Starting Salaries Will Be Up Significantly for Eight Technology and Creative Jobs

As companies increase their focus on digital strategy, starting salaries are rising for professionals with expertise in this area. The 2016 Salary Guides from staffing specialists Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group show that base salaries in the technology and creative fields are expected to increase 5.3 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, in the coming year. But some roles are projected to see even bigger pay bumps.

“Companies continue to struggle to find professionals who can help create seamless digital experiences – from collecting and analyzing customer data to building secure e-commerce environments to providing intuitive, easy-to-navigate websites,” said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group. “Strong demand and a limited supply of professionals with digital competencies have put job seekers in the driver’s seat. Businesses risk losing good people to prospective employers who promise more money or new challenges.”

The following eight high-paying jobs are expected to see substantial increases in average starting salary in 2016, according to the Robert Half Salary Guides*: Compared to 2015 starting salaries, the eight positions below will see starting salaries from 5.9% to 9.7% higher than in 2015.

  • Wireless Network Engineer: Up 9.7% over 2015
  • Big Data Engineer: Up 8.9% over 2015
  • Data Scientist: Up 8.9% over 2015
  • Mobile Applications Developer: Up 8.2% over 2015
  • Content Strategist: Up 8.1% over 2015
  • Multimedia Designer: Up 6.3% over 2015
  • User Experience (UX) Specialist: Up 5.9% over 2015
  • User Interface (UI) Developer: Up 5.9% over 2015

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More information about these and other potentially high-paying career opportunities, including job descriptions, can be found in the Robert Half Technology 2016 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of information technology positions, and The Creative Group 2016 Salary Guide, which focuses on interactive, design and marketing jobs.

Both Robert Half Technology (rht.com) and The Creative Group (creativegroup.com) are divisions of Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm.

The Creative Group 2016 Salary Guide Provides Ranges for 120+ Positions

The Creative Group  (TCG) has released its 2016 Salary Guide. The free 32-page guide features salary ranges for more than 120 positions in the creative industry.  The positions are grouped into five categories:

  • Design and Production
  • Interactive Design and Production
  • Content Development and Management
  • Advertising and Marketing
  • Public Relations

According to Robert Half analysts, creative and marketing staff can expect average starting salary gains of 3.8 percent next year.

 

Content strategy and mobile development roles are in particularly high demand as organizations focus heavily on initiatives that enable them to connect with customers anytime and anywhere.

The guide also includes local variance numbers that enable employers to calculate the adjusted low-to-high salary range for specific cities. For example, average starting salaries in Cedar Falls, Iowa are about 87% of the U.S. average salaries published in this guide. In San Diego, California, the average starting salaries about 123% of the U.S. average salaries.

The content is directed at potential employers of full-time, part-time, contract-to-hire, and freelance creative professionals. It includes sections on:

  • Seven Sizzling Hiring Trends
  • Eight Essentials of an Award-Winning Team
  • Qualities to Look for In Job Candidates
  • Hiring for Your Environment

According to the guide: “Employees at all levels who specialize in mobile and responsive design continue to be in strong demand. Professionals skilled at creating content for the small screen are also become more sought after as wearables and other mobile devices gain in popularity.”

TCG identified eight essentials of an award-winning creative team:

  • a digital strategist
  • content strategist
  • user experience designer
  • visual designer
  • graphic designer
  • user interface developer
  • front-end web developer
  • web content writer

Three new roles that bubbling up in the creative world include: creative technologist; customer experience designer; marketing automation manager.

Hiring Trends

In addition to identifying salary ranges, the guide includes tips for hiring the right creative professionals for your particular company culture, retaining the best talent, and working with freelancers.

For example, the guide advises companies to “Highlight the unique attributes of your workplace culture on your website and in job postings. Make sure your hiring managers can easily articulate why your business is a great place to work.” The TCG guide also notes that “Many workers who feel they deserve a raise won’t even ask for one before deciding to resign.”

Employers should benchmark their salaries proactively against those of other companies in their region and industry. “In addition to offering competitive pay, employers need to consider salary discussions more often than the scheduled annual review.”

Freelancers Are Hot

In the “What’s Hot” list of “7 Sizzling Hiring Trends,” the report notes that “Indie creatives are in demand.” Agencies and in-house creative departments are using freelancers to help manage workloads and provide specialized skills that don’t exist internally: “In many cases, they are extending full-time offers to consultants who have proved successful in their roles.”

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group is a division of Robert Half, a global leader in professional staffing and consulting services. TCG specializes in placing interactive design, design, and marketing professionals on a project, contract-to-hire, and full-time basis.

LINKS

The Creative Group 2016 Salary Guide

The Creative Group Salary Center and Salary Calculator

The Creative Group Blog

 

U.S. Advertising and Marketing Execs Reveal Hiring Plans Through Year-End

According to research by The Creative Group, 21 percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed plan to expand their teams in the second half of 2015. This compares to 33 percent in the first half of the year and 12 percent one year ago.

The majority (65 percent) of respondents said they expect to maintain staff levels and hire primarily to fill vacated roles in the next six months.

“With continued demand for creative talent and a shrinking pool of skilled applicants, it’s more important than ever for companies to move quickly when hiring, or they risk losing out to more nimble firms,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “Offering competitive pay and perks that support work-life balance can be instrumental in attracting candidates with hard-to-find skills. Salaries that were competitive even a year ago likely need to be re-evaluated.”

The national study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on more than 400 telephone interviews — with approximately 200 marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the second half of 2015, they reported a range of specialties. Creative/art direction and account services topped the list (27 percent each), followed by content marketing and interactive media (26 percent each).

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2015?” Their responses:

  • 27% Creative/art direction
  • 27% Account services
  • 26% Content marketing
  • 26% Interactive media
  • 25% Brand/product management
  • 25% Web/design production
  • 25% Media services
  • 25% Public relations
  • 24% Digital marketing
  • 23% Marketing research
  • 22% Print design/production
  • 21% Customer experience
  • 21% Copywriting
  • 21% Social media
  • 18% Mobile design/development

(Multiple responses were permitted.)

Recruiting Challenges

Recruiting remains difficult for advertising and marketing executives: Forty-two percent said it is challenging to find skilled creative professionals today, up one percent from six months ago.

Hiring managers at large advertising agencies (100+ employees) and large marketing departments (1,000+ employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 55 percent of respondents in each group reporting it is somewhat or very challenging to find the talent they seek.

When asked which areas are most difficult to fill, the top responses were brand/product management and account services.

Survey: Many companies plan to add creative and marketing staff through year-end (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)
Survey: Many companies plan to add creative and marketing staff through year-end (PRNewsFoto/The Creative Group)

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group (TCG) specializes in placing a range of highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project, contract-to-hire and full-time basis. More resources, including online job-hunting services, candidate portfolios and TCG’s blog, can be found at creativegroup.com.

Survey Shows Creative and IT Collaboration on the Rise

As marketing becomes increasingly dependent on technology, creative and information technology (IT) teams are crossing paths more often.

Research from The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology underscores this trend: More than half (55 percent) of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they are collaborating more closely with technology leaders within their company compared to three years ago. One-third (33 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) reported the same of their marketing counterparts.

But barriers to effective partnering persist. When asked to name the number-one challenge for creative and IT teams when collaborating, the top response among advertising and marketing executives and CIOs was communication. Project logistics and IT-related challenges also are significant barriers, according to both sets of respondents.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Compared to three years ago, how closely are you collaborating with technology leaders within your company?” Their responses:

  • Much more closely: 30%
  • Somewhat more closely: 25%
  • The same amount: 39%
  • Somewhat less closely: 3%
  • Much less closely: 0%
  • Does not apply: 1%
  • Don’t know: 1%

CIOs were asked, “Compared to three years ago, how closely are you collaborating with creative/marketing leaders within your company?” Their responses:

  • Much more closely: 12%
  • Somewhat more closely: 21%
  • The same amount: 37%
  • Somewhat less closely: 3%
  • Much less closely: 2%
  • Does not apply: 23%
  • Don’t know: 1%

*Responses do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

“Technology’s increased role in customer acquisition and other marketing-related functions is one factor prompting higher levels of collaboration between IT and creative departments,” said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Poor communication between groups doesn’t just lead to discord and decreased productivity; it can also undermine a company’s ability to innovate.”

“The success of an organization’s digital strategy and initiatives is dependent on a strong partnership between creative and IT colleagues,” added Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “It’s imperative for business leaders to encourage teamwork and ongoing dialogue between the two groups, especially since there is so much crossover in key roles, such as user experience professionals, web designers and mobile application developers.”

The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology offer five tips to help creative and IT teams overcome common collaboration barriers:

  1. Form cross-functional teams around a central goal. While resources may come from different departments, creating one work group to tackle a particular project, like a website redesign, can help improve collaboration and eliminate an “us versus them” mentality. Once established, make sure objectives are clearly defined and communicated at the onset.
  2. Make time to meet — and use that time effectively. Creative and IT leaders reported that scheduling in-person meetings is difficult given heavy workloads. However, carving out an hour or two to discuss projects can save valuable time and prevent miscommunication down the road.
  3. Check jargon at the door. Workplace and departmental lingo can help colleagues communicate ideas more quickly, but excessive use can cause people to lose interest and tune out if it’s unfamiliar to them. Throw in technical terminology and buzzwords like “IoT” and “growth hacking” and the dialogue will only go downhill. Explain concepts in terms the audience will understand and use concrete examples when doing so.
  4. Encourage constructive criticism. Creative and IT executives said providing feedback to their counterparts is challenging because it’s often not well-received. Empathy can help pave the path toward more productive conversations throughout the duration of a project and at post-mortem meetings. Teams must also clarify the time and resources that go into an initiative: A seemingly simple task may include behind-the-scenes complexity.
  5. Resolve conflicts quickly. When miscommunication leads to frustration, tempers can flare, especially when creative and IT personnel are under pressure. Addressing cross-team discord swiftly can go a long way toward maintaining momentum and building morale.

TCG_RHT_0315_Creative-IT+Collaboration_final

 

About the Research

The surveys were developed by The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology, and conducted by an independent research firm. They include responses from 400 U.S. advertising and marketing executives and more than 2,400 CIOs from U.S. companies with 100 or more employees in 24 metropolitan areas.

About The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology

Both The Creative Group and Robert Half Technology (rht.com) are divisions of Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm and a recognized leader in professional staffing services.

LINKS

Career Advice on The Creative Group Blog

Infographics: Creative and IT Collaboration on the Rise

 

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 Shows Advertising and Marketing Execs Anticipate Increased Hiring in 2015

Creative professionals should see more hiring activity in the months ahead, according to new research from The Creative Group. One-third (33 percent) of advertising and marketing executives surveyed said they will expand their creative teams in the first half of 2015. This is up 21 points from six months ago. Fifty-six percent plan to maintain current staff levels in their organizations. Only 5 percent project hiring freezes and 6 percent expect to reduce the size of their staff

The national study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on 400 telephone interviews — 200 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

Key Findings

  • Thirty-three percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed plan to add new positions in the first half of 2015, up 21 points from six months ago.
  • Forty-one percent of advertising and marketing executives said it’s challenging to find skilled creative professionals today. Hiring managers at large advertising agencies (100+ employees) expect the greatest difficulty, with 59 percent of respondents who reported it is somewhat or very challenging.
  • Web design/production, social media, content marketing and brand/product management are the top areas executives plan to hire for during the first half of 2015.

“Customer experience drives many business strategies given the power of today’s consumer. As a result, companies are looking to refine every aspect of their offerings in the new year,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “In particular, in-house departments and agencies alike seek creative professionals who can help strengthen organizations’ online branding via compelling websites and real-time interaction with virtual communities.”

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the first half of 2015, web design/production topped the list (28 percent), followed by social media (23 percent), and content marketing and brand/product management (19 percent each).

Marketing and advertising executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the first half of 2015?” Their responses:

  • Web design/production: 28%
  • Social media: 23%
  • Content marketing: 19%
  • Brand/product management: 19%
  • Media services: 18%
  • Print design/production: 17%
  • Marketing: 17%
  • Marketing research: 17%
  • Account services: 17%
  • Public relations: 12%
  • Creative/art direction: 12%
  • Mobile development: 11%
  • Copywriting: 8%

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group specializes in placing highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project and full-time basis. Other resources that can be found on The Creative Group’s website include online job-hunting services, candidate portfolios, and TCG’s blog. Gain insights into the latest hiring and salary trends in the creative and marketing fields at The Creative Group’s Salary Center.

LINKS

The Creative Group

The Creative Group Salary Center

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Survey Shows Ad Agencies and Marketers Easing Up on Hiring Freezes

TCG-LogoAccording to new research by The Creative Group, 12 percent of advertising and marketing executives interviewed said they will expand their creative teams in the second half of 2014. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) said their organizations plan to maintain current staff levels (up 16 points from six months ago). And 12 percent said they project hiring freezes (down 10 points from the first half of 2014). Only 3 percent of executives expect to reduce the size of their staff.

The national survey was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service for interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm.

Key Findings

  • The fact that companies are lifting hiring freezes could be a sign of their growing confidence in in business prospects and an improving economy.
  • Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of marketing and advertising executives said it’s challenging to find skilled creative professionals today.
  • Midsize agencies (50-99 employees) are expected to see the most hiring activity, with 26 percent of advertising executives reporting they plan to add staff. However, they also report the greatest difficulty finding the talent they seek, with 40 percent of respondents saying it is somewhat or very challenging.
  • Account services, brand/product management and media services are the top areas executives plan to hire for during the second half of 2014.

“Companies are investing more in marketing and advertising initiatives and are often turning to outside vendors for help. As a result, agencies are hiring full-time and project staff to keep up with expanding client needs,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of The Creative Group. “While professionals with digital expertise continue to be in demand, agencies also are actively looking to fill traditional roles, like account directors and account managers.”

Marketing and Advertising Specialties in Demand

When executives were asked in which areas they plan to add staff in the second half of 2014, account services topped the list (24 percent), followed by brand/product management (21 percent) and media services (19 percent).

Marketing and advertising executives were asked, “In which of the following areas do you expect to hire in the second half of 2014?” Their responses:

  • Account services 24%
  • Brand/product management 21%
  • Media services 19%
  • Social media 17%
  • Mobile development 16%
  • Creative/art direction 13%
  • Web design/production 13%
  • Public relations 12%
  • Interactive media 12%
  • Copywriting 11%
  • Print design/production 10%
  • Marketing research 10%
  • Content marketing 9%

About the Survey

The national study was developed by The Creative Group and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on more than 400 telephone interviews — approximately 200 with marketing executives randomly selected from companies with 100 or more employees and 200 with advertising executives randomly selected from agencies with 20 or more employees.

About The Creative Group

The Creative Group specializes in placing a range of highly skilled interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms on a project and full-time basis. More resources, including online job- hunting services, candidate portfolios and TCG’s blog, can be found at creativegroup.com.

LINKS

The Creative Group

Hiring and Salary Trends in the Creative and Marketing Fields

TCG_0614_Hiring-Climate