This review is mainly for my recruiter, Kevin L, who was lovely to work with and a fantastic partner in my employment journey. Kevin is a fantastic recruiter. He really seemed to care about helping me find a job that was a good fit for me and my professional goals. He wasn't just trying to fill a position (like other recruiters outside of Creative Circle that I've worked with). He offered great insight as I transitioned from contract to full-time at the company I found through CC. Overall, I've definitely recommended Creative Circle to others based on my experience with Kevin. Some tips for people looking for work: I joined Creative Circle a little under a year ago after becoming a full-time freelancer. I was looking for both freelance and potential full-time work at the time. To be successful, you have to be really on top of checking your email. Lots of great opportunities are offered through this agency, but you have to reply within an hour of receiving their emails to be in the running for these jobs. Lots of great talent are part of Creative Circle, so it can be competitive. Overall, I've had a great experience working with Creative Circle. You don't have to worry about job postings being fake like on LinkedIn. These are verified employers, many of whom are top companies in the Bay Area. Contract positions are still considered W2 income, too, so that's another plus! read more

While the term "fun-employed" is often the way my friends describe being unemployed, it's never really much fun for me. I've spent the past 10 years exploring different interests and industries, and have come to a place where I have a clearer idea of what I want from my career. I've been part of the Creative Circle network for several years (5 ish?) and have always kept an eye on their job opportunities via email. However, as I gained experience in the workforce, my career path narrowed down and serious opportunities became more scarce. It wasn't until a few months ago that I finally got to experience first-hand the power of Creative Circle. I applied per usual to a job opportunity that I received via email and within 24 hours heard back from Creative Circle. My recruiter, Cortney, described the company and position in more depth and worked to schedule an in-person interview with the hiring manager. After 4 in-person interviews and several emails back and forth, I was offered a contract position. Something I want to note is while the interview process was intense, I appreciated the investment of time and effort to find the right person and fit for the role and company. I included Cortney in any emails I had with the hiring manager and she kept me up-to-date on any news she had. Having this transparency and someone to negotiate on my behalf was fantastic. The contract period was for 3 months but I was offered a full-time position after the first month. Cortney and I shared several emails about our excitement. It really felt like a friend helping a friend. Just the other day, I received a package in the mail at my new office: a box of Fairytale Brownies and a congratulatory note from CC. My team was pretty excited to help me finish the box and impressed by the thoughtful gesture. For those who are job hunting now and considering Creative Circle, I highly recommend joining their network. Their influence has grown significantly from when I joined and many companies use them to find quality candidates. I've also had the pleasure of working with other professionals who were placed through Creative Circle. Apply for jobs on your own as well as through the emails they send you. Tweak your resume and cover letter specifically to the jobs you're applying for and only apply if you're serious about them. Finally, don't give up hope and be patient with your job search! You may hear back from some and not others. Don't get discouraged. Best of luck!! read more

See all

I really have enjoyed working with Creative Circle. In the past, I worked with another agency and the clients were inconsistent. At Creative Circle, I have had the opportunity to work with two long term clients, each which I have been with over 2 years. On top of consistent clients, the pay is fair and they know our worth. read more

At first I was skeptical about working w/ a recruiting agency to find work but Meret and Kayleigh were extremely helpful in my job search. I'm a graphic designer and I wanted to widen my chances of getting seen by companies here in the SF Bay Area. In little less than a month Meret helped me find a great paying contract job with the possibility for a fulltime role. Sure enough I ended up joining a great company with an even better internal design team - landing a full time associate designer position in a month's time. I don't usually write reviews but I wanted to extend a big thank you to Meret and her team for investing in my talents and setting me up with a great job opportunity! read more

Extremely happy with my entire experience with Creative Circle! When I found myself having a difficult time finding exactly the right fit for a job, I reached out to Creative Circle in the hopes that I would be able to find something that might work out, even if it was just a temporary contract assignment. I had worked with another agency prior and it was a pretty run-of-the-mill experience so I wasn't sure what to expect with Creative Circle. But within a few minutes of talking with them over them phone, I knew they were a step above any other agency I had dealt with. They were professional, motivated to help me find the right job, and were genuinely interested in me and my goals. Within a short period of time, they had found an assignment that fit my skill set. Fast forward a couple of months and here I am, in a permanent situation at a great company and happy to be here! I am forever indebted to the amazing staff at Creative Circle (Marie is awesome!) and cannot say enough about how dedicated they are to matching the right people to the right employers. If you're looking to list with an agency and want results, this is definitely the best agency to talk to! read more

Where do I begin?!? I worked closely with one of the recruiters (Meret G.) she is amazing! She gave me positive feedback on my portfolio and was in constant contact with me throughout my process of finding work. I'm a Junior UI Designer and I was struggling finding work on my own. She was able to find me a job that matched my skills perfectly! If you're looking for an awesome agency that keeps in contact with you (you all know what I mean) and suggest positive feedback - then reach out to Creative Circle! P.s Ask for Meret! https://www.linkedin.com/in/meretgeare/ read more

Brian Ingram is a spectacular addition to the Creative Circle team. He's a fantastic asset for freelancers in terms of negotiating contracts with third party clients, is professional, prompt with communicating any contract updates, and has an compassionate, upbeat persona. I may not have stayed with the Creative Circle Agency if it wasn't for Brian; Creative Circle is lucky to have him. read more

It was super easy to get started and set up direct deposit with Creative Circle. I've been working with Casey Splain and she's done a great job finding matches for me and checking in regularly! read more

Don't waste your time here, just another lazy recruiting agency. They lead you on with an initial skype interview with them and then they never submit you to any jobs. After that, they expect you to reply to their endless emails which I suspect are fake positions and where you never hear a word back. The other reviews for this company seem fake. They dont contact or anything, totally scummy company making fake listings on Craigslist to farm information. read more

Creative Circle went above and beyond to secure me a job with one of the worlds top beauty companies. During tough times like we've been having with the pandemic its been nice to have them as a partner! read more

Terrible team that does not pay attention or read, just sends out mass emails and tries to match employees with job that require an irrelvant skillset after doing an interview that is a waste of time. Total pain in the you know what. They take a huge chunk of your pay beyond what is reasonable considering they do zip. read more

Stay away from Creative circle. I met 2 recruiters here, and both of them are not helpful and not responsible. They never reply to your email and provide help. read more

There's "a lot of moving parts" involved in getting a tech job in the San Francisco Bay Area. So it's not going to be easy for any recruiter. That said, I've worked with a number of recruiters since I made my career change from law to tech, and I've got to say that Creative Circle does a damn good job. I appreciate their willingness to be professionally helpful, streamlined, and accessible. Not sure you can ask for more. I think this quality might come from an organic understanding of the industry. I still remember my screener interview with Amanda Marshall a few years ago. She had me walk through my process then told me how that matched up against her actual experience. Not everyone's going "tell you about the world." I am genuinely grateful for Amanda, Diane, Marie, Holly, Kayleigh, Anna, and the rest of the team. read more

I've worked with Creative circle for many years now. Jacob, Holly and the team have really gone to bat for me and facilitated several graphic design contracts at excellent SF companies. They have really looked out for my needs, for example providing with opportunities to work from home when I really needed that degree of flexibility. I've always felt they understood my skill set well and focused on appropriate roles for me. The Creative Circle people have a great attitude and treat their candidates very respectfully. read more

I joined in 2012. I have extensive experience. I live and was raised in SF, so location is not an issue. I get consistent emails about positions. I responded to a few hundred with a professional resume that I had paid a lot of money for someone to go over. Still not a single response. --I currently work full time so I only respond to jobs I know I am a perfect fit for. My take on it: I'm 40 so I think I may be on the too old list... not necessarily CC fault as it is the tech industry in general. CC is trying to please their clients who would rather hire young people to avoid paying retirement and to get cheap labor from those who will not complain about abuse of labor laws. They create frat-like environments to make up for it. Smart, in a Trump not paying taxes sort of way. The result though is feeding even more so the self-entitlement of younger people (who are often too ignorant to realize the stupidity of ageism.. :/) and putting more people in the streets just because they were unfortunate enough to age. Did I mention the stupidity of ageism? I am not speaking of everyone involved --lots of people (30% of them) in their early twenties - thirties who would agree. If the legal system works in this country we will eventually see successful class action suits against all who contribute. The tech companies are just doing it to take advantage of young people. -40 yr old who is far more progressive, technically inclined, and forward thinking than most younger people, yet a victim from being a middle number (or a 1/3rd number given the rapid advances in bio-tech). read more

Same old agency scam but on steroids. Their margin is greedy and and deceiving. I constantly received emails for positions that paid $18 - $25 /hr even though I get $50/hr as a freelancer. And I know the jobs they scouted me for paid twice what they offered. Insulting and I will not be surprised when their reputation fully reflects their low-balling. Just check out their Google reviews as many of the ones are here are likely by CC's friends. read more

The entire Creative Circle team has exceeded my expectations! Julia, Kim, and Emily have contacted me several opportunities and have been very gracious with their time. They are full of support, resources, and encouragement when it comes to placing you with the right company. I would highly recommend CC to anyone looking to explore different creative fields and shop around for the perfect fit. It's allowed me to explore different careers without having to be fully committed. Thank you, CC team! read more

This was my first time working with Creative Circle (though i've worked with other creative recruiters before) and really enjoyed it! I worked with Kevin Lee during quarantine and the process, though all remote, was always efficient and never frustrating. Kevin was really responsive and set me up well for success :) read more

I'm in my first role sourced through Creative Circle. Everything has gone great from the initial contact with Marie Jamie, set up of interview, follow up after the interview and as the job moves into an extension they have been extremely helpful. Creative Circle is one of the recruiting agencies in San Francisco that my friends in agencies trusted to find them talent and or work when they needed freelance work. I recommended getting involved with them. Not every job they send is a perfect match for me but that's the nature of finding a job in a market like San Francisco. When one did hit, it was a great experience. read more

I was contacted by Creative Circle for a programing job, They were very interested because it was something I had a lot of experience at. When they contacted me they said that the job should take 2 or more months. I explained that it would only take me a week at the most. Well when they herd this I guess that wasn't good for their income and that was that, she never called back. I am an honest person and if it takes a week then thats what I will tell them but it's very obvious that they don't have the integrity they should have to treat their customers fairly. read more

Wow, this place. Looking for graphic design work is hard enough in the bay area. However when they send you listings of jobs you are obviously qualified for and never hear from them, you have to think you're on a Do Not Call list or something. They say they have hookups and want to give you feedback, but no one ever hears from them. Don't waste your time. read more

My previous review was removed....which is a little suspect. As with most temp/job placement agencies, Creative Circle has its flaws. I went to see them in 2013 when I was job hunting. I scored one interview and that was it. At the time the jobs that I was interested in were within my skill set, but the representatives never passed my resume along. They pride themselves on having excellent communication and if a job didn't look like a good match they'd inform me as to why they would not pass my information along. Welp. That never happened. I easily submitted my resume for 20 jobs...and I'm talking about some relatively basic white collar gigs too. Hopefully they've improved since then. read more

Creative Circle has been as fantastic as can be. I've worked with them for 3 years now. It's gotten to the point where I don't even have to apply to any job listings they email me, they just call me when they have a great role for me to fill for anything animation related. They are able to find me work on-demand whenever my schedule allows it and always commands top pay rates (even though CC takes a large percentage of the total negotiated amount, the amount of consistent work makes it worth it still). Recent creative grads - Beware. If you are just starting out in the creative industry and you don't have a strong portfolio, then Creative Circle is not for you. I've worked with CC for 3 years now, and have gotten quite a few friends from all different skill levels to try them out, with varying results. If you have a stellar portfolio and went above and beyond during your classroom time to push the boundaries of creativity, then you're going to get work. If you have a basic portfolio that falls in the middle of a bell-curve, good luck. read more

Tried this creative agency for the first time this summer and really got no results. You fill out a very time-consuming online profile and then get assigned to a recruiter. You'll get emails from her/him and then be brought in for a face-to-face interview and portfolio review. I left feeling very optimistic that I'd get a full-time or temp to full-time job soon. Didn't happen. All I got were daily, freelance job listings by email ...and the ones I responded to never got a response ( their policy is to not respond to all email inquiries, so this makes sense). The few job listings that were full-time, and that I was fully qualified for, were never acknowledged by my "personal" recruiter. I've actually heard good success stories from other friends about this place. For me though, there was no value and I ended up getting a new job on my own accord. I'm in my late 40's, so this could be a reason I wasn't given a high priority at Creative Circle. All the staff I met were in their 20's-30's and perhaps weren't looking out for an older person. Bottom line: if you're young and starting out this might be a great spot to get placed and get a job; if you have had a career and are looking for your next opportunity, this isn't your place. Thanks! read more

I quit my job a month ago and made the decision to move the San Francisco out of the blue. Originally, I thought my job hunt would take more than a month. I started applying to a few places about a week and a half ago - I had heard about Creative Circle through a few friends that had been placed via creative circle so I figured I'd give it a try. Within a day they had me scheduled to come in to interview. Meret was my main point of contact. Within an hour after of leaving the office I was bombarded by phone calls from several recruiters that had potential fits. I ended up giving the green light to apply to 4 positions. They lined up a couple of phone/skype interviews the following day (friday) and by the end of the day I ended up hearing back from 3 of those positions saying they liked my work. By (monday) I had 3 offers on the table! I ended up taking a position I applied to by myself because I really liked the company culture but Creative Circle is definitely a 5 star recommendation. The recruiters really let you know your worth. Even after giving them the news of rejecting their offers and taking an outside offer they still kept the relationship positive and even gave me a congrats from the whole team! I'll definitely be using them in the future! read more

I first got into contact with CC back in 2014, or 2013, I'm not sure anymore, it's been awhile. CC sent me a number of employment opportunities within my field of expertise through the years, and into contact with a number of interesting professionals. It opened my eyes to the many companies within the area, and with each interview, I gained a bit more experience. Communication between me and CC was strong, and I was lucky enough to work with Amanda, along with others, in finding the right fit. They've never been overbearing, or pushy. CC was professional, and timely. I was skeptical at first, but they really did care about helping people find the right work. With their help, I landed a really great job in the heart of downtown SF, doing what I know and love. I cannot recommend them enough! -Billy S read more

I've been working with Creative Circle now for four years. I had been a freelancer and was really only asking them to help me fill out my time if I wasn't able to find enough clients on my own. During that time they've sent me on a number of really great jobs and have always been able to find a gig for me when I needed it. They are also incredibly easy to work and that's why I kept using them. Finally I decided I was done freelancing and I let them know I'd be looking for something full-time. They were able to get me into a few interviews immediately. One of them was a great fit and after a few more follow-ups I was hired on. The transition from a CC employee to my new company was also very easy. 10/10 would recommend their services read more

I love Creative Circle. As an individual looking into marketing, I find it hard to search for jobs. Most agencies focus on general administrative jobs, but Creative Circle helped me land interviews for several marketing jobs. Creative Circle facilitates my connection with large companies and roles that I may not have found on my own. Although I have yet to find a role through Creative Circle, I am thankful for their effort to find me a role that fits my career path. The Creative Circle offices are modern and trendy. I can imagine that they have a fun work environment too. The receptionist is down to earth and helpful. My agent has been amazing. I love getting calls from my creative circle agent, because she gets exited to find me a new opportunity. All in all, sign up! You have nothing to lose and you might end up with a new job! read more

I finally quit my retail job after five years. I had a lot of experience as a freelance journalist, but I wasn't sure how to transition into a copywriting career. Of the many agencies that I enrolled with, Creative Circle is by far the best. They're very personable and nurturing. I've received a lot of opportunities including temp and part-time gigs, and I hope to land a full-time position soon. The recruiters are very accessible, and they follow through with the clients. Korin and Cortney have been especially helpful, and I owe them a debt of gratitude. Everyone at Creative Circle is very friendly and responsive. They communicate well, keep you in the loop and work hard to find the right fit. read more

My former co-worker introduced me to Creative Circle in 2010. Ever since then, I always been going back to them when I need help to find design work. They pair you with clients that are great fit for you. They listen to your needs and interests in your next job. They send out daily emails of positions that you might interested in. I had a great experience with my agents at Creative Circle, where they were on top of their stuff like scheduling interview with clients, answer any questions that you have and is there when you need anything. I felt they take care of you well there. Their timecard system is very easy to use and you get paid on time. I got my full time postions at the company twice while I working with them. They send you goodies to congratulate you when you became full time with a company. What a sweet gesture! I definitely will recommend any designers and marketers that need help to find work. Without them, I won't have a great job today! read more

Just received my offer letter yesterday and couldn't be happier! The position was originally a 3 month contract that turned into full time perm during rate negotiation. The negotiation process was brutal, but Cortney kept me updated all along the way. I appreciate her support and efforts to get me the highest rate possible. Great experience, looking forward to my new position! read more

I have worked with Creative Circle multiple times now and have had nothing but an excellent experience with them! Everyone is especially helpful and caring. Thank you to Amanda, Nicole, Marie and a special shout-out and thanks to Holly! You've all contributed towards making working with CC a no-brainer :) read more

Creative Circle got me my first job in SF within two weeks. I was moving here from NYC and was referred to CC by a friend who had also gotten a job through the agency. Amanda was a fantastic partner throughout the process of interviewing me, setting me up with an interview with my eventual employee, and even helping me with freelancer health insurance and all of that fun stuff once I got hired. Couldn't have asked for a better experience with a staffing agency. I highly recommend Creative Circle to anyone looking for a creative job in the Bay! read more

Horrible agency, they don't take the time to look out for your own interests. Be careful because they often try to steer you to something else solely because they get a better cut. read more

I think I'm on the Do Not Contact by Any Means list! I registered with Creative Circle back in June 2015, and the only thing I succeeded in was creating an initial profile, which you can never access or update, and having CC send me emails for job postings several times a day. I've applied to several postings in response to emails I've received, but I guess I wasn't a fit for any of them because I've never spoke or met with anyone there, and have only received one response. So as far as I'm concerned they haven't a clue about my skills, experience or background, and what roles I'd be a fit for. Do real humans work there? Every month or so, I try to access my profile through the CC website, but it repeats that I've already registered and will not allow revisions or updates. I see a lot of positive reviews and wonder what I need to do to get CC to assist me.They say they have hookups and want to give you feedback, but other than the daily job alerts, I've not heard from them. Don't waste your time. read more

Don't waste your time on this agency. Before I accept the offer, my friend warned me it is a scam and it is truly is. I was contacted by creative circle for a contract to hire role at Gap Inc. I accept the offer when the Manager at Gap asked me if I am okay with the pay $40 an hour? When they giving me the offer, I said yes! However my pay from creative circle is $22 and hour, I almost cried and told them how hard to live in the city paying high rent with this amount, and amount of work we need to deliver is way beyond the regular company's expectation.. They finally increase my rate add $1 per hour to $23 per hour which means I only get $16 an hour after tax. (I would work in a restaurant or be a bartender and I rate will be much higher than this, right?!) You can't imagine how hard I've been through working with them, I can only afford to eat $4 salad at the company every day, and scared of being bankrupt one day... I finally depressingly and also happily got laid off due to Gap Inc. lack of budget for their employees and they cut down the whole German team. I've been depressed and been hospitalized at Stanford hospital for weeks and did not have the strength to go back to work for almost a year because of the amount of stress of Creative Circle and Gap Inc. had made in my life. I will never work with them again. Everything I said with a sincere heart, prove by my family and co-workers who left the company, even my HR left after I left... You will never know how much negative impact they've made in my life and to my family... Just saying not to sue them is me being nice to them. Please change your policy and your designers deserve better pay. read more

I have been working with Creative Circle since my move to San Francisco in 2015. I specialize in Freelance Graphic Design, so I work on a lot of short term contracts. Although I have worked with a number of great recruiters, I have to say that Christina Harris is by far my favorite. She is very accessible and always willing to help in any way she can. Any questions or issues that I may have are immediately tended to and she goes above and beyond what some might expect from a recruiter. Creative Circle is a great resource for design professionals and I am very happy I chose to work with them. read more

Although I've only been out of work for a few months, I looked into the possibility of working as a contractor while I looked for something more permanent and registered with Creative Circle as well as a few other creative staffing agencies. It's a good thing I registered with other agencies because the Creative Circle were less than responsive. I applied for several roles that I'm sure matched my skills, experience and background (I've worked in my field for almost 15 years and have tried to keep my skills fresh), but was never invited for a personal interview, and in spite of my calling and following up my email, I've never spoke to a recruiter. The email the Creative Circle sends you after registration makes it seem that all you need to do is be persistent, yet patient and they'll help you but it's simply not true. Even the job alerts I receive every few days don't match the roles I registered for. It's just a listing of open positions in the geographic area I live close to. I wish one of these reviewers who gave the CC a 5-star review would share the special skill needed to get a recruiter's attention because I've received absolutely nothing. read more

I was contacted by a recruiter who told me I was a perfect fit for a client seeking a contractor, and encouraged me to submit my resume. The recruiter never even followed up regarding the position I submitted for, but now they now constantly spam me with junk jobs which do not fit my specification or skills. I get several emails per day - and the "unsubscribe" button always 404s. Beware! Pretty sure the majority of this company's presence is comprised of recruiter bots - they are simply playing a numbers game, with no care or consideration for prospectives. read more

Seriously professional and enthusiastic team. I've worked with some other staffing/recruiting agencies but Creative Circle is different. They are serious about getting you into a job that fits you. Previous agencies I've worked with just disappear...you have to remind them that you exist. CC learns what you can do, what you want, etc. and plug those criteria into their system. Then you get automatic emails about jobs that suit you and you can reply if you think you're a fit. On top of that, they are really good about calling when they think a job is a fit. It puts the process a bit more in the candidates' control so that you can be more active or passive in the search process as your schedule allows. The top thing I love about CC is the SF office's team! Mostly worked with Jacob and Katie - who are both awesome. Seriously interesting people to engage with and they have great advice that I had never considered. read more