Once you've built a relationship, the placement firm is constantly looking out for talent that's right for you. Good creative placement agencies make their living by having their ear to the ground in local markets, constantly talking with professionals and employers. All this legwork leads to long-term relationships with top talent. Readjust your salary offerings. When it's a seller's market, as is the case now, you can lower your salary offerings and hire people for thousands of dollars, if not tens of thousands of dollars less, than when the market was hot.
Salary surveys are helpful, but the market can shift very quickly.
Again, a niche placement agency can help you by putting their intimate industry knowledge to use, helping you determine the right compensation for a marketplace that's always in flux. For budgetary reasons, not every company may be able to take advantage of the current hiring opportunity. And certainly no one knows how long the bear market will continue. But a little creative juggling is all it may take to retain and even enhance the quality of your staff. From its founding in 1990, Kristin Knight has led Creative Assets to it's current market position, helping to define the creative-staffing niche category.