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Hot to Hire: Creative Video Talent

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A conversation with 24 Seven recruiter Natalie Mian about some of the most in sought-after talent in Creative Video and Marketing today.

Why is video content talent so in demand at the moment?

I think video is just very hot right now for clients across the industries because the way that brands are telling their story has changed across mediums. Consumers are increasingly engaging with content through social media and the Web, and our clients are motivated to capture this audience.

Are you finding that candidates who were traditional text-content or graphic-content focused are specializing now in video as demand grows?

I think content roles themselves have changed because what content means has expanded. Before there may have been a single graphic designer that was touching all different areas, but now it has split into very specific areas and teams. There are video producers, videographers, editors, content managers, producers, social media designers, and motion designers – so many different avenues of content. It’s this diversification that is driving the direction that people are taking their careers.

Where do you see the greatest demand? Is it on the traditional corporate-side? Is it on the agency side?

The great demand for video talent is more on the traditional corporate side. Although demand is growing on the agency side too, it is not at the same rate as corporations. This is probably because companies are now understanding the value of bringing video and content management in-house and as a result, we are noticing a bigger uptick there.  As a newer functional area, corporate clients are trying to figure out how and where video content fits in the organization. Does that sit under Creative and managed by an Art Director? Is it under the Marketing department? Every company is different and the size of the company also has an impact.

Do you think this is all part of the general trend of companies starting to bring in-house areas, like video production, they may have outsourced to agencies in the past?

It’s a little bit of both driven by the size of the organization. Larger companies now understand the economies of scale, cost savings and value creation of building out an internal team. What’s attractive is having the ability to create video content whenever and as often as they want without engaging an agency, getting on their production schedule, and incurring agency fees. Smaller companies who can’t afford a multi-person team still rely on agencies for most of the production.

So how do these larger corporations attract this video talent? What would a company need to do to convince somebody who is used to a creative atmosphere working at an agency or as a freelancer to consider a job on a corporate video production team?

Video production candidates are looking for a creative outlet, so they are more passionate about the type of work that they produce. They tend to be interested in opportunities that are aligned with their personal core values or aligned with their personal interests. There is a greater personal attachment to their work. I find that a lot of candidates tend to be picky when it comes to content roles, because they want to feel connected to the brand.Hiring managers should keep in mind that often video production talent don’t tend to have a traditional corporate resume or tenure when it comes to staying at one company for a long time. They who come from a creative arts education and may have more art than business mindset, as compared to somebody who might be coming from a marketing background as a content person or a content producer. So, this creative video talent is probably a little more tied to the art of what they do, rather than the business. That’s why there has to be that alignment of "Do I really care about the content that I'm going to be creating?"

Are there particular cultural features or perks that resonate with video content candidates?

For any company searching for this creative video talent, I would advise that they focus what the outward image of the company’s core values or brand identity is. For example, candidates love organizations that have a “give back” component or a company that is doing something positive for society or the environment. That could be something that would get a candidate excited because they feel like they're doing something beyond the day-to-day that’s meaningful. In terms of obvious perks, I’d say flexibility is huge with this segment of talent. Time benefits of any kind– work from home, unlimited time off, flexible schedule, volunteer time off, sabbaticals – all go over very well.

To learn more about the creative video talent in our network, click here. To learn more about the latest hiring and talent behavior trends and how to compete in today’s full-employment job market, download our new research findings here.