Hiring when an account is won
A pitch win often comes with a start date the client has already announced. Draft role descriptions for the team a new account usually needs, and open requisitions the day the win is confirmed, with the number of openings for each. Look first at freelancers who already know your work and at past candidates who reached the final round. Recruitment analytics shows open requisitions and pending offers, so the account director can see whether the team will be in place before the first brief.
Portfolios, briefs and chemistry
For copywriters, art directors and designers, the portfolio is the resume. Ask for a portfolio link with the application, then set a short live brief, such as three headlines or a social post series for a real product, with 48 hours to respond, and pay for longer tests. Follow with a chemistry round with the creative director and the account lead. Record the brief score and each interviewer's view in screening notes, and offer interview slots candidates choose themselves, because good creatives are usually employed and busy.
Account, media and digital roles
Account managers are tested on judgement: a role-play in which a client rejects the campaign two days before launch shows more than any CV. Media planners are tested on numbers, such as building a simple plan for a given budget and audience. Performance marketers are asked to read a real campaign dashboard and explain what they would change. The resume match score helps screen large applicant pools for these roles; for creatives, the portfolio decides.
Converting freelancers and interns
Agency hires often start as freelancers or as interns from design and communication schools. When converting, run them through the same offer and onboarding steps as any external hire, with a formal offer that they accept online. If the need is for one long campaign rather than a permanent role, a fixed-term appointment is allowed under the Industrial Relations Code and gives full employee status for the term.
How to set it up in ZeniaHR
- Draft role profiles for the teams a new account usually needs, and open requisitions the day a pitch is won.
- Publish roles on the careers page and ask creative candidates for a portfolio link with their application.
- Record brief scores and interviewer views in screening notes for every candidate.
- Offer interview slots candidates can pick, including evenings for people who are currently employed.
- Send offers for online acceptance and move accepted candidates, including converted freelancers, into onboarding.
Read more about recruitment in ZeniaHR.
Roles this applies to
See recruitment for media and advertising agencies in a demo
We set up your locations, shifts and rules on a video call and show it running for your team. Free for your first 50 employees.
Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
How do advertising agencies hire copywriters?
Through a portfolio review, a short live brief such as headlines or a social series for a real product, and a chemistry round with the creative director. Experience matters less than the quality of thinking in the work. Paying for longer tests is fair practice and attracts stronger candidates.
What is a chemistry round in an agency interview?
It is an informal conversation between the candidate and the people they would work with most, usually the creative director and the account lead, to see whether they think and communicate well together. In agencies, where small teams work under pressure on pitches, fit with the team matters as much as the portfolio.
Should agencies convert freelancers to employees?
When a freelancer works like an employee, with fixed hours, a manager and ongoing work, it is usually better to bring them on the rolls, either permanently or through a fixed-term appointment, which carries full employee status. Convert them through the normal offer and onboarding process so their records are complete.