salary information

Starting Salaries for Creative and Marketing Pros Will Be Up About 3.5 Percent in 2015

The Robert Half 2015 Salary Guides show that U.S. starting salaries for professional occupations are projected to increase an average of 3.8 percent this year. Among all of the fields Robert Half researched, the largest expected gains in salaries are in technology. The average starting salary for a newly hired information technology worker will be up by about 5.7 percent. Accounting and finance and creative and marketing professionals can expect starting salaries to rise an average of 3.5 percent.

Salary_Guide_The_Creative_Group_2015The Creative Group’s 2015 Salary Guide lists starting salaries for more than 125 creative and marketing positions in five fields: design and production; interactive design and production; content development and management; advertising and marketing; and public relations.

Growth in the digital space, particularly mobile, is driving the demand for professionals such as digital marketing strategists and user-experience specialists. Businesses also seek content strategists, web designers and front-end web developers.

Specific job titles covered in the report include: content strategist, market researcher, blogger, copy editor, digital marketing strategist, illustrator, graphic designer, package designer, 3D modeler, video editor, web content writer, interactive art director, technical illustrator, and studio artist.

According to a section on 5 Trends Heating Up Hiring, “Talent is harder to come by. Hiring managers report that demand for top creative talent is outstripping supply in some cases. Candidates with strong portfolios and the right mix of technical and soft skills frequently field multiple offers….In addition to recruitment concerns, retention is becoming more of a priority.”

The Creative Group’s 2015 Salary Guide (“Moolah Palooza”) also says agencies and in-house departments are bringing in freelancers to help manage workloads and provide specialized skills that don’t exist internally.

Information in the Salary Guides is based on the thousands of job searches, negotiations and placements managed each year by Robert Half’s staffing and recruiting managers, along with the company’s ongoing surveys of executives. Continuing or ongoing salaries are not reported because many external factors — such as seniority, work ethic, job performance and training — impact the salaries of full-time professionals as work histories develop.

The Creative Group is a leader among creative and marketing staffing agencies. The firm specializes in connecting talented, creative professionals with companies looking to hire interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent. As the creative, and design staffing division of Robert Half, The Creative Group offers flexible solutions to meet companies’ project, contract-to-hire and full-time employment needs.

LINKS

Robert Half 2015 Salary Guides

The Creative Group 2015 Salary Guide: Moolah Palooza

Survey Says Creative Pros Can Seek Higher Starting Salaries

A new survey by The Creative Group suggests that talented creative professionals who accept an initial job offer may be leaving money on the table. More than six in 10 (63 percent) advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they are at least somewhat willing to negotiate compensation when extending a job offer to a top candidate.  Only 28 percent of respondents said they are not.

TCG_GRAPH_Negotiation_US

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 500 telephone interviews — approximately 375 with marketing executives from companies with 100 or more employees and 125 with advertising executives from agencies with 20 or more employees.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “When extending a job offer to a top candidate, how willing are you to negotiate compensation?” Their responses:

  • Very willing:  23%
  • Somewhat willing: 40%
  •  Not very willing:  14%
  •  Not at all willing: 14%
  •  Don’t know/no answer: 9%

“Job seekers often have more leverage than they realize when negotiating a starting salary,” said Donna Farrugia , executive director of The Creative Group. “Businesses that have gone through the process of selecting a top candidate are motivated to hire that person, even if they have to sweeten the deal.”

Farrugia warned, however, that salary negotiation conversations are delicate and can easily go off track. She said, “Applicants who thoroughly prepare are more likely to have positive outcomes.”

Common Mistakes in Salary Negotiations

The Creative Group offers five common salary negotiation mistakes and how to avoid them:

Showing up unprepared. Enter negotiations with a solid understanding of current salary trends for your position and location. Review compensation sources, such as The Creative Group 2013 Salary Guide, to ensure you have realistic expectations.

Playing games. Tactics such as misleading a prospective employer about your current salary or other job offers in an effort to obtain higher pay almost always backfire. It’s better to be honest about your situation.

Making it all about you. Don’t base your request for a larger starting salary on the fact that you want a new car or bigger down payment for a home. You’ll make a much more compelling argument by talking about the value you can bring to the organization.

Viewing money as the only object. Salary is just one part of the equation; a generous benefits package or opportunities to learn and grow with the company may compensate for a lower starting salary. Look at the full picture when evaluating a job offer.

Drawing a line in the sand. Giving ultimatums too early in the process may cause negotiations to fall apart. Instead, look for common ground and avoid taking an adversarial stance. How you conduct yourself during the negotiation process sets the tone for employment with the firm, and you want to start on the right foot.

LINKS

The Creative Group

The Creative Group 2013 Salary Guide

 

Starting Salaries for Creative Pros Projected to Rise in 2013

According to the newly released “2013 Salary Guide” from The Creative Group, starting salaries for creative and marketing professionals are expected to rise an average of 3.5 percent in the coming year. Interactive creative directors, interaction designers and mobile designers are among the positions projected to see the highest gains in base compensation in 2013.

The “2013 Salary Guide” features average starting salary ranges for 127 interactive, design and marketing positions. The data can be customized for more than 135 markets in the United States and is available at www.creativegroup.com/salarycenter. The Salary Center has additional information on skills and positions in demand, and The Creative Group’s Salary Calculator, which allows visitors to the site to quickly compute salaries for a specific position and city.

“The growth of online, mobile and social media content has created strong demand for professionals with digital expertise. In fact, many companies and agencies are creating new interactive positions and can’t seem to fill them fast enough given the shortage of available skilled talent,” said Donna Farrugia, executive director of The Creative Group. “As a result, compensation increases for many digital roles are expected to exceed the industry average.”

According to data in the “2013 Salary Guide,” certain positions are anticipated to see notable salary increases.

Interactive creative directors and mobile developers can anticipate the biggest bump in base compensation (4.9 percent), with average starting salaries ranging from $95,500 to $160,000 and $80,250 to $113,250, respectively.

Interaction designers with one to five years of experience also should see a gain of 4.9 percent, to between $52,250 and $77,500.

User experience designers are forecast to receive a 4.8 percent salary increase, with starting compensation of $73,750 to $110,500.

Projected base pay for mobile designers and game designers is expected to be up 4.8 percent as well, with average starting salaries of $63,000 to $96,000 and $59,500 to $93,500, respectively.

“Creative professionals who possess a combination of strong design, technical and interpersonal abilities continue to be among the most desirable to employers, regardless of job title or experience level,” added Farrugia. “In fact, it’s not uncommon for many of these well-rounded candidates to receive multiple job offers.”

About the Salary Guide

Since 1999, The Creative Group (TCG) has produced its annual Salary Guide to offer business owners, hiring managers and professionals information on prevailing starting salaries in their geographic areas and insight into the latest employment trends in the creative field. Companies consult the guide to determine appropriate compensation for creative and marketing professionals at all levels.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics has used the guide when preparing its comprehensive “Occupational Outlook Handbook.”

Information in the guide is based on the thousands of job searches, negotiations and placements managed each year by TCG’s staffing and recruiting managers, along with the company’s ongoing surveys of advertising and marketing executives. Continuing or ongoing salaries are not reported because many external factors — such as seniority, work ethic, job performance and training — impact the salaries of full-time professionals as work histories develop.

LINKS

The Creative Group 2013 Salary Guide

The Creative Group