17634: Monks Seeks Monkeys…?

This actual job listing for Monks is labeled “Future Position: Creative Director.”

The description also explains:

This posting is not tied to a current open role, but is an opportunity to join our talent pool for future positions. By applying, you’ll be considered as opportunities that align with your experience that become available.

First, the person who drafted the job listing could benefit from tapping a Creative Director with copy experience. Or they could’ve used AI, no?

Second, given the shaky financial state of parent company S4 Capital, a future opportunity with Monks is far, far away—and may never materialize.

Finally, any potential position probably pays peanuts.

 

17575: Help Wanted—Human Heat Shields.

 

This actual job listing seeks a partner for an executive search firm specializing in DEIBA+ candidates.

The base salary is $175k; plus, incentives could escalate income to greater than $750k annually.

Given the current anti-DEIBA+ vibe—especially in the US—it seems like a dead-end role. Yet the posting quickly lured over 100 Human Heat Shield applicants.

Probably lots of former Chief Diversity Officers from White advertising agencies.

17547: Note To Glassdoor—Try Creating Advertising That Doesn’t Suck.

WTF is this digital promotion trying to communicate? Glassdoor Recruiter can help people land remote jobs, allowing you to sneak off on company time? Or when reaching out to a Glassdoor Recruiter, they’ll never be at their desk, so expect to get ghosted…?

17279: RIF FYI WTF.

 

Advertising Age published timely—albeit useless—content featuring advice for people experiencing layoffs.

 

The uselessness derives from the source of the counsel: industry recruiters.

 

Upon submitting the drivel, the headhunters undoubtedly ghosted the Ad Age reporter.

 

But seriously, recruiting for White advertising agencies is a role that could easily be replaced by AI—and is increasingly shifted in-house alongside HR duties.

 

Independent recruiters are amazingly unfamiliar with the industry—and typically ignorant about the true specifications for roles. Contrary to self-promotional hype, these commission-seeking bottom feeders indiscriminately throw candidates at agencies.

 

On second thought, “indiscriminately” might be the wrong word; in their heyday, industry recruiters were prime culprits and collaborators in stymieing DEIBA+ progress via discriminatory practices.

 

What you need to know if you’ve just been laid off

 

By Lindsay Rittenhouse

 

Omnicom’s massive restructuring following its acquisition of Interpublic Group of Cos., including the dismantling of three storied creative agency brands, leaves thousands of people without jobs.

 

Chairman and CEO John Wren told Ad Age that Omnicom expects to have 105,000 employees worldwide post-merger. That’s a decline of about 23,200 employees from 128,200, the combined headcount of Omnicom and IPG at the end of 2024.

 

The layoffs have shaken the industry, with many ad professionals reacting to the restructuring online and commenting on the toll the cuts will take. These job losses add to many that have already been happening across the industry for the past few years, and come as fears mount about AI’s ability to replace even more jobs.

 

“We are in the midst of a perfect storm where there is a triumvirate of economic instability, significant agency consolidation and the rise of AI,” said Jay Haines, founding partner of Grace Blue, which is part of Sinecure, a collection of talent firms specializing in scalable recruiting solutions and executive search. “Each of those would individually be enough to cause significant disruption, but together they have had the huge impact we are seeing today.”

 

Serena Wolf, founder of recruiting firm Wolf Creative Co., said she hasn’t witnessed this many layoffs since the first year of COVID, referring to the period of pandemic-related lockdowns between March and December of 2020.

 

Tony Stanol, president of Global Recruiters of Sarasota, said the amount of layoffs resulting from one merger is dramatic but not entirely surprising.

 

“It’s not shocking given the industry’s over-hiring during pandemic-era growth,” he said. “I’m seeing many more talented people coming at me for help than during the COVID layoffs and furloughs.”

 

It’s a scary time for many industry professionals who are affected. They’re going to have to figure out how to communicate that they have been laid off, decide how to best protect themselves and their interests as companies make sweeping cuts, and learn how to go about landing their next job in a tough hiring market.

 

Below is advice from industry recruiters on those considerations and more.

 

After being laid off, first, take a breath

 

“I know it’s scary, but good people land,” Stanol said. “Your skills, relationships and track record didn’t disappear overnight. Take a breath, regroup and remember: This moment doesn’t define your career, what you do next does.”

 

Recruiters who spoke with Ad Age said if you’ve been laid off, you may feel the need to jump into job hunting, especially amid the current rocky hiring landscape but that it’s important to take a minute to pause and really consider the next best move for your career.

 

Just don’t take too long, they added.

 

“Take 48 hours to decompress, assess your financial runway and get clear on the type of role and environment you want next,” Stanol said. “Once your head is level, tighten your narrative. Hiring leaders want clarity.”

 

Lawyer up and negotiate

 

Anyone impacted by a layoff should ask for a severance package, and lawyers can help.

 

“Regardless of your level, it is always worth speaking with a labor lawyer to review the proposed severance [and/or] separation agreement,” said Sasha Martens, president of industry recruiting firm Sasha the Mensch. “The best time to negotiate is early, so take the time to think through what you would want to ask for. It is important to be realistic as well, since each organization is different and the reality is that advertising agencies’ severance packages are not as generous as those of other Fortune 500 brands.”

 

Stanol noted that you only need to hire an employment attorney for an hour to have it be worthwhile.

 

A good severance package should be realistic and typically start at one to two weeks of pay for every year you’ve worked, according to some recruiters. Haines said your severance negotiations “should be based on facts and data,” meaning the years you served the company and the contributions you made.

 

You can also ask your former employer for confirmation or a letter stating that your layoff “was not performance-related,” Martens added.

 

Wolf said you can ask your next employer, when signing an offer letter, for severance of three to 12 months, as well, should you be laid off again (depending on your level).

 

How to announce you’ve been laid off

 

There is going to be a flood of announcements on LinkedIn from professionals who have been laid off, all hitting at once, due to the scale of the deal-related cuts.

 

Wolf advised professionals to pause and post their announcements in mid-January when hiring should ramp up, noting that hiring slows down at the end of December. Holding companies usually carry out most staff cuts in the fourth quarter, when they’re scrambling to meet margins.

 

Martens added that you may not want to rush to publicly announce that you are unemployed, and you might not have to if you do get severance.

 

“If you are on severance with your current employer, then you are being paid by them, and there are obligations for both parties, meaning you don’t need to change your status immediately,” he said. “Fair or unfair, your value as an employed person is always higher than that of someone out looking for work.”

 

When you do make a public announcement, Stanol said that you should “skip the vague ‘open to work’ halo above your LinkedIn portrait.” Instead, “be specific” about what you do, where you add value and what you’re after, he said.

 

Haines said that it’s important to set the right tone.

 

“The tone should be realistic about recognizing what has happened, with a recognition that it’s part of the broader instability of the industry, as opposed to anything that relates to you as an individual,” Haines said. “Alongside that should be a message of gratitude and humility about all that you have achieved to date, and your excitement to bring all the skills you have developed and experience you have gained to your next role. It’s also helpful to have a call to action around your desire to connect with your community at large.”

 

Connect with your network

 

Reaching out to your network will be crucial as well. But determining who to approach first takes some consideration.

 

Stanol said there’s a formula for that.

 

“Start with warm allies: Former bosses, peers, clients and recruiters who already trust your work,” he said. “They’re approachable, credible and they’ll go to bat for you. Then move to second-degree contacts at the companies and categories still hiring.”

 

Martens agreed, saying it’s first worth reaching out to “long-time industry contacts, people you have relationships with. Reach out to people that you may know who could use your work and talent in a full-time capacity, or could bring you in on a project.”

 

How to search for your next job

 

Some recruiters said it may take six months to a year to find a job in the current market. But Wolf said she’s seen some executives land on their feet “within a few short weeks/months.” She advises people to be open to freelance opportunities, not just full-time positions.

 

It all comes down to identifying what your next career move could be, including whether you want to go the route of entrepreneurship and start your own agency, as many former holding company executives have done, or maybe even switch industries, the recruiters said.

 

“Treat looking for a job like a job,” Haines said. “Action is the enemy of anxiety.”

 

Haines said Grace Blue advises the executives it works with to follow what it calls the “five box strategy” when it comes to searching for their next job.

 

The strategy involves identifying “five potential routes forward,” Haines said. “Think widely. Those five boxes might look like: Technology, entertainment, the Boston and Texas markets and PE-backed ventures. Having established that, you should then go through each potential box, one by one, working out who you might know in that space.”

 

Haines said you should tackle “one box each week and identify the first 10 people on your list in that space. Let’s say the first box is technology. You should then craft a note to each of those 10 people explaining that, having gained valuable experience through the course of your career, you are now thinking about what might come next and that the technology space is of particular interest.”

 

While you’re searching, Haines suggests mastering new skills and partaking in online education courses on AI, machine learning or LLMs—all of which will be critical to landing a more future-proof job in the industry.

 

Don’t take it personally

 

One point many recruiters drove home was that if you have been laid off, do not take it personally.

 

“It’s important to remind yourself that it’s not personal,” Wolf said. “You are not alone.”

 

Stay positive and use the time between jobs for a reset, Haines said. “It is an opportunity to define the rest of your career. It is an invaluable moment to take in all the information available and embark on a program of education that your previous role would never have allowed for. This is the moment to get yourself set for the next 10 years.”

 

And, despite some areas of the industry looking bleak right now, Martens said there is still a lot to be hopeful for in advertising’s future.

 

“What you are seeing is a new ecosystem of growing, nimble agencies and networks,” he said. “There are so many new networks and players entering the industry that weren’t there before. This is not just many new independents, but new networks and investors. The divide between the agency and the client side has long been broken, which offers more opportunities.”

17139: Adland Hiring—Exclusions Apply.

 

Adweek published content on hiring in Adland, which inadvertently highlighted greater obstacles for true diversity beyond the anti-DEIBA+ vibe prevalent today, including:

 

• Fewer opportunities for entry-level talent counters contrived and performative stunts involving minority internships, erecting special high schools, and embryo recruitment.

 

• Searching for established talent with hybrid skills favors seasoned drones already in the workforce. The advantages will continue to go to White men and White women by virtue of their existing industry dominance.

 

The White advertising agencies actively hiring position themselves as “integrated”—although the term does not refer at all to racial and ethnic integration.

 

Associated hiring practices may seem new, but the end results are the same old same old.

 

In short, the shops tagged as “growing” are expanding systemic racism.

 

As Ad Industry Sheds Jobs, These Agencies Are Growing—and Hiring 

 

As a new class of hirers reshapes the agency workforce, junior talent has fewer ways in

 

By Audrey Kemp

 

Layoffs, restructuring, and vanishing entry-level roles: the past year has brought little relief for agency talent navigating a volatile job market.

 

Since January 2022, staff-level jobs at U.S. ad agencies have declined by more than 10%, according to Live Data Technologies. Entry-level positions are being hit hardest, as agencies automate routine tasks and lean more heavily into AI.

 

The industry has yet to recover to its pre‑2023 peak of 228,000 jobs. Ad agency employment now sits at around 219,500 jobs, down nearly 4% year‑over‑year.

 

Following cost-cutting efforts at WPP and Interpublic Group—including hundreds of layoffs and sweeping reorganizations—and ahead of the latter’s acquisition by Omnicom, holding companies are increasingly adopting AI and offshoring functions to boost efficiency amid mounting profit pressures.

 

While executive- and director-level roles have remained relatively stable, junior talent looking to break into the ad industry are facing a shrinking pipeline of traditional entry-level roles.

 

“We’re seeing the erosion of the apprentice model,” said Jay Pattisall, principal analyst at Forrester. “Agencies are playing the role of editors now—orchestrating workflows, managing creators, content pipelines, influencer strategies. That requires seasoned professionals.”

 

AI-related job skills are also becoming standard; mentions of AI in global job listings for advertising and marketing roles have jumped more than 67% year over year, according to a recent report from Autodesk.

 

As the agency job market shifts, a new wave of independent and private equity-backed shops is hiring in earnest—and reshaping the profile of ad industry talent.

 

The New Agency Hirers

 

Independent full-service agency Known is currently hiring for 30 open roles, representing about 7% of its workforce. The hiring spree comes as Known is growing between 20% and 30% year over year, according to CEO Kern Schireson.

 

“It’s driven by demand for the things that we do—and that’s inseparable from the talent we hire,” he said.

 

DEPT, a global agency backed by PE firm Carlyle Group, is seeing similar momentum. It is growing double digits and has more than 130 open roles across the Americas—nearly 10% of its regional headcount. Most of those roles are mid- to senior-level.

 

Croud, a digital agency backed by ECI Partners, is hiring for 11 to 15 roles in the U.S., accounting for about 10% of its U.S. headcount. Open positions span mid- to senior-level, including planners, media buyers, analysts, and social strategists. Multiple director-level roles are open.

 

On the creative side, new shop Cape Agency recently made its first full-time hire and is recruiting for another full-time role, as well as eight fractional roles. Most are senior-level jobs in creative, strategy, and account management, though mid-level positions are expected to open soon.

 

And Nice&Frank, a 23-person creative agency, has seven to 10 open roles across creative, design, account, production, and strategy—primarily mid- to senior- level.

 

“Director-level talent is our sweet spot,” said Cape co-founder and CEO Casey Ritts. “People who are confident decision-makers but still love rolling up their sleeves.”

 

What They Have in Common

 

Many of these shops have commonalities that set them apart from the legacy agency business.

 

DEPT and Croud both have PE backing, fueling their investment in more senior talent as they experiment with AI. Both agencies, as well as Known, offer modern, integrated services with capabilities in data, technology, AI, commerce, influencer, and other growing media channels.

 

“We’re not a holding company. We’re an integrated, end-to-end business,” said Carryn Quibell, CEO of DEPT Americas. “Gone are the days of agencies with layers and layers of management and red tape.”

 

Integration, plus the fuel of PE investment, is allowing these agencies to grow organically by landing clients in one area and expanding the scope from there.

 

“We don’t tend to win $40 million AORs,” said Quibell. “We tend to win with an area of expertise like commerce and see those clients expand.”

 

On the creative side, clients are flocking to small, nimble agencies like Cape and Nice&Frank, which can deliver great work quickly—without as much overhead.

 

“In the smallest organizations, hiring is often funded by good work and over-investment,” Forrester’s Pattisall said. “They don’t suffer the same commercial model issues that large, scaled holding companies have to deal with. What CMO doesn’t want to hire a startup that’s willing to do twice the work for half the price?”

 

The New Skill Sets

 

As these agencies create new models that work at speed, they’re looking for a different breed of talent than the classically trained agency employee.

 

Kris Tait, chief business officer at Croud, said that though the agency is recruiting holding company talent, it is looking for people with hybrid skills that understand how to translate creative work across social platforms, “not just get the creative and put it in the platforms.”

 

“We need people that are open to this new world,” he said.

 

Schireson said Known, which receives up to 4,000 applicants per open role, has a job requirement that every employee—from legal to analytics—uses AI in their daily workflow.

 

“If you were an analyst spending 80% of your time crunching numbers and 20% thinking strategically, now you get to flip that,” he said.

 

In addition to embracing new tech, agencies want talent that’s curious and able to work cross-functionally.

 

“The question is, what is your mindset?” said Schireson. “What is your personal story that demonstrates to us that you have what it takes to engage and collaborate?”

 

“Nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen over the course of the next five years, but if you…lean into the change and the evolution, you can win,” Quibell added.

 

What About Junior Talent?

 

As agencies experiment with automation and prioritize senior and mid-level hires, junior talent are left without as many avenues to break into the industry. To combat that, agencies are broadening their internship programs and recruitment pipelines.

 

Croud recently expanded its 12-week summer internship program globally, giving underrepresented, early-career talent experience with clients, projects for their portfolios, mentorship, and exposure to agency talent. The agency has also partnered with COOP, a fellowship program that supports first-generation college grads, helping it recruit from schools like Columbia, Emerson, and NYU. And it has dropped degree requirements to broaden its applicant pool.

 

Other agencies are changing the way they train junior talent once they have broken in. At DEPT, for instance, new hires choose a subject to “major” in and another to “minor” in, allowing them to develop cross-functional expertise from the get-go.

 

At growing creative agencies, the path to bring in junior talent is less clear.

 

Cape Agency is in the early stages of hiring junior talent, working to establish a formal internship program through university partnerships. And Nice&Frank, which began with a mostly senior team, is starting to focus more on bringing in and providing support to early-career talent.

 

“Our youngest employees tend to hit us with the hottest takes that keep us rethinking how we’re growing a new kind of agency,” said Nice&Frank co-founder Graham North.

 

While these agencies are searching for ways to bring new, young talent into the fold, the reality remains that these roles are shrinking—which could lead to a dried up industry talent pipeline down the road.

 

“There are secular and structural things happening in our industry,” Schireson said.

17029: Skeletons & Ghosts.

 

Headhunters dissing headhunters sets a new standard for hypocrisy. Also, a ghost would have made a better visual metaphor than a skeleton.

16787: What To Expect When Job Hunting Online.

 

The actual LinkedIn Jobs post depicted above should be revised to reflect reality as depicted below.

 

16715: Recruitment & Retirement.

 

Job Leads is diversifying, now offering its services to Old White Guys…?

16672: Amazing Exclusivity.

 

Job Leads says 80% of jobs aren’t advertised. How does that figure apply to Adland, where candidates of color aren’t allowed into—or even aware of—the metaphorical maze?

16609: Women At Work.

 

JobLeads declares to White women, “Headhunters Are Looking For You.” Must be recruiting for exclusive opportunities in Adland.

16587: Job Hunters, Beware Of Headhunters.

 

Headhunters are looking for Graphic Designers too—apparently with the same White male requirements as Creative Directors. And why connect with thousands of headhunters who will probably ghost candidates en masse?

 

Also, isn’t “headhunters” an outdated term?

16584: Looking For A Few Good White Men…?

Headhunters are looking for Creative Directors—and based on the image, privileged White men preferred—via an exclusive, secret database…? Well, that pretty much sums up the hiring practices that have been present in Adland forever.

15907: Hyping Hybrid Heat Shields.

 

AgencySpy posted on a new DEI partnership between The One Club and Allies for Recruiting (AIR), a collective of recruiters from a range of disciplines. Both organizations boast a host of heat shields—yet don’t seem to have meaningful or measurable results to display. It all feels like one club of hot air.

 

AIR and The One Club for Creativity Collaborate on DEI efforts

 

By Nandika Chatterjee

 

Volunteer-based organization Allies for Recruiting (AIR) has joined the One Club for Creativity family, adding to the non-profit’s diversity offering. The move will afford AIR the resources to expand its infrastructure and increase its scope of growth.

 

AIR represents a collective of recruiters from a variety of disciplines, including advertising, marketing and technology, creating representation and a sense of belonging within the industry. That goes hand-in-hand with The One Club for Creativity’s purpose to cultivate talent and celebrate global creative success on a variety of platforms.

 

Kevin Swanepoel, CEO of the One Club for Creativity, told Adweek that AIR “shares our focus on results-oriented programs that do more than just talk about the issue. They actually help get people hired.”

 

AIR’s recruitment practices are what allow its recruiters to best help individuals meet their potential and land their dream jobs. This includes diversifying its search queries and conducting ability-inclusive interviews.

 

“Through AIR pods, smaller groups of recruiters work together to create resources for our broader community. We identify new areas of focus, share talent acquisition and retention strategies and equip our members to have difficult conversations with hiring teams,” Tyler DeBoard, AIR partner and global director, talent partnerships at WPP told Adweek.

 

The One Club for Creativity has maintained its pillar of inclusion and diversity for nearly 15 years. It was one of the first within the industry to form a department dedicated to DEI, called One ID, in 2008.

 

It has since created programs such as its annual Where Are All The Black People (WAATBP) diversity conference and career fair, One School free portfolio program for Black creatives, One Production free food styling program for BIPOC students, Creative Boot Camps held around the world offering diverse students.

 

The One Club’s considerable focus in this area will now extend into new realms through AIR’s influence in the industry.

 

“There’s been lots of talk over the past few years about the need to increase diversity in the ad world. AIR stands out as an organization that actually does something tangible to address the problem: they exist for the purpose of getting diverse talent hired,” said Swanepoel.

 

In today’s socio-political climate, discussion and action surrounding diversity and inclusion have never been more pressing, according to many in the industry, and this new partnership hopes to continue DEI efforts in the advertising and marketing industries.

 

“We are invested and committed to intentionally raise awareness, train and educate recruiters on how they can embed inclusive practices at a systematic level in everything they do,” Daniela Herrera, AIR founding partner and director recruitment operations and ED&I at R/GA told Adweek. “I can’t wait to get us started with this partnership and take on a more impactful and meaningful role when it comes to elevating, championing, and supporting talent from historically and systematically excluded communities in our industry,” she said.

 

With a practical action plan, the partnership between The One Club for Creativity and AIR is making a step in the direction of impactful change.

 

“As our collective grows to include more allies across more of our industries, we hope that competition becomes collaboration in the push for a more equitable future,” said DeBoard.