Most agencies maintain that the most essential characteristic of a new hire is creativity. While that is undoubtedly a must-have trait, it’s not the only essential. Working in a creative field requires several qualities, from good listening skills and empathy to resilience and flexibility. The agency industry is competitive, so recruiting versatile talent is a must.
Below, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council chime in on what are the essential, yet often overlooked, traits a potential agency hire should demonstrate to prove that they’re worth a spot on the roster.
1. Common Business Sense
Many people are very talented and creative, but without common sense, the talent is wasted. Designers, as an example, create masterpieces that look amazing, but when the end product is too “designy,” the target customer may not be attracted to it because it’s not functional. Looking nice is only half the battle. – Blake George, BMG Media Co.
2. An Owner’s Mindset
Agencies are being pushed to deliver more integrated services, which in many cases means doing things for the first time. You need people with a business-owner mentality who can provide unorthodox thinking to solve new challenges. It’s these people who bring creative problem-solving abilities and an unwavering will to win, at any cost. – Andrew Au, Intercept Group
3. Perseverance
A career in advertising—especially healthcare advertising—can be a roller coaster of mergers and acquisitions, a shifting regulatory environment, and the increasing power of market disruptors. Employees who persevere through the ups and downs without frustration are a tremendous asset to advertising organizations—especially when leaders harness their positive attitude to boost internal morale. – Kathy Broderick Selker, Northlich
4. A Strong Work Ethic
Strong work ethics are the backbone of any successful agency. From the CEO to an entry-level worker, for a new agency to function at its peak, good work ethics are a must. This intangible quality is based on the ideals of hard work, discipline and reliability. Often, this trait is hard to spot in candidates, which makes it easy to overlook. – Randy Soderman, Soderman SEO
5. Reliability
If you can’t rely on a new hire and they are constantly letting you or your clients down, then it doesn’t matter how creative the person is. It can go from pudding to poop really quick. Reliability gives peace of mind, which saves time for everyone to do what they do best and eliminates micro-management, which is a creativity killer. – John Griffin, Spiral Scout
6. Critical Thinking
Organizations work with third parties to bring objectivity and fresh perspective, and the strongest performing agencies are full of critical thinkers! Having the skills to analyze and evaluate issues, understand the links between ideas, and provide structured reasoning all help move clients forward, increase the business impact and add to your bottom line. – Alisha Lyndon, MomentumABM
7. Empathy
Everything in an agency—strategy, tactics and key performance indicators (KPIs)—all must be contextualized for the given situation, and the only way to ensure that’s happening is through a complete understanding of the world in which your client lives. It’s fascinating to see how companies within the exact same vertical require different work simply due to the slightly different reality in which they live. – Marcus Grimm, Web Talent Marketing
8. Curiosity
The more a new hire wants to learn—the more eager they are to explore and try new things—the better. We constantly encourage the sharing of new ideas and give our team members the time and freedom to test new strategies, programs and ideas. A little curiosity also helps them understand how their role fits into the bigger picture. – Bernard May, National Positions
9. An Ability To Multitask
A day in the life of a public relations professional is often varied, from pitching media to managing clients, developing strategy and running events. When interviewing a potential new hire, we look for people who can demonstrate that ability to juggle, roll up their sleeves and stay calm under pressure. – Valerie Chan, Plat4orm PR
10. Time Management
In a world where creative ideas are flowing at light speed, the ideas that set us apart can also hold us back. As creatives, we can get caught up in having our vision seen and translated perfectly—focusing on minutiae that can consume a lot of our time. Time management is key in order to serve our clients in the best, most efficient way possible. “Done” is sometimes better than “perfect.” – Michael Smith, iTribe Social Inc.
11. Resourcefulness
Resourcefulness is the most important quality in agency life. When things don’t go to plan, what are plans B and C? A resourceful person is highly likely to adapt to shifting priorities, roadblocks and ambiguous strategies and find a way to thrive. Furthermore, in my view, this trait can only be learned at an early age from parents or a situation that demanded adaptation—not on the job. – Erik Clausen, CG Life
12. Discipline And Accountability
Creativity without purpose is like marketing without data and strategy. Discipline and accountability are traits marketers must possess in the “plan, do, measure” approach. These qualities prevent someone’s being persuaded by instincts rather than by facts and data, help with staying on plan and communicating effectively, and discourage shortcuts in the work, from concept to completion. – Carey Kirkpatrick, CKP
13. Purpose And Passion
We’ve found—across the board—that when employees actually believe that their work matters, they’re happier, more creative and more productive. As a healthcare-focused agency, our clients are literally saving, extending and improving lives. We seek individuals who are motivated by their work’s impact, not just the money they’ll be paid for it or the accolades that might follow. – Bill Gadless, emagine
14. Grit
Grit is one of the overlooked qualities a new agency hire must have. A talented person who is high in grit will stay determined and motivated even while experiencing failure. I strongly feel that grit is a better predictor of leadership success than IQ. Why? Those who have grit are comfortable with the uncomfortable, they own their career journey, they are not scared of rolling up their sleeves, and they break out of the box. – Julie Veloz, IPG Mediabrands
15. Humility And Hunger
You have to be humble enough to recognize that you don’t know a lot of things and hungry enough to learn everything that’s needed to deliver. You can overcome not knowing the answer to a problem, but you can’t overcome the absence of a drive for success. – Bradley Hoos, The Outloud Group