Why the Best Creative Talent Isn’t Applying to Your Business

When was the last time a brilliant designer came knocking on your door? They’re not sitting around waiting — they’re being approached week in, week out by brands and agencies with strong portfolios, a solid reputation, and a culture people talk about.

If you’re not getting interest, it’s not because the talent has disappeared. They’ve just got more choices.

Flexibility. Purpose. Growth. That’s what drives them now. So whether you’re after a UI Designer, an Art Director, or a Creative Lead, you need to show you understand what matters most.

Here’s what creative candidates want in 2025, what could be turning them off, and how Sphere can help you bring them in.

What Create Candidates Want in 2025

Creative recruitment in 2025 is a different game. Creative professionals know their value and expect more from employers. If your roles, culture, and team don’t match what they want, you’ll lose them to competitors.

What does true flexibility mean for creative talent?

Hybrid is now the baseline. The best candidates expect trust, autonomy, and the freedom to work where they do their best work. CIPD reports that over one million UK workers left jobs in the past year due to a lack of flexibility, and ONS data shows 28% of UK workers are now hybrid. In creative recruitment, that flexibility can be the deciding factor in whether a candidate even applies.

Why do creatives want work that matters?

Thin briefs and vague campaigns are a red flag. Creatives want projects with purpose and space for ideas. A motion designer might even pick a smaller agency over a big brand if it means working on something with social or cultural impact. And with communication-related freelance roles jumping 25.2% in Q2 2025, competition for that kind of talent is only getting sharper.

How important is visible career growth for creatives?

Creative professionals are ambitious. Whether it’s mentoring, access to better tools, or clear promotion routes, they want proof they can progress. LinkedIn’s 2024 trends data shows 63% of candidates rank pay and benefits as their top priority, with 49% listing work-life balance close behind. 

If your creative recruitment strategy cannot show both, you will struggle to attract the most in-demand talent.

Why does team understanding matter in creative recruitment?

Nothing puts creatives off faster than teams that ignore or undervalue the creative process. Strong collaboration between marketing, product, and design is a major draw, especially for senior creatives who want their work backed by the wider business.

How can visible culture attract top creative talent?

Creative recruitment agencies know that people want to see the humans behind the output. Glassdoor research shows 79% of candidates check company culture before applying, and more than half say it can make or break their decision. If your careers page is just client logos and corporate copy, you will lose them. Show behind-the-scenes content, team stories, and real examples of your creative team’s impact.

Hiring managers who meet these expectations build the strongest creative teams. In competitive markets, including those served by a creative recruitment agency in London and across the UK, the difference between a full inbox of applications and radio silence is often about how well you understand and meet what creative talent really wants.

Five Simple Ways to Put Top Creatives off Applying

Even the best-intentioned hiring managers sometimes miss the mark when it comes to attracting top creative talent. The problem often isn’t the company or the job, it’s how the opportunity is positioned and delivered. Here are common mistakes that turn strong candidates away:

• Generic job descriptions: Creatives thrive on specificity. If your spec could describe any role at any agency, it’s unlikely to excite someone who wants to make an impact.
• Overweighting portfolios: Portfolios matter, but they’re only part of the story. Some of the best creatives have cut their teeth on projects with tight budgets or brands you’ve never heard of. The work might not look flashy, but the ideas? That’s where the real value is.
• Rigid processes: A 4-stage interview process with back-to-back tasks won’t appeal to busy, in-demand designers. Think fast, transparently, and respectfully.
• Lack of role clarity. Ambiguous briefs like “we want someone creative” raise red flags. Top candidates want to understand how their work will contribute to the team and wider business.
• No time for creative input: If your hiring process doesn’t allow space for the candidate’s ideas or questions, it sends the wrong message about how much their voice will matter once they join.

The good news is that these issues are all fixable. But it starts with clarity about the role, the process, and your creative ambitions. A recruitment partner like Sphere can help shape that story for you, ensuring it lands with the right people in the right way.

You don’t have to overhaul your business to attract better creative talent. You just need to better reflect the value your team brings and eliminate the friction that keeps great candidates away.

Sharpen Your Employer Brand for Creatives

If you want to attract high-calibre creative professionals, your employer brand needs to do more than mention "great culture" or "exciting projects." You need to tell a story, one that resonates visually, emotionally, and practically. And that needs to start with showing the true environment your creative team works in.  

Here are four ways to build a creative-ready employer brand:

• Show your team, not just your work. Creatives care about who they’ll be working with. Share team spotlights, behind-the-scenes photos, and interviews with your designers and creative leads. Make your people the hero.
• Bring briefs to life. If you talk about doing meaningful work, prove it. Case studies or short explainers on past projects (especially ones where creative had a real seat at the table) help make your value tangible.
• Design your hiring journey. Everything from your careers page to your job spec to your interview process reflects your brand. Make it feel thoughtful, modern, and aligned with how creatives like to work: clear, visual, and human.
• Use real language. Avoid empty jargon. Phrases like "fast-paced" or "rockstar designer" feel generic. Instead, talk about the actual skills, challenges, and team culture with honesty.

Don’t underestimate the power of storytelling. If you want to attract creatives, market to them like you would your own audience, with strong visuals, smart messaging, and a clear sense of who you are.

Use the Right Channels

Posting on LinkedIn and hoping for the best isn’t a strategy, especially in the creative world. Great creatives aren’t always on job boards, and even if they are, they’re unlikely to apply cold without a compelling reason. You need to show up where they already spend time and speak their language. Consider:

• Niche platforms: Behance, Dribbble, and Working Not Working are go-to places for design talent. Use them to showcase your brand as much as to source candidates.
• Creative communities: Slack groups, Discord servers, and online collectives often share job leads privately. Ask your current creatives where they hang out and be present there.
• Social proof: Instagram and TikTok are increasingly part of a creative's discovery journey. Show your creative culture and projects in a way that's authentic and visual.
• Referrals: Encourage your design team to share open roles with their network. Designers trust designers.
• Specialist recruiters: Agencies like Sphere are already embedded in these communities. We speak the language, know the timelines, and bring you people who aren’t actively applying but are ready to move for the right thing.

The channel you use says as much about your team as the job itself. Meet creatives where they are and make it easy for them to imagine joining your team. That’s how you shift from waiting for applications to generating real interest from the right talent.

A 5-Step Checklist For Great Hiring

Strong creative hiring doesn’t have to be a mystery. The most successful teams tend to follow a few simple principles that respect the process and the people behind it.

Here’s a five-step checklist your team can use to sharpen how you hire creative talent:

1. Start with a clear brief. Good creative output starts with direction. Your job ad should read like a real brief with clarity on outcomes, challenges, and team fit.
2. Design a creative-friendly process. Limit unnecessary interview rounds. Create space for candidates to talk through their thinking. Show you respect their time and value.
3. Shape the role with them. The best hires are often co-created. Be open to flexing the scope or priorities based on the person in front of you. Great creatives will bring ideas, not just answers.
4. Offer compelling compensation. Salary matters, but so does purpose, progression, and culture. Position the full offer in a way that appeals to how creatives make decisions.
5. Give real feedback. Vague rejections damage your brand. Constructive, respectful feedback keeps the door open and improves your reputation in tight-knit creative networks.

Hiring great creatives is part science, part instinct. But with the right structure, you can increase your odds significantly. And if you need help putting that structure in place, Sphere’s team are experts in building standout creative teams, fast.

Whether it’s digital marketing jobs or brand design, we’ll help you land the talent that drives your work forward.

Partnering With a Leading Creative Recruitment Agency

Even with a strong brand and clear brief, finding the right creative talent takes time. That’s where partnering with a specialist creative recruitment agency can make all the difference.

When was the last time you hired a creative and knew you’d found the one? It’s rarely just about the CV. It’s knowing the work behind the portfolio, spotting someone with ideas you can build on, and keeping them interested before another offer lands on their desk.

As a leading creative recruitment agency in London, we connect companies with standout talent across:

• UI, UX and product design
• Art direction and copywriting
• Creative leadership and strategy
• Content creation and brand design
• Motion, visual, and digital design

Here’s what partnering with Sphere looks like:

• Speed and access. Our network includes passive candidates who don’t browse job boards but are open to the right move.
• Better briefs. We help hiring managers sharpen their job specs, set realistic expectations, and appeal to what creatives want.
• Cultural fit. Beyond skills, we understand team dynamics. We’ll flag when a candidate’s style or ways of working align with your goals.

Whether you're scaling your creative team or replacing a key player, Sphere makes it easier to hire with confidence. Explore our Product & Creative Services to see how we support design hiring, or reach out to start a conversation about your next hire.

Build a Creative Team That Wins

If your current approach isn’t delivering the right people, it might not be about who you’re targeting, but how you’re targeting them.

Fortunately, you don’t have to figure it out alone. Whether you’re hiring for design, content, or digital marketing jobs, the right support can make all the difference. Sphere brings speed, insight, and the creative recruitment expertise you need to get results.

The competition for top talent is fierce. But with a sharper message, smarter process, and stronger partner, you can build a creative team that sets the standard.

Register your vacancy.