Albert Einstein once said: “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Creativity is the burning engine of innovation and business success. How did Apple get to where it is today? Many point to its ingenious, creative-minded shepherd Steve Jobs. In order to set your company and brand apart, creativity is not only a necessity, it’s a massive asset when you have it in spades. And it can come in any shape or form. Kanye sells millions of tickets and albums thanks to his, albeit snobbish and in-your-face, creative appetite for music; while some filmmakers become cult legends thanks to their stripped down creativity.
The bottom line is creativity can bring your company to new heights when applied to any business aspect, but most importantly in marketing. Apple’s iconic 1984 will live in the minds of its viewers forever, and to achieve that kind of lasting power and brand identity, you need the help of some creative minds.
But while creating a free job posting is a great start, it still might not be enough to help the company get the right person brimming with ideas in the door. Here are some additional tips that can help you hire the best creative employee out there:
Know What You Need
If you’re hiring your first employee for your business’ creative side, it can be hard to make a list of concrete requirements – especially if your creative experience doesn’t range much farther than kindergarten fingerpainting. It’s important to understand exactly what you want your new creative employee to be able to do for you, and what those needs mean for the hiring process. You should think of what you imagine this future employee doing for the company. If it’s occasional writing for the blog or periodic flyer design, it may be time to consider posting free employment ads for part-time help or qualified freelancers. If, on the other hand, there are clearly enough creative tasks to keep an employee busy all day, go for a full-time position. Talking to people in the field can help you understand how much time what you need done is likely to take[revise] – without experience in the field, you might be over- or underestimating how lengthy a task it can be to design a brochure, for example.
Post With Requirements
When it’s time to post jobs online, you should make sure the description is specific. If you don’t list particular skills and experience you need, unqualified candidates are likely to apply and slow the process down. Without specific direction, ccandidates end up assuming anyone can do what you’re advertising for and becoming yet another resume on the discard pile. Another way to filter out people who don’t meet your needs is to ask for samples of prior work. Most experienced writers, designers and so on will have portfolios ready for you to review, often in digital form. This can cut down on the number of calls you’ll eventually make to invite people for interviews, as those who aren’t suitable will reveal that about themselves with their work.
Realistically, there might not be much difference between Picasso and a painter who suffers from face blindness – so make sure in the interview you ask probing questions about their creative direction, and not rely solely on the appearance of their work.
Don’t Be Afraid to Test
If the portfolios look good and the interviews go well, a final test before hiring can help determine which candidate among the finalists is best suited for the job. During the hiring process, you might want to get in touch with an expert in the candidates’ field to help you judge how well everyone’s experience and output measures up to standard. This can help if you have very little experience in this kind of hiring but need a standout employee. Assistance like this can also help if you decide to test applicants. A test can help separate real talent from imitators – without it, you could end up with an Elvis impersonator when you wanted a real rock star.
The best way to test talent, according to Forbes, is to come up with an assignment that closely mirrors what you will need from the candidates if they’re hired, and give them a tight deadline. This determines whether they can learn enough about your field in a short period of time to produce good work, and it will also tell you how they tend to work under pressure – which is the natural state of many creative jobs.
