Hi Malia,

That’s a good point about working with the hiring manager; it’ll depend on the size of the company, so I’ll update the article. Thanks!

As for your second point, you’re reaching out to companies with a candidate in mind, but you’re not really reaching out *for* that candidate, right? You’re trying to entice a company to work with you and your “in” is with that candidate. If that company said, “Yeah, we need the role filled, but we don’t want that candidate” you’d drop that candidate in favor of finding another one the company liked, right? I’m not saying this to be mean – it’s just how business works. 🙂 Fundamentally, you’re paid by the companies, so the companies’ needs are always going to come before a candidate’s desires. Does that make sense?

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki

I work as an administrative recruiter/staffing consultant (plus inside and outside sales) for a staffing agency right now (fell into it, have a young daughter, have to make a paycheck), and noticed you say that copywriting recruiters will only submit candidates to HR, not the creative director. In my current job, I connect with the actual decision maker (often a director or executive in the specific department) to try and get the candidate in front of THEM because I know HR typically does not make the hiring decisions and can’t always provide the right kind of feedback I need in order to pivot my recruiting efforts for them. Is it typically different in the copywriting “staffing” industry? HR at best is an influencer so that’s why I have learned to connect with them but don’t expect a quick hiring process if that’s as far as I’m allowed to get.

Same kind of question, but regarding the “they are not actively seeking the right role for you” statement. The company I work for right now trains us to make sales calls to companies that don’t currently have a job order placed with us, marketing to them a great candidate we recently interviewed, in an effort to uncover open jobs or get them to jog their minds to think where they could find a spot for such a qualified candidate. It works if not immediately (rare) then a few weeks or months down the line–something may open up and they will call us because we are top of mind. I’m wondering if copywriting recruiters don’t do that? I guess it would make sense since there is a difference between “staffing inside/outside sales” versus straight up “recruiting.” Just curious!

Excited for CCA!!!
-Malia

Hi Laurie,

Absolutely agree. They can be a great resource – but should only be one of many methods for getting work. 🙂

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki

Hi Jo,

Most cities have a decent number of creative recruitment agencies and these should be the first place to start. You can just send your information to the company, but I’d recommend doing a little LinkedIn searching to find someone specific who works there and sending your information to them. You’ll want to send the link to your portfolio site and your resume, of course, but you should also be sure to use your copywriting skills to sell yourself. What do you bring to the table that no other copywriter does? What are your benefits to consumer (consumer, in this case, being a potential client/employer). When you’re looking for these firms, I’d Google “recruitment agencies,” “staffing agencies” and other things along those lines. Just be sure to take a look and make sure they represent creative professions.

After that, do Google and LinkedIn searches for independent creative recruiters in your area. It’s likely you’ll find at least a few. Then, you’ll want to pitch yourself to them in the same way you did for the agencies.

Did this help a bit?

Thanks for commenting!
Nicki