Even if you're a seasoned creative, you might not know where to start when it comes to the best line of interview questioning when trying to hire someone equally as talented. Adventurous in thought, excited to dive in, and often sensitive, creative types are naturally intuitive when it comes to giving clients what they want. But how do you really get to know one of these rock stars before you hire them? We have a round-up of questions for you to consider asking during your next interview…
1: What recent ad campaign do you wish you had worked on?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: A creative who is watching out for the best of the best in advertising is someone you want on your team. If they can answer this question by telling you why a campaign was super strong, it’s likely they have some similar tools in their toolbox to take your projects to great heights. Game recognizes game, as they say! You may not believe the campaign was incredible, but hear them out. Pay more attention to why they believe the design or writing of the campaign was successful—there is always room to align on aesthetics later.
2: What is one ad campaign you disliked and how would you have fixed it?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: Conversely, this question will show you two things. First, it will display their thought process on problem-solving when projects look like they’re about to fail. Second, it will show how they provide constructive feedback (or not!). It’s encouraging if they can find positive aspects of campaigns to keep while maintaining sound, critical judgment over the elements that need to be changed. It will also give you a sense of how they might provide feedback to others on their team, especially when hiring for a creative leadership position.
3: What sources do you turn to for creative inspiration?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: Strong creatives are also avid researchers. Filled with ideas, they know exactly where to find inspiration to keep them firing on all cylinders. They research what’s trending and why to make advancements for their clients. If the sources they share inspire you as well, then you’ll know that you’re aligned on a potential vision for where to take your upcoming projects.
4: What is one project you’re super proud to have worked on and why?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: Great creatives take ownership of their work, but they also know the best work takes collaboration. From working with content strategists to engineers to copywriters, their answer should point out they are able to trust and lean on the knowledge of other team members to make a project truly special. Their answer will tell you how great they are with communication and problem-solving on a team—or not.
5: How do you measure the success of your creative work?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: For some creative people, achieving what was outlined in the brief and making their client happy might be success enough. But creatives who are curious about the data and track performance metrics over time will be stand-out candidates. Creatives that are able to ideate on future projects based on how to improve past metrics will likely be more effective in helping you reach your goals in the long run.
6: What are you most excited to learn next in your career?
What Their Answer Will Tell You: Most creatives are energized by learning new things. Their response will tell you (a) where their passions lie and (b) new skills you can expect they’ll use on your projects in the future. You also never want to hire someone who is strictly opposed to new ideas or new challenges, so if their answer suggests they’re not open to learning, period, it’s a red flag. Seek out people who are on top of the latest trends and skills in their field, ever moving forward and not intentionally staying stuck in their comfort zone.
TLDR; In our experience, we’ve found that these questions are great at assessing hard and soft skills, communication, and even leadership qualities in your next creative hire. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up clarification questions for each one to better understand their perspective. Provide extra time if needed to allow the candidate to answer more personally, Sometimes people are shy at first but a topic might light them up the more you talk! Once you find common ground on what they’re capable of and find you’re after the same goals, they might be the perfect person for the job.
Speaking of hiring, at Artisan we can introduce you to great candidates within our talent pool. We also have a great track record of helping clients find the right person in a pinch, so don’t be afraid to reach out today. We’ll help you find that creative unicorn in no time.
