references of future employers.

In either case, we offer the following as a pretty standard reference check questionnaire:

Reference name, company and title
Please describe your working relationship with (potential candidate). How long did you work together?
How would you describe his/her working style?
What are his/her strengths?
What set him/her apart from others in this role?
How does he/she face and overcome challenges?
How would you rate the candidate in the following areas using a 1-10 rating system (1 being Poor and 10 being Excellent)
Additional comments regarding any of these areas is always welcome:
- Attendance/Reliability
- Adherence to Deadlines
- Conceptual Comprehension
- Executional Capabilities
- Knowledge of Programs/Systems
- Leadership Qualities
- Overall Quality of Work
- Communication skills
Is he/she someone you would like to work with again?

The best way to conduct reference checks is over the phone. However, when time does not permit, emailing these questions is acceptable.

If you are a talent submitting references to a potential employer, confirm that the contact information you provide is accurate and up-to-date. Also, make sure you notify your references that potential employers may be contacting them.

If you doubt a reference can speak favorably about these specific areas – it might be better to address that up front or find another reference.

Other reference check questions? Let us know!

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Is there a UX Supply and Demand Imbalance?

Friday, July 29th, 2011|

Since late 2009, nearly every Web Design job posting we’ve seen has mentioned “usability” or “user experience.” Over time, the requests have become even more specific. Companies no longer request a Digital Design; rather, now it’s specifically a User Experience Designer, UX researcher, IA/UI or Visual Designer.

Now, more than ever, the importance of User Experience is everywhere, as companies try to connect and engage with their customers in the best ways possible.

On jobs boards everywhere (ours included) we have seen a significant increase for User Experience experts. Some of those requests take weeks to fill; others can’t be filled at all.

Are we experiencing a UX supply and demand imbalance?

Yes! The demand for top usability talent is becoming greater than the supply of qualified and immediately available talent. And, with the demand now shifting from web UX to mobile and Apps, the pool of talent is shrinking even more!

It’s not the first time we’ve seen this happen. In fact, we’re often reminded of the market for Flash Developers a few years back. Jobs took weeks to fill. Salaries were at a peak and good talent was definitely hard to come by.

As recruiters, we had to quickly adapt new avenues for meeting qualified talent to introduce them to newly available opportunities.

What does this mean for employers? There are some options:

1. Be specific about your needs. Do you need a generalist? Or a specialist? The UX world can have multi-pronged discipline. Know what you actually need – UX / UI / IA?
2. Be competitive with your overall compensation package. Both in dollars as well as benefits, flex-time or telecommuting
3. Be open to Relo. Look at national and international talent. Additional fees and quite a bit of paperwork could result – but it might be worth the additional effort.
4. Hire a UX consultant. Utilize the expertise of a specialist for the short term. Ensure they have a team of your internal staff with which to work and knowledge share.
5. Invest in more training. Chances are your current team of designers who would love to learn more about the growing HCI field. Invest in their education. Pay for courses. Hire an expert to train them. You get more knowledge and your employees might just ignite a new passion.

But it’s not up to employers alone to fix the problem. Talent and Recruiters have responsibilities too.

Interactive Design Talent – Perfect your art. Especially freelancers! Invest in classes, seminars, and software needed to grow.

Recruiters – We, too, must continue doing our part to seek out new talent. We must work closely with Universities and other Education Programs to connect with recent grads in the space, attend MeetUp groups and networking events to meet new talent, and continue to educate our talent and clients about the market to manage expectations correctly.

Jessica Bedford and Katty Douraghy for Artisan Creative

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