Independent creative agency, 18 Feet & Rising, has today announced an exclusive partnership with creative recruitment specialist Gemini People in a bid to bring a fresh approach to recruitment and encourage new talent into the advertising industry.
The initiative is also a response to advertising facing the exodus of great talent and future stars with tech companies offering a new alternative for creative minds.
The new partnership between Gemini People and 18 Feet & Rising aims to change the way that recruitment is carried out, and encourage a diverse pool of talent to consider jobs in the industry. As a key part of the relationship, 18 Feet & Rising will no longer provide conventional recruitment briefs, instead Gemini People will proactively source talent they believe would strengthen the agency, and will do so on an ongoing basis.
18 Feet & Rising, which was recently awarded B Corporation status, has tasked Gemini People with undertaking a nationwide search, utilising its newly opened Midlands office to avoid only approaching candidates in the London area. The agency has also asked Gemini People not to select people based only on a CV, in a bid to help tackle key industry issues around diversity and inclusion.
For the last month, the team from Gemini People has been working in the 18 Feet & Rising offices to immerse themselves in the work and the culture of the agency, working to develop recruitment processes and benefits that attract a new breed of talent seeking greater work/ life balance.
With an emphasis on securing key talent within the industry, 18 Feet & Rising will also be working with Gemini People to launch apprenticeships schemes to encourage young talent in. Alongside this a second Shuffle programme will take place, with the first having launched last year as the only competition for single creatives to secure a place within the agency.
Jonathan Trimble, CEO at 18 Feet & Rising said: “Businesses being able to access the right talent is the biggest threat to growth over the next five years, ahead of innovation. For the first time in the creative industry, great people have become rarer and more valuable than great ideas. So how we all recruit has to change.”
Gemini People Director, Ross Taylor said; “We’re looking forward to working in partnership with 18 Feet & Rising and launching this innovative approach to recruitment. 18 Feet & Rising is a forward-thinking agency that recognises the importance of talent to its business. Without a strategic and long-term approach to recruitment in such a competitive market, agencies risk falling behind the curve by missing out on the new generation of creative talent.”
