A lot’s been written in recent years about the need for strong corporate cultures to attract and retain creative types. As we’ve seen in our work with those very creative professionals and the agencies that hire them, nothing’s changed on the culture front—it’s still a critical part of recruiting top talent, especially those in the Generation Y age bracket.

But there’s a question that’s interested me for a long time: what exactly are the characteristics of one of those winning cultures?

We recently hosted a candidate ‘speed-dating’ event where our Nichers had the opportunity to sit down with some of Toronto’s best and brightest young talent, ranging from web designers to social media specialists. We asked them a wide variety of questions about their career goals and expertise, but we also wanted to know the type of work environment they found inspiring.

Here’s a sample of what they had to say:

Susan, 23, marketing account coordinator: “I want to work at an agency where I’m not only given a lot of responsibility, but where there’s a great office culture both in and out of work.”

John, 24, ad agency junior art director: “I love playful, open, creative cultures—the type of places where you can really express yourself through your work.”

Tanya, 24, graphic designer: “I’m the only graphic designer at a professional services firm and the reason I’m very happy in my job is that my opinions are valued. They constantly ask me for input, don’t micromanage and look to me to help provide the design solutions the company needs to better market itself. That means a lot to me.”

Rasha, 25, currently enrolled in college business advertising program: “I’m looking to work at a company that helps its employees grow creatively through coaching and teambuilding. Money is great, but the ability to have a job where I’m happy and always learning means a lot more.”

That last point really sums up our experience working with Gen Y creative candidates. For them, the overall work experience is almost more important than compensation (assuming they’re earning at or near the industry standard). That poses an interesting challenge for employers who may be used to motivating their talent in more traditional ways.

In a future post I’ll outline some of the tactics those employers can use to get them most out of their Gen Y workers.

Until then,

Mandy

Mandy Gilbert is the CEO & Founder of Creative Niche, working from our Toronto office. She's truly an entrepreneur at heart and has been in the staffing industry for 15 years. To learn more about Mandy, visit Our Team page.