Arts and design search firms can save you valuable resources when you are looking for an employee with specific talents and experience. Use arts recruiting firms to fill positions in graphic arts, management and interior design among other fields. Recruitment for artists can be both time-consuming and tedious, so it may be best to let the arts search firms deal with the temperaments and background checks involved in the search.

A creative design search firm worth its fee will spend time with you to discover exactly what kind of talent you need. For example, sales and technical recruiting graphic arts position requires an entirely different set of skills than a post that calls for recruiting for artists. Industrial design search firms will provide different prospects than search firms for the arts.

1. Use arts search firms for temporary project team members

2. Fill your rolls with employees from design recruiting firms

3. Hire top-level management through arts and design search firms

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Fill temp spots with search firms for the arts

Whether you have an important project or a new campaign to roll out, you may have the need for an artist to work on it temporarily. You don't have to create a new full-time position for the job if you use the services of an agency that does recruiting for artists. Typically, part of the hourly fee you pay for the artist goes to the arts search firms.

I recommend: Artist Search Agency represents creative talent for any number of uses, from commercial graphic design to commissioned artwork. They can find you a freelancer for temporary assignment or a full-time employee. Creative Options is one of many graphic design recruitment firms that provide primarily temp solutions for your computer graphic needs.

Call on arts and design search firms

When you are looking for full-time staff, many of the search firms for the arts offer a temp-to-perm solution that can help you avoid costly mistakes. While the arts recruiting firms will do their best to find the right candidate for your company, there is always the matter of chemistry that can't always be judged until the employee is working with you every day. Most temp-to-perm design search firms offer various options of contracts for your placements.

I recommend: Recruit Media can find creative talent from an international database of prospects. Art Squad can find you temporary to permanent employees for most creative and graphic arts positions.

Let the design recruiting firms fill your top positions

Design recruiting firms often find their best candidates already in jobs they enjoy. And what better top administrator could you want than one who has already achieved success? The creative design search firm can be as discreet or out there as you desire. While arts recruiting firms typically charge higher fees, you will most likely have a better chance of finding the right talent through this kind of search.

I recommend: Susan Lee and Associates claims to have a broad base of talented executives and managers in their scope as one of the graphic design recruitment firms that serves the printing and graphics industry. New Coordinates recruits executive talent for the emerging online creative media outlets and the electronic publishing industry.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Stick with a creative design search firm that has worked for you in the past if they have been reliable in getting you the kinds of employees that work well in your corporate or small business culture and stay with you.