Pounce Marketing is a full-service creative agency founded in 2017 by CEO Simran Kaur.
The agency specialises in combining marketing and technology for its clients such as Panasonic, Netpoleon and Tripwire.
Pounce Marketing scored a great scoop with hiring Jeremy Southern as its new head of content, announced last week.
In light of the agency’s recent addition, CEO Kaur and COO Rakz Mathur revealed to Mediaweek what they look for in a creative lead, their insight into the hiring process, their crucial balancing act and what candidates should consider in the hiring process.
A look behind the hiring curtain
So why would Pounce Marketing’s leaders reveal their insights into their hiring process? Kaur explained: “Rakz and I have been in the industry for decades, and, during that time, we’ve been on both sides of the table. Hirees and hirers.
“Consequently, we’ve had intimate experience with the hiring process and have a resume that includes some great hires, but also a few mistakes.”
The CEO noted that they have previously hired candidates based on their resumes, “price point” fit or because they interviewed well. She said: “With each success or failure, we’ve learnt wisdom and applied that knowledge to improve the hiring process. It’s a taxing experience. Not just for us, but for the candidate as well.”
“This being the case, we felt that it would be useful to lift the veil of secrecy that traditionally enshrouds the recruiting of senior employees and just be honest about what a CEO and COO are looking for in a creative lead,” Kaur added.
Simran Kaur
Inside the hiring process
With the talent shortage impacting the industry, recruiting the right person for the job has never been more critical.
The different stages of the hiring process are usually a private matter between those doing the hiring and avoid revealing what goes on behind the scenes.
Giving insight into their process of recruiting a creative lead, Mathur revealed that as an agency, they have had valuable learnings from previous unsuccessful hirings – from recruiters or direct at a senior level.
When looking for a creative lead, like their most recent addition of Jeremy Southern, Rakz said: “Probably the most important was that we as leaders had to be ready for the role. We needed to have our values in place and be hiring someone who was a good fit for those, as opposed to merely hiring for skill. It sounds simple in hindsight, but it took us about four years to arrive at that point,” he said.
Kaur noted that using values as a filtering process helps ensure candidates have most, or all, of the agency’s seven attributes – powerful, smart, surprising, playful, brave, adaptable and trusted.
“In the interview, we can ask them to showcase work that they think is brave or surprising or give examples of being brave and surprising in their previous job,” she said.
“If we apply these values to every interview situation, then hopefully that can go some way towards controlling the outcome,” the Pounce Marketing CEO added.
Under the influence?
Awards and recognitions are a big part of the industry – but does that influence the decision in the hiring process?
Mathur said awards are great for showing credibility but not the primary driver, as was the case for the recent hire of Jeremy Southern.
“Don’t get me wrong; we love that Jeremy has won major awards. But what we loved, even more, was his humour, his truth, and his ability to humanise even the driest and most mundane of content,” the Pounce Marketing COO shared.
“That quality is something that we respected as a craft in and of itself and was one of the primary drivers for his appointment,” he added.
Balancing act
Striking a balance between profitability and salary points, particularly when hiring a senior creative lead, can be considered a contentious topic in the industry. But it’s a situation Kaur knows well.
The CEO shared that agency leaders in a similar situation should know what they need in that role. Kaur explained: “If you are looking at hiring someone to bring clients with them, you will be looking for someone who drives two to three times their wage, and you can see that as a clear impact on their starting.”
The Pounce Marketing founder followed that by noting conversations about budgeting needs to be very measured. “A good creative is worth their weight in gold, and you want someone great. It might be a stretch financially, but in this content-rich world, hiring someone who can cut through the noise is imperative and worth every cent,” she said.
Finally, to round out her advice, Kaur said: “Don’t think you can ‘just get them to whip up a quick, creative insight.’ Creativity has an overhead that is often overlooked – thinking and creative time.
“Certain clients in the mid-level do not see the tangible value of it. Start-ups tend to focus only on work that is revenue driven. It is only enterprise businesses that really understand the value of the retained creative,” the CEO added.
Kaur also said that from a budget perspective, agency owners and leaders should own the fact that having a senior creative is a long-term investment that will not have an immediate ROI but will yield over time.
“A lot of changes to your business and resourcing practices may be required for this to come good,” she added.
Rakz Mathur
It’s a two-way street
Kaur and Rakz acknowledged that the hiring process is a working relationship between the employer and the candidate based on more than just salary.
The CEO highlighted that for employers and candidates, that salary should not be the “main consideration.”
She explained: “One thing to keep in mind, as a CEO, is that sometimes the salary shouldn’t be the main consideration. Depending on what level your business is at (and realistically what you can afford to pay somebody), you might be pricing yourself out of the game.”
“It’s important that employers can offer additional benefits to candidates such as training, work-life balance, an opportunity to carve out their own space and make the role their own.”
Kaur added: “The reality is, as a candidate, you need to be looking for a well-rounded role that suits your lifestyle and work ambitions, not just a well-rounded salary.”
For his part, Mathur noted that what he believes will drive a fruitful relationship in the hiring process is inclusivity, particularly when considering employees from different generations.
“Managing Gen Z is a different kettle to managing Baby Boomers. Employees need to consider and know they are hiring humans and not robots,” he said.
Conversely, Mathur noted that candidates should be aware that the employers – managers, c- suite level or business owners are human too. “That inclusivity goes both ways,” he added.
The COO noted the ability to have great conversations about how to be managed, how to manage versus management values, and the candidate’s values and their alignment are important.
“As an organisation, we know the downside of getting this wrong first-hand, and that is why we focus on value alignment across all parts of the journey,” Mathur added.
See also: Pounce Marketing welcomes Jeremy Southern as its new head of content
