Creative Circle

Creative Circle did great by me! I’ve been freelancing in Chicago for many years, and I’ve worked with several other employment agencies. I started working with CC about 2 years ago, and I found that they got me gigs more steadily than of my other recruiters combined, and at higher hourly pay rates too. They were pretty consistent in getting me good projects that fit well with my experience — some short-​term (a day or a week), some longer-​term (months). And, happily, now one of those freelance gigs has turned into a full-​time position with a company that I love.

I’ve had a great experience with Creative Circle. I worked with Hope and she was really dedicated in placing me for a job. I received at least three calls a week with great positions that were really exciting to me. I’m happy to say I was just placed in a position I really like, thanks to Hope’s help and all of the other recruiters at CC. Thank you!

After stepping out of a decade-​long ad agency account management career to try new roles, I decided to go back into marketing. Suzie C. listened to what I was looking for (and what I wanted to avoid), and immediately had a few companies/​positions in mind. In less than a month, I had interviewed with three companies and was hired by a reputable CPG design firm that I love! Her follow-​up and guidance was impressive, especially for all the other placements she was probably working on simultaneously. Thanks to her and CC for a job well done!

I can’t give less than a 5-​star review now that I am happily employed. Bridget at Creative Circle called me with an exciting opportunity just minutes after I had applied online. Constant email updates made it easy for me to select which positions are right for me, and simple responses were more than enough for me to be considered onward at Creative Circle. Bridget was very kind, helping me negotiate my starting wage, and made the hiring process easy, quick, and smooth. They even sent a gift to my new place of work. I hope I never need help looking for work in the near future, but if I do, this would be the place to go.

Our company must’ve used/​talked to Creative Circle some time over 6 years ago, but that was before my time.
For the last 4 – 5 years, I’ve been getting regular calls from our various reps asking if we’d be interested in using their services. For the last 4 – 5 years I’ve been telling them no. And for the last 2 years I’ve been requesting that we be removed from any lists of theirs. This is clearly a fruitless effort as I’m still getting calls (though, the emails have stopped… that, or I marked them as spam).
My boss overheard me on the phone with them today and told me I was too nice, so if that is indeed the case, then I’ve given them plenty of chances to be respectful and they have not. Any company that blatantly disrespects individuals like this is not one that deserves my business. At this point, even if I had a need for them, I wouldn’t use them.

I was recently invited into the Chicago office for an interview with a recruiter, Amy. I must say, I was really unimpressed with her. She asked me very few questions, wasn’t at all interested in what I was looking for and tried to push me into a freelance gig that involved tasks I was unwilling to perform.
I can’t speak to this company’s ability to place candidates because I don’t think I’ll be continuing my relationship with them. But I will say that I didn’t like the way I felt after I left the interview. She didn’t seem to even read my resume or understand the experience I’ve had, though I tried to explain it to her. She didn’t try to get to know me at all and the whole thing felt very impersonal. I think it’s important to get to know someone before recommending them for a job. Personality certainly factors in and this woman didn’t seem to understand that.
Clearly, this company can and has placed candidates successfully in the past as indicated by the more generous reviews. But to the other people who gave low ratings, I can see why they did. I don’t appreciate recruiters who don’t value the candidates they work with. Creative Circle seems to only care about the bottom line.

They have a very nice office. I met with them to see what else was out there awhile ago. After the initial meeting, which went fine, I never heard from them again. I followed up with an email to the recruiter that I met with and no response. I have no problem with not being placed as I had a job but felt there was a lack of professionalism. After all, they asked me to come in (and I was professionally dressed). It doesn’t take long to write an email saying there are no positions matching current skill set etc. So it doesn’t look like they are interested in maintaining relationships which is a reflection of their company and how they treat clients. It was a waste of time. I unsubscribed from their service after 2 weeks because I rather work with a real person and besides, I don’t need more junk mail in my folder to positions that really didn’t fit my requirements.

CC was friendly, easy to work with, and reliable. It took a while to find the perfect gig, but that’s natural with any job hunt. I’ve heard some negative reviews about CC in the past, but again, other than the wait time (about a year) to find a job that suited my needs as well as their client’s, I can’t complain. Coming from another city posed it’s own challenges as well, and CC was very willing to work with me on that. In the end, I got a job, so that’s that. Also, it never hurts to have recruiters hunting for you, too, because with jobs you never know what’ll turn up when.

I unfortunately had no luck finding quality gigs with CC. In my experience with them, they contact you heavily with many job opportunities, but none are good fits, whether it’s company culture, position requirements, or salary. This obviously could just be on me, but it seems, from what I’ve read, that many others have had the same problem.
As a creative professional to another, you really don’t lose anything having CC in your back-​pocket to passively monitor outside gigs, but I strongly don’t recommend relying on them, as with any recruiting agency.

I have had a WONDERFUL experience with Creative Circle. This was the only agency where I actually felt like they cared if I got a job. In the beginning they made sure I was well prepared for Interviews and had all of the details I needed going into the interview. Once I landed one of the freelance positions Hope made sure I had all of the information I needed on the first day. Once the job started, I had troubles with the Timecard system and she responded right away; whenever I had questions about anything she was there. She has also made sure to check in on me and see how I am liking the experience, and even congratulated me when my contract got extended. My one complaint is I feel many of the jobs I am sent via email require much more experience than I have. Other than that, they are great! I have already recommended them to other friends I have in the industry looking for jobs!

I’m writing this as a contractor for Creative Circle who has worked for them consistently for 8 – 9 years. I can’t speak from the client perspective directly, but all of my clients through CC have generally had a good working relationship with them.
A few things need to be clear about how a staffing agency works. They don’t owe you work, as a creative. They have a pool of creative talent that they pull from to send to their clients based on whether or not that creative is a good fit from the get go. When I first started working for them, my portfolio was not the best it could be, but I still managed to get work on occasion. As I got better and built more relationships, I not only got called back by clients who liked working with me, but I was also recommend to new clients.
As I built my relationships, the amount of work coming my way increased to the point that now I have to turn down jobs from them fairly regularly.
Do I make my full rate as an editor or motion graphics designer? No, but these are gigs I probably would not have found on my own, and I still make a reasonable professional wage. You can’t think of contract work with them as your only job. As freelancers, we are constantly looking for the next gig or opportunity. It never stops. They also often offer opportunities that lead to full time work, and those placements do happen for people.
The point I’m getting is that Creative Circle does not owe you, as a creative, anything. You make or break the opportunities yourself by knowing how to talk with them, being on time, dressing appropriately depending on who you are working for, and being good at your craft. If you can display those traits, then you can easily get work through creative circle. Just don’t expect immediate results. You need to build relationships with them and their clients and over time you will be where many of us are who regularly get thrown assignments from Creative Circle. They are a very professional company, and I love working for them.

It’s amazing how disparate the reviews are for CC. I can’t say it’s always been great, but all in all, my experience with them has been lovely. Yes, there were times they couldn’t get me work, I responded to dozens of email alerts, their rates aren’t as good as others, etc. But without them, i wouldn’t be working a freelance gig now with a potential waiting for me when this one is done.
There was a situation where they were presenting me for gigs that weren’t in my wheelhouse. And the time I went in for an interview that I was definitely not qualified for, I was embarrassed, but I reminded my recruiter that it wasn’t for me and I would be saying no anytime I felt they were setting me up to fail. It never happened again.
People that aren’t getting assignments, interviews or calls — are you calling your recruiter? Are you emailing them asking what’s going on? I never experienced a time when no one responded to my call or email.
It’s a tough world out there. Many of us have years of experience, but there’s a reason why we don’t have full time jobs and its not CC’s fault.
There are many recruiters out there. There’s nothing wrong with working with a few agencies. The goal is to get a job. The more people looking out for you, the better.

I’m writing this review to provide perspective for people who are skeptical of Creative Circle. I feel as though most reviewers expect staffing agencies to be a golden ticket, handing you a job on a silver platter, but it’s actually about the relationships you foster and the willingness to work together with your consultant. I kept an open mind throughout the whole process and when it came down to the interview, I knew it was about my execution and how CC helped prepare me. All situations are unique, however I rate CC with a full five stars because of my consultant’s relationship she built with me and her eagerness to help place me during a time that I needed to find work fast and it seemed as though all the odds were against me.
I was very skeptical using any staffing agency, in fact, I visited two others before going to CC — one never returned my calls the other offered me only low-​paying admin assistant roles… clearly NOT what I was looking for. The difference with CC to the other agencies, was my consultant Bridget. She was helpful, engaging, and most importantly a really good listener. I could tell she was very cognizant of her clients’ and candidates’ needs. I came in to interview for a digital marketing job after submitting a few resumes for others. Unfortunately I did not get that first job, but immediately after Bridget quickly worked with me and found a better job that closer fit my skills. She got me in front of the hiring managers that week and helped me prepare for their phone screening and in-​person interview. Soon after I secured a temp to perm position within two weeks of my first interview at CC. On my first day at my new company, I met other CC freelancers who were hired full time and also speak of good experiences with the agency… clearly creative circle is doing their job really well!
I felt Bridget was very adept in knowing the market and future employers, was positive and insightful when things didn’t work out, and was punctual in her communication with me when I really needed it.
I would definitely recommend Creative Circle to any friend or person looking to find a marketing, sales, creative, or tech job in Chicago. I’m happy to say I was wrong with my original skepticism and am glad I chose to work with CC.

I joined Unilocal just to leave this review…
Creative Circle is interested in one thing only, making money from you. Guess what? no other recruiter is going to steal half your pay from a freelancing job. That’s not how they roll. If you were to be hired full time, then a head hunter would collect a fee, but they’re not going to route your pay through them, and take half your money. You know who isn’t working over time? Creative Circle. Theyre also not paying for their own benefits — unlike a freelancer.
Secondly, my biggest problem with CC is that they could care less what you’re looking for. I told them exactly the type of agency and work I was looking for — I told them examples of places I’d previously worked for, and also listed agencies that would be comparable to work I was looking for. They don’t care. They’ll send you the worst work that is available. I’m surprised I never received a phone call about a barista position. «You can ART DIRECT the foam on top of lattes. highly creative position. They’ll pay us 20/​hr, but you’ll only get $ 5! Its a DREAM JOB!»
I could keep going about how they pressure you into interviews for jobs you’re over qualified for, how they act like you should be willing to jump on the crappiest job they can hand you — but i think everyone gets it.
If you desperately need work, don’t want to be creative, and are comfortable giving your money to someone who sits in a glass box all day and blasts emails to a thousand freelancers — while you bust your ass, then use them.
i personally would never recommend them to anyone. thanks for nothing, creative circle!

Overall, I had a great experience with Creative Circle. They got me multiple interviews and I was able to get a full-​time job from it. Suzie was great to work with, very responsive. I would recommend for anyone on the hunt!

The team at Creative Circle is best in class! Their hard work ethic and industry contacts helped secure me multiple freelance jobs as well as full-​time employment in the advertising, media, and marketing fields. Working with Amy and Jenna these past two years has been absolutely fantastic.
With new job responsibilities and promotions, I’ve gone from freelance to full-​time and now I utilize CC’s excellent recruitment services for additional staff needs in my office.
Creative Circle opened the doors to future career opportunities. It was then my responsibility to walk thru these doors and close them. Like I did.
THANK YOU Creative Circle; keep up the stellar work!

I’m writing this review because I feel Creative Circle is being treated unfairly on Unilocal because of disgruntled creatives who can’t land a job.
I had a great experience with them which led to a full time job.
It’s either yes you can do it or no you can not do it it In the creative world, or when programming or coding websites. Then a lot depends upon your attitude when you land the job, so don’t blame the agents at Creative Circle if you don’t land a job. They want you to land a job, that is their goal.
They aren’t working behind the scenes steepling their fingers, and laughing like the Emperor from Star Wars hoping you don’t find work.
Ridiculous?
Yes, but that’s the conclusion you might come to when reading these awful reviews.
I came from out of state and was completely lost when I landed in Chicago. I was very skeptical when I first started working with Creative Circle, and this was because of the reviews on Unilocal.
The bottom line is this:
1. They are all very friendly and helpful on the phone.
2. They return your calls.
3. If a problem does arise they will find a solution to the problem.
and…
Applying to a job is easy with them. They send out automated e-​mails, and when you find a job you know you match well with you just write «I want to apply» and bam! You applied.
Easy.
So quit your complaining and toughen up! It’s a hard world out there when it comes to finding a job, but if you have your mind set on a goal and you persevere you will find work.
Creative Circle was a big help to me, and they can be a useful weapon in your arsenal.
Also, Suzie C. from Creative Circle was a massive help to me. She went above and beyond the call to make sure I felt as comfortable as possible coming from out of state.
She answered my e-​mails fast, which was very reassuring, and was there if I need to call her. I felt like she was my rep. at Creative Circle, and she was going to mess up anyone that gave me crap.
Anyway, that’s my 5 cents.

I’m leaving this review because I don’t think their 2 star rating is fair at all. I have been working with them for a little over a year and have had so many assignments. Of course I don’t make nearly as much as I would if I found the work on my own, but I think there definitely is value in the work they do, and they do work hard. Excellent way to continue building my portfolio and to get experience with all sorts of clients. Plus I love that they manage the billing and accounting on their end. I have worked with other creative staffing agencies in the city who made big promises and were quick to bash Creative Circle, but they aren’t the ones finding actual placements for me. Creative Circle is.

My experience with Creative Circle has been nothing but disappointing, tho I must say I feel a bit better reading all of the reviews and learning that I am not the only one and this seems to be the norm when working with this firm.
Initially, I had high hopes working with this firm. When I went in, however, for a scheduled appointment and waited for 35 minutes with no updates to see the recruiter I was a bit nervous but let it slide. The recruiter was complementary of my experience, asked great questions, and kept mentioning that everything would now happen very fast.
Wrong. It’s been about a month since that initial meeting and I’ve only been contacted twice (by separate recruiters) from the agency. My emails and phone calls have not been returned, applications on the website have been ignored. I followed up with my original recruiter as well as the girl who reached out to me about an interview and then never got back to me.
All in all this has been a waste of my time and I’m glad that I’ve continued to pursue other opportunities rather than putting all my eggs in the creative circle basket. Hope other people have better luck with this firm than I did.

I find it odd that the majority of the reviews for Creative Circle are so polarizing. Either FIVE STARS (fake) or One star (more than likely realistic). I’m leaning more toward the one stars based on my own experience with the company. They were never able to provide me with any work even after submitting work multiple times.
I have a full time position already but simply wanted to find some side work for more income. I explained this very clearly. I was called up by them various times but scolded when I said I only was interested in part time not full time. Why have me tell you this in the beginning if you’re not actually checking it out?
The few times when I applied for something that would fit my schedule I would never hear anything back. The final straw was an incident that happened a couple weeks ago. I was given a «Test Run» assignment for Social Capital in Chicago. They wanted a «sample design» of how to make a template for a nonprofit organization. I provided a fully designed template against my better judgement. It reeked of «free work» but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. The recruiter told me I would be notified of the client’s decision whether I was selected or not. I’ve dealt with recruiters in the past that would notify me when I wasn’t selected and even provide feedback on why I was not. I find this to be very professional and even above and beyond what they have to do. A simple «not at this time» is acceptable in my book.
I was written a one word email when I inquired about the status of the job for the 3^rd time. «No.» Nothing more. After three weeks of waiting after having submitted my work, and then submitting it again because the client apparently couldn’t access the original dropbox link (I had to reach out to them to find this out as well) I wasn’t even told anything. Why say you’ll let me know either way? I wouldn’t have even expected a response had you said nothing since that is how goes sometimes. No biggie.
The recruiter was very rude after I explained my frustrations saying I was «disgruntled.» No, you Creative Circle lack professionalism. It is a wonder you’re still in business. Never again…