Oh yeah in Hoboken, New Jersey 3 months ago
I applied to a position offered by Creative Circle that I was an ideal candidate for. After two weeks, they contacted me and demanded an interview. I say demanded because they said "If you can't come tommorow, don't come at all."
Great.
The interviewer couldn't pronounce the job title and said she had no idea which type of company offered the position. In spite of this, they scheduled an interview for me a month or so later. An hour before the interview, they emailed (not called me) and told me that the Interviewed had canceled earlier that week (where they obviously has forgotten to notify me).
This place is the most unprofessional recruiting company I have ever worked with.
I believe any other agency would have a least been able to schedule an interview.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
reality check in Atlanta, Georgia 4 months ago
Don't waste your time working with Creative Circle or any of the other freelance/creative temp agencies in Chicago, if you're a real freelancer. Creative Circle doesn't hire true HR people to do their recruitment, just hacks off the street and people who can't get a job in marketing. It's not worth the time, and their reps are unprofessional.
Cheryl in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
Every business has it's own style. What is the office environment and culture like at Creative Circle?
Are people dressed in business casual, jeans and t-shirts, or full-on suits? Do folks get together for Friday happy hours and friendly get-togethers?
What is a typical day in the life of an employee at Creative Circle?
Cheryl in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
Do you work at Creative Circle? How did you find the job? How did you get that first interview?
Any advice for someone trying to get in?
HENRY in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
It's always hard to know what to expect when going in for that interview -- and preparation can make all the difference. What is the interview process like at Creative Circle?
Any advice on striking the right note?
HENRY in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
I've seen folks ragging on Creative Circle Chicago and LA, which is a shame. From my experience with CC NYC, I thought they might all be great. In any case, I've been with CC NYC for over a year now and they get me a lot of good gigs. In addition, they've sent me on interviews for INCREDIBLE full time positions.
I agree that it is a little discouraging to get all those juicy job-description mass emails and not get responses, BUT after they become familiar with you they DO respond and I've even been called about positions before the emails even go out. Like any other aspect of business, its about relationships. As agencies are non-exclusive, I am repped by a couple of others and CC does the best by me. Every time.
They even fought a really big publisher when the publisher tried to stiff me for 36 hours of work (done in 3 days). The publisher ranted and raved about the quality of work, but refused to sign my timesheet! After 6 weeks, CC got them to do the right thing. I had given up on that money, but my agent didn't! That speaks volumes about whether or not CC cares about its talent.
I've worked now with half of the staff in the NYC office and they are all lovely people. Every creative person has different needs and this business is full of shady practices, but IMO CC NYC rises above the competition.
HENRY in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
I applied to a job posting by Creative Circle in New York. They immediately emailed me, said that they wanted to represent me, and had me come in to fill out the necessary paperwork. Everyone was very kind and had great hopes for me. Well... a couple of months have passed in which I have responded to several of their email blasts. Several of the positions, I felt, were perfect matches to my skill set. Unfortunately, though, I have not received one response or callback.
Obviously, this has been very daunting and my initial thoughts were that perhaps my skills or talents were lacking but I find this hard to believe (not to be egotistical) but I have produced many successful campaigns and have glowing references. So I did a google search to see if anyone else had this same sort of experience with Creative Circle. The answer is a resounding yes. (I am going to ignore the overly effervescent 5-star reviews with mentions of specific recruiters - these feel like "plants", especially the ones on Yelp which is known to plant glowing reviews for a fee).
Anyway, I realize that some have had luck with them but many have come upon the same wall as me. My question is this: Are there perhaps other criteria that CC uses to determine whether you get placed or not that they are not telling you about? Is age a factor? Is too much experience a hinderance? Do they check medical records and finding that you smoke, they choose not to place you for insurance reasons? Do they prefer recent grads? Is it a friends and family plan? Do I need to become personal friends with a recruiter to get placed? Do the recruiters get paid by how many freelancers they sign up regardless of how many jobs are available and therefore a situation is created where workers outnumber jobs by many-fold?
I don't know. It seems that there are many stories like mine which leads me to believe that there are other forces at work in their decision making process.
What do you guys think?
HENRY in Norwood, New Jersey 8 months ago
I was extremely surprised to find all of these posts and have to strongly disagree with what I have read.
As a Creative Circle candidate myself about 2 years ago, I had an EXCELLENT experience and speak very highly of the company. I was moving to Chicago from St. Louis and Creative Circle connected me with about 4-5 interviews, one of which turned into my current fulltime position that I LOVE!
I think it is important to remember that Creative Circle is a free resource to use for your job search and perhaps some are better than others at utilizing their services.
I found my experience with Creative Circle to be highly professional and beneficial and would absolutely recommend the company to anyone looking for additional resources in Chicago!
Sascha in Chicago, Illinois 11 months ago
What do you think - will Creative Circle grow fast? Are they expanding their staff? How does Creative Circle stack up against the competition?
kerbo in Elmhurst, Illinois 13 months ago
In Chicago, Creative Circle should be called the Creative Noose because they have such a stranglehold. They have poor service, gouge freelancers, and are literally trying to take over the entire city. There was a time not too long ago where you could make a decent living freelancing but with the rise of companies like CC, Aquent and Digital People, who are securing contracts with companies everywhere, those days are gone.
