The Next Generation of Creative Roles - 1

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1 The Next Generation of Creative Roles - 1

2 Talent in Demand The Next Generation of Creative Roles The United States job market is in recovery mode, and many businesses plan to hire additional employees to boost production in the workplace. The outlook for the second half of 2012 is optimistic and hiring is expected to be widespread in all industries, regardless of company or market size. According to CareerBuilder s 2012 Mid-Year Forecast, 44 percent of private sector employers are planning on hiring full-time, permanent employees from July through December 2012, a nine-percent increase over the same period last year. Twentyone percent of employers are expected to increase hiring temporary or contract workers in the third and fourth quarters of this year, up from only 12 percent in 2011.* The creative job landscape continues to evolve, creating a new generation of skill requirements for prospective hires. Yet businesses have experienced difficulty in finding people with the appropriate skill sets to fill these newly evolving positions. As the job market rebounds, so does the relative choosiness of qualified candidates. Of employers who recruited for positions in 2011, approximately 56 percent reported that a talented candidate rejected a job offer from their organization. It is safe to assume that employers now need to promote their benefits as much as job seekers need to advertise theirs. As employers, it s important to understand the latest trends in the creative sector and how the next generation of professionals can help shape your business for the future. This whitepaper will help you gain essential insight into the seven most in demand skills shaping the creative sphere in The information is tailored to give you the resources you need to make informed employment decisions moving forward, offering some guidance on developing creative roles that you may find would complement your business needs best. Here are the most coveted creatives cited by today s most cutting-edge professionals: 2 - Talent In Demand

3 UX Designer The position of User Experience (UX) Designer is often used to describe a professional who can bring interactive web components together using design and strategy. The ideal candidate has a background in information architecture, user-centered design, user testing, interaction design and certain aspects of visual design. Essentially, these professionals optimize web design so users can navigate and engage with a site effectively. A successful UX Designer needs a superior understanding of coding languages like HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and should be able to keep abreast of evolutions in each. While having the knowledge to lay the groundwork out for a web page, these professionals are more geared toward the wiring and framework associated with the user experience. A qualified UX Designer has a superior knowledge of user behavior and has a technical and digital background in design. However, even more importantly, this professional brings concept and execution together, culminating in an interactive and finalized website, or other digital output. In Q1 2012, one third of employers added full-time, permanent staff Interactive Designer / Web Designer A Web Designer has computer programming skills, but is not limited to those tasks. In fact, most have some coding skills, but spend the bulk of their time conceptualizing web pages and designing layouts that cater to the needs of their clients. Interactive Designers / Web Designers (ID/WD) tend to be excellent with graphics software like Photoshop and are competent in programs like JavaScript. These professionals may receive degrees in a wide array of subjects. However, ID/WDs most often study Animation, Computer Science, Digital Graphics, Programming, Web Design, Authoring and Scripting, Computer Programming Languages, E-commerce, Multimedia Applications, Operating Systems or Web Design. * Culik, Amy, CareerBuilder s 2012 Mid-Year Job Forecast: The Results are In, July 9, 2012 The Next Generation of Creative Roles - 3

4 Web Developer A Web Developer builds and maintains high-quality web pages and websites. The skills a web developer has are typically broader than a webmaster, as a web developer is generally assigned to write custom scripts to accommodate various needs of clients. A qualified web developer builds a web presence from the ground up, tailoring designs to custom specifications. These professionals have a high competency of digital syntax like CSS, HTML and JavaScript. Web Developers most often go to school for web design, graphic design or computer programming, but beyond the traditional degree they benefit from having artistic and creative backgrounds that allow them to produce eye-catching and innovative web pages. Interactive Project Manager Interactive Project Management is not simply about governing and managing a team of professionals - it also requires communication and leadership, problem solving and risk mitigation skills. The right candidate is comfortable leading a team in delivering large website creation projects, specialty microsites, innovative virtual tours and banner ad campaigns. As an Interactive Project Manager, a creative professional should understand Content Management System (CMS) driven sites. The knowledge to handle CMS sites comes from an advanced understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Flash and some database familiarity, while also knowing how to schedule and lead projects from beginning to end. These professionals fill management roles, so past experience is essential. In most cases, at least five to seven years of prior work as an interactive project manager and agency experience are a must. Candidates can receive their undergraduate degrees in the creative arts or business management, but they are highly encouraged to fine-tune their skills post graduation by earning additional degrees. 4 - Talent In Demand

5 Interactive Art Director An Interactive Art Director develops leads a team of creatives in developing and conceptualizing ideas to be used in communication and connecting brands, products and services with clients. Using creative devices like theme, symbolism and interactive platforms such as a website, these directors often dictate the shape interactive online marketing takes for their employers. A qualified candidate understands the latest digital design software and best practices, can design and build interactive websites and knows how to motivate and manage a team of creative professionals in order to achieve client goals. Many Interactive Art Directors have spent at least seven years in the workforce developing their creative skills and working their way to upper management roles. These professionals are in charge of the overall look and feel of interactive projects, so their skills vary greatly from those possessed by traditional Art Directors. Instead of focusing on a wide array of platforms, Interactive Art Directors work solely with digital platforms to engage with customers or clients. The Next Generation of Creative Roles - 5

6 Information Architect Information Architecture (IA) is the construction and development of information. On the web, it is often the combination of organizing content within a site into distinctive and diverse categories and creating an interface to support those categories. It involves an extensive coding background in XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX (jquery) and Flash, and much of the work is completed in tandem with the UX Designer. Qualified candidates are focused on user experience, but also grasp the intricacies of data and development. Professionals typically start out working in web development or entry-level user experience positions, gathering the appropriate skills that later lead to higher roles in IA. Professionals in IA have strong attention to detail and a sense of organization. It s important to be able to manage data as it comes in, so these workers need to be consistent and reliable. In addition, strong logic and analytics skills often appeal to employers, as well as the ability to communicate effectively to a wide array of creative professionals working on similar projects. Talented people often look to acquire masters degrees in Communication Planning and Design (CPD), Information Design (ID). While a job seeker can find work as an IA with just an undergraduate degree, many choose to develop their studies further with extra schooling. An additional 30% of employers foresee bringing on new talent in Q2 this year Mobile Developer / Designer Mobile Developers / Designers (MD/D) are highly sought after for their skills in creating unique mobile web and application interfaces. In today s market, ios and Android development take up a bulk of these professionals time, but the challenges associated with each can be different. Overall, a MD/D needs to have a high-level knowledge in design toolsets, methods and best practices to transform ideas into functional web content. Having a bachelor s degree in Graphic Design or Computer Science is common, as well as a minimum of four years of experience in front-end web development with proven mobile experience. Since projects often take several months, being able to multitask is also critical. MD/D professionals often have similar skills as web developers, but with an added emphasis on mobile design. They need to be able to concept ideas that fit on smaller screens as well as design websites and mobile applications that adapt to the device they re being accessed on. A qualified candidate understands coding syntax including XHTML, CSS, JavaScript and Flash, and can put together pages that flow smoothly across all interfaces. An MD/D can find an entry-level position and begin a career immediately, but a professional who wants to find work at a larger corporation needs approximately five years of experience. 6 - Talent In Demand

7 How can you find these professionals? Organizations who want to improve their online presence may need some additional creative help, and the interactive professionals referenced in this report are able to provide solutions. Employers can certainly benefit from the work these in-demand professionals offer, as each can provide a unique new touch to online branding and design elements. Employers struggling to find qualified candidates for hard-to-fill positions such as UX Designer, Interactive Designer/Web Designer, Web Developer, Interactive Project Manager, Interactive Art Director, Information Architect or Mobile Developer can seek support and recruitment expertise from specialized staffing agencies. Experienced recruiters such as those at The BOSS Group can connect businesses with sought after candidates in a timely manner, helping employers find the necessary talent to complement their efforts at garnering higher market shares in competitive industry sectors. Are you ready to hire highly qualified interactive professionals to fill these roles? Let The BOSS Group help you connect with the right candidates by aligning your needs with experienced professionals who have the best skills. The BOSS Group specializes in creative staffing services, and our breadth of qualified recruiters can help you find the employees you need to develop interactive web components. Instead of struggling to find the right candidates, let us introduce them to you. To download a PDF version of this report, visit us at For complete job descriptions for the positions in this report, visit us at To contact your local branch online, visit or us at [email protected] The Next Generation of Creative Roles - 7

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