Creative Circle

I have been ‘represented’ by Creative Circle for over (2) years now and there is very little good that I can say about them. My initial interview seemed to go well and the massive amount of information I was required to present (Passport, ID and then all work history, etc) led me to think they would easily place me as they had pretty much everything but a blood sample.
After weeks and weeks of looking on the Creative Circle site for jobs matching my 18+ years of skills and responding to all interest-​matching emails I received from them, I have gone on ONE interview. ONE. Even that interview was barely close to what I was actually qualified for.
After a year of nothing, I requested a call with ‘my recruiter’. That is when I learned that I am basically a number for entry level employees to match up with jobs based on… I have no idea. They can’t tell me how they match people to jobs. I have asked several times if there is something in my resume that is not resonating and the only I answer I get is ‘it looks good to me’. Again, I have over 18 years of very high level marketing, company/​product launch and strategy experience. In the end, I was told that my level of experience Is usually much higher than the jobs Creative Circle is contracted to fill and that they don’t get many jobs for marketing executives as they mainly staff artists and visually creative individuals. That is far from what I was told in the initial and follow-​up conversations with the Dallas staff and far from what is represented on their site. To be fair, I have found that most ‘free to the job seeker’ placement firms don’t really have great jobs and none of them try very hard at all to place anyone above a 3 – 5 year experience level.
So, if you are looking for a mid to senior level job, Creative Circle is not going to be an asset for you.

I’m in that sweet spot in my career — about 10 years of experience with great references and a varied portfolio with the education to back it up. Matching me up with a position shouldn’t be difficult. However, Creative Circle has done nothing except let me down and hinder my job search efforts.
First, when I was going through the initial screening process in person at the CC office, the recruiter had a personal appointment, so she rushed robotically through the spiel. I left there feeling less than confident in their abilities.
In the last 18 months, I’ve applied to hundreds of open positions of which I matched or exceeded the required qualifications, through email and directly on the site. I’ve gotten three callbacks. THREE. One turned into an interview and zero lead to a position. In fact, in all three cases I never heard back from the recruiters after initial contact. They just ghosted like a terrible boyfriend who doesn’t have the common courtesy to just say, «I’m dumping you.»
At one point I was convinced this wasn’t an actual viable business, and just some kind of sick joke, so I called to see if I could get some answers. Not only was the original recruiter I spoke with no longer employed there, they had never even heard of her. When I asked to speak to someone else, the person told me, «that’s not how it works.» Well, how does it work then? It seems your system is broken.
I have been contacted regularly by and landed positions through the other two creative recruiting companies I work with, so it is clear Creative Circle is the bottom rung of such agencies. Making a living as a freelancer is a constant hustle and I’m no longer wasting any of my valuable time applying for dead ends with Creative Circle.

I couldn’t be happier with Creative Circle and the fabulous job they did representing me in my recent employment search. They helped me find a new full-​time position at a well-​respected firm in my industry within a matter of weeks.
I could tell that Jessica at Creative Circle wanted to help me find an excellent opportunity as quickly as possible, and I am so grateful for that. In fact, the very next day after meeting with Jessica, I went on my first interview with the company who ultimately offered me a position! She presented me with an exciting job description that not only matched my experience, but offered a rewarding work environment and a sense of giving back to the community, which is very important to me. I was immediately interested and as it turns out, the feeling was mutual and they offered me the job. It is truly the perfect position for me… and I wouldn’t have even known about it if it weren’t for Creative Circle!
Everyone I worked with at Creative Circle truly went above and beyond in demonstrating their passion for recruiting talent for top clients in the marketing, advertising, public relations, advertising, digital, and creative sectors. If you are looking for freelance work or full-​time opportunities in those fields, Creative Circle should be the very next call you make.