Years ago, I applied to work with this temp-to-perm agency. I thought it was a very cool idea to have a temp agency that focused on jobs in the creative fields. I can't exactly remember what the job was, but there was some interest in one job I wanted and I physically interviewed at their Chicago office. (I'm not sure the downtown location is there anymore.) Shortly after, I ended up getting a full-time editing job with another company that I applied to on my own, so I never got to find out what the company was like. Fast forward several years (maybe a decade?) later. A couple of clients came and went in my full-time freelancing career. I'd randomly applied for jobs with this organization but never held my breath because I always seemed to be getting rejection notifications. (I don't take those personally. I realize there are hundreds of other people all applying for the same jobs.) But I'd been completing freelance work for about eight years and just had no desire to sit in an office again. I have had a handful of remote clients since the pandemic and LOVE(D) working with them. I decided to sign up for Creative Circle again after I stopped for years because of the rejection notifications. I found it was much easier waiting for invites than to apply on my own because the recruiters (obviously) knew what their clients were looking for. I accepted one job invite (along with a few more), and BOY, DID THAT MAKE ME LOVE CREATIVE CIRCLE! The recruiter (Liz) who I briefly talked to was nice. The HR and Payroll team are pleasant. Cesar (who I completed the interview with) and Paula Jean (Engagement Specialist) have been amazing to work with. And best of all, I really like the job and the duo from that company that I work for via CC. I don't know if I would've had this great of an experience a decade ago. All I know is it came "right on time" this year, and maybe THIS TIME was the right time. Even if the project is just for this year, I can easily recommend and compliment Creative Circle for how they treat their contractors. I have zero complaints with CC or the external client. I'd recommend them to anybody. read more

I wouldn't give 1 star is I didn't have to. I've worked with Miss Desiree for several years. She was very kind and professional and answered the phone with the most pleasant voice. She never had a bad day. Now that she's gone the phone just rings. I'll be going elsewhere for staffing needs. Believe me when I tell you customer service and a pleasant human voice go a long way. read more

Spam and data mining. No one answers the phone. LA number is a non-working number. You are sent jobs for roles you do not even perform.

I was "with" Creative Circle for over a decade and received a whopping total of ZERO interviews. Last I checked, that's not a good percentage. The only "interview" I received was an in-person meet and greet with Laura, ten years after being on their email list. Laura is absolutely lovely and really took the time to understand what I do, but sending out hundreds of applications with zero results was a huge waste of time and effort. I did receive a handful of personalized emails from their team members, asking if I was qualified for certain jobs, but the jobs they presented me with were always super random and specialized - "Can you articulate the intricacies of the Japanese language?" No, I most definitely cannot. Also, most of their jobs are junior level and below standard rates, so I'm sure they get an avalanche of submissions from those fresh out of school. Sadly I cannot recommend their services - I hope you have better luck than I did. read more

They spam your emails for work that will never ever happen. For almost 20 years I have only gotten one job through them. They low ball you on your rate and claim that they are doing you a massive service. Don't waste your time with them because they are legitimately useless. read more

There was a job position at NBC that was perfect fit for me and of course they said I didn't have the skills.. so they refuse to submit me. Then next thing you know NBC called me (because I have friends working there and they referred me) for the same position that they had refused to submit me for .. told me that I was a perfect fit. Well of course I got the gig. I told the manager about creative circle and how horrible they are esp a guy name Ryan (who btw got my information and no longer works there) freaking ridiculous!!!! Well no commission for ya read more

Not sure what to say... creative circle has the most AMAZING BEAUTY OFFSITE GIG opportunities... but 0 response rate to allll of their emails. all of the agents, In all of 4 years in L.A I got 0 gigs with them, seems like TGC and SyndicateBleu are the only decent agencies in L.A. read more

I've gone through an interviewing process twice in the past few years and the ladies at CC have helped me so much both times. I'm genuinely impressed with the quality of work that all of them do and the value they provide for both sides of the hiring equation. I was looking to find a position fast each time, and they provided tons of relevant and interesting opportunities. Their communication was always fast, friendly, and on point. I just finished my first month at a new position and it's going great. If I'm ever looking for another job or know some talent who is, I'm coming straight for CC. read more

I LOOOOOOOVE Desiree Small who was pleasant to speak with. She was very helpful and truly enjoys her role. Honestly made me feel so comfortable and I truly appreciate her. read more

Creative Circle is a joke. They don't have the sense to preselect talent for specific categories of design. So they waste everyones time sending out these idiotic email blasts to everyone. Don't waste your time with this scam of a creative talent placement company as a designer or a client. read more

I moved and relocated from across the pond and needed help quickly finding work in the creative sector. Having tried some initial Creative recruitment agencies after putting my resume out, I found Creative Circle to be the most useful and helpful. I had a few initial assignments tasked to me which I enjoyed both the work and the honesty and efficiency of how quickly the staff helped me arrange them. Even if some assignments might not have been the right fit, Creative Circle were always willing to continue the support of finding me something which was a huge plus at the dedication towards their candidates, I had great experience of communicating and working with Anna, Melissa, Cheyenne, Lyla, Lieto,the list goes on of extremely helpful staff (apologies if I missed any who helped along the way). To single out a particular member, Jessica Stalker found the position I am currently working for and has been extremely professional from the start. She organized a call, explained the role, and promptly arranged an interview providing and helping me with any questions I might have had.I am very grateful for the help and support I received from her and the team. Should I ever require the need for support again for finding a role in the creative sector, I will definitely gives this team a shout! read more

This company is on a slippery slop to a fade out! They occasionally send you spam email for a job that no one ever gets back to you on. This company failed to match qualified professionals with companys that really need them. I give this company an F and Zero stars! Goodluck getting anyone on the phone! TJ read more

After moving my life to LA post-grad, it turned out the freelance gig I had wasn't going to turn into a full-time position. I scoured LinkedIn for days on end and found numerous job postings by Creative Circle (CC). I had only applied for one of the jobs before I was contacted by CC for an in-person interview. I met with Anna B. a couple of days later and the day after that interview I got THREE calls back for other positions I was a good fit for. In less than two weeks, Jessica S, had landed me a full-time Jr Graphic Design position with a higher salary than I was expecting! I couldn't be more thankful for Creative Circle! read more

After I was let go from my job due to COVID-19, Pearl helped me find a placement with a dream cosmetics company as a freelance copywriter with my target salary. After 9 months of freelance work, she also assisted in helping me to get hired full-time with a raise! I couldn't be more grateful, especially in a time like this where finding employment is so difficult to come by. read more

Yeah, some of these glowing reviews are clearly fake. When the only thing people say about a placement agency is that the receptionist is nice, alarm bells should be ringing! I've been registered with this agency for about eight years and I have NOT ONCE been placed on a job. In fact, aside from the initial sign up interview, I've never even been contacted by them beyond their generic mailing list. Good luck trying to get in touch with an actual agent--no one will ever return your calls or emails. For the record, I'm extremely experienced in my field and have worked with (and been placed by) every other creative agency in Los Angeles. With other agencies you build a relationship with the people filling the jobs; they get to know your skills, and when something comes up that's a good fit they reach out to you. Not the case here. Rather than let you interact with a human being, Creative Circle relies on email blasts to their entire freelance base. If you want to be considered for a job you reply to a generic email address (along with hundreds of other creative professionals), cross your fingers, and never hear back. Which begs the question, why even bother going through a recruiter who's going to take a percentage of your earnings when you're the one doing all of the legwork? I'm perfectly capable of scouring through job listings on my own, thanks, I don't need to pay someone for the pleasure of doing that. In fact, belonging to the email list doesn't even give you a leg up over people that aren't members of the agency because Creative Circle spams the internet with their job postings as well. There's absolutely no advantage to subscribing when those jobs are already being broadcast to the world at large. It's really too bad, because on the surface Creative Circle seems like a competent, capable agency with tons of fabulous job listings. But I promise you, fellow freelancers, they are sadly not worth your time. read more

The recruiter I worked with was incredibly kind, supportive, and knowledgeable about the industry and roles. Throughout the recruitment process for a specific role, she responded very quickly and maintained strong empathy with any of my concerns (from responsibilities to compensation to start dates) as she negotiated with the client on my behalf. Will be coming back to Creative Circle for future recruiting needs! read more

The team here is superrr amazing and has the bestttt energy! From Desiree's cheerful greeting the second you walk in at reception to Shannon Robinson who's a superstar and devoted to making sure you shine as a star as well, I left this place feeling so excited and like the world has endless opportunities for me. read more

The payroll at this company is absolutely ridiculous. It's a shame, because the agents are great at what they do and putting you the right roles that suits you. Their payroll offices are in L.A. and good luck trying to contact anyone to get your paycheque. read more

I moved from NYC to LA on July 9th, met with Creative Circle on August 13th and secured an offer letter for my dream position on September 15th. I credit Shannon Robinson for understanding my talent and providing useful feedback and Lauren Christiansen for actively shopping my profile for well-aligned roles. Easily my best agency experience, since entering the industry with Artisan in 2011. read more

Worst customer service I've experienced in 15 years as a contract designer. Absolutely zero follow-thru. They are always "Overwhelmed" by the number of responses to their spammy job emails. Do not waste your time. They should at least change the spammy canned response to job email blasts. How hard would it really be to have a human agent respond to emails once in a while? If they are not busy communicating with prospective talent, what are they so overwhelmed doing? read more

BEWARE. If you're questioning this place - please read on, I may save you some time and money. I try not to write negative reviews on Yelp. I think I have maybe only written one other negative review... But this unprofessional company is definitely worth a negative review. I have never been in more of an unprofessional interview. First, they want you to sign some crazy agreement that basically signs away all of your rights as an employe / independent contractor - BEFORE the interview. When I called to clarify some of these points before I went in - they seemed irritated that I questioned it. But the lady reassured me anyways - so I went in. Here's where it got really interesting. They wanted me to sign their "employment" agreement before the interview - and sign a paper with my Social Security Number on it. Again... before the interview. I said I would not - which the receptionist said was fine... Then, after the interview, my "recruiter" asked me to sign the papers. I said I'd like to take them home to look over them (it's a pretty long agreement). And she actually responds, "UGH, You just wasted my time. You should have told me you weren't going to sign it and I would have told you not to come." I was astonished. I knew right then I wasted MY time. This is her job to interview people, and answer questions. She's not the one that took off work, drove in terrible LA traffic, and than had to pay for parking. I told her that it was crazy to ask someone to sign all of this right away - especially on the first interview. She says "EVERYONE signs it." Well, I didn't. Never, never, never on any interview I have been on (and I have had my fair share) has ANYONE asked me to sign ANYTHING on the first interview. When they did want me to sign paperwork they let me take it home AFTER the interview. Here's the best part... She obviously didn't like that I didn't fall into their trap. She says "Good luck, don't forget your books!" (some examples of work I had done). And storms out and yells to the receptionist "Show him the door!" Unbelievable, right?! I was honestly speechless. Job searching is hard and frustrating, so please don't waste your time, money and hope on such an unprofessional company. Feel free to contact me about my experience. Sure they may be "big" and are located in a beautiful building. But I am sure Enron & Bernie Madoff had big beautiful buildings too. read more

If you're someone who enjoys false hope, frustration and the sense you're alone in a world which doesn't care rent is due in 3 days...Creative Circle is for you. You're not paired with a specific recruiter or agent who assesses your skills and abilities. Rather, your inbox will be spammed with random emails for work assignments rarely meeting your career goals. Suppose CC manages to email you an assignment perfect for you? Guess what, they decided to let 900 other interested people know as well! Yup, CC posts all of their available work to Craigslist, Monster, Careerbuilder, and all the other major job databases. This is a cattle-call to work where only the most desperate thrashing around will get a recruiters attention. Proof you are nothing but a faceless resource, an expendable human commodity. I suspect there's a secret core group of people CC continuously recycles for assignments. Everyone else is signed up merely to justify this locations existence to corporate. Who knows, your time is better spent on an independent job search. As a copywriter, I will tell you the positive reviews here are fake, likely paid decoys to offset the TRUTH of the 1-2 star reviews. If the phony gushing language didn't give it away, the dump truck amount of exclamation points at the end of every sentence should. read more

I can honestly say that in five years, I have never been sent on a single job....and I'm good. I don't know how they exist. Seems illegal to post all these fantastic jobs every day that may be perfect fits, but you will NEVER hear from them. We think it must be bogus. In this economy, with this reputation, is anyone really going to go through this service to place someone? And for those for reviews with five stars, we know that the company is not busy, so THIS is what you are doing with your time. read more

I have to totally agree with Dan C. This agency does NOT help you find a job. They will rather post the opportunities on craigslist than contact their registered unemployed members about the job. The positive reviews are clearly fake. It is well known these bad entities will hire services to clean up their bad online image. read more

Creative Circle is a complete waste of time. They clutter your email inbox with mass mailings that much of the time do not match your skill set or search criteria. I have quite a bit of experience across a number of marketing functions and although a number of posts have come my way that were almost exactly in line with my requirements and skill set, search criteria and experience, I am YET to actually go on an interview. I've heard nothing but bad things about CC from friends, colleagues, rival staffing firms and even employers. Don't waste your time. read more

I had a similar experience to other reviewers here - in being expected to sign W-4 and employment agreement forms before even meeting a human being. When I told the receptionist that I wasn't ready to sign any papers, she relayed the info to the person I was scheduled to meet. It was a shock to my potential agent (pissed her off, really) that I was uncomfortable with signing official and sensitive documentation without meeting with a representative first. This employee came off all around unprofessional, defensive and misrepresented what I had considered a reputable agency. About 10 minutes into our conversation, it was clear to me that this employee did not have my best interests in mind and was not someone I could see myself trusting in a working relationship. I know from past experience with staffing agencies that the relationship with your recruiter is key. It was then that I excused myself and decided not to proceed with the interview. Creative Circle needs to re-examine their recruitment process. I would have liked to speak with someone before deciding to sign papers. I would reconsider Creative Circle if they changed their process, because they do offer a valuable service. I would be comfortable being in a process that gives me the same level of respect that I would give to any working relationship. Until then, I cannot recommend doing business with this company. read more

I had an interview with Anna and she thoroughly walked me through the process and was very helpful in explaining how it would work to me. I felt confident after leaving and excited for the opportunities to come! I don't spend too much time in LA, but the office location was located across the LACMA lights and was convenient to find! Desiree at the front desk was awesome! She was very cheery and her attitude definitely made everything better! read more

I saw a review on these guys and had to post my own. I work at one of the studios and these people got my info from linkedin. This company is shady. I do not work in HR, I have nothing to do with hiring yet they would spam me with potential 'applicants' every week! I got so annoyed that I told the 'recruiter' to remove me and I 'unsubscribed' just in case he didn't remove my contact info. So, that's the type of 'agency' we have here. Randomly contacting people on linkedin in hopes of getting 'in' with a company. The thing is, if my boss asked me to find a temp, I would tell him NOT to use this company. read more

I wish I could write more about them but so far I've got nothing to say other than that I get more responses with the Craigslist Sharks that are out there. I've even had to resort to going back to my old schools career center just so that I can get crappy service from people who will actually respond with half assed Emails. With Creative Circle. I don't even get that. If anyone knows what I might be doing wrong, please let me know. I can take it. read more

I wish there was a star level below 1 for Creative Circle. hahaha I've read all the reviews. And I've worked for them. They suck so bad that you start to believe it must be a front for another kind of business. Like Russian mob. All of these negative comments are true. Unfortunately, I go way back when they first started. It was created by 2 Art Center grads who instead of doing something creative with their talent decided to exploit the vulnerable freelance creative market. Their attitude way back is to treat you like a "guppy" who needs his daily peck of fish food. Fact. They use to literally run ads on Craigslist that would say "anyone who can do me a logo in the next 20 minutes can have a shot at some work from us". Basically their business model is to herd as many artists to sign up under their exclusive agreement by spamming Craigslist even if there's no actual gig. They then go to potential agencies or studios who are too lazy to hire directly and they scare them into believing it's a minefield out there to hire a freelancer off the street. Feed the potential client a bunch of paranoia, we're bonded, we screen our candidates - you're guaranteed - go us with or you're screwed. It's a jungle out there. The lazy ones: art studios and in-house marketing do buy this line and go with them. The big 4A agencies have their own recruiters. They wouldn't go near these staffing firms. They know it's a joke. I had one manager try to intimidate me by saying she presented me to many agencies which would ban me from approaching them directly. I countered for her to provide me a list of when she contacted them and who. Never did. It was bull. She just wanted me off the market so she could tie up my ability to compete. Sick business formula. You will make way less than the freelance rate. What others say is true. These people do not even have health insurance if you work for them continually. I had continuous payroll issues. There's no supervisor they will disclose to you. No corporate GM they will refer you to if there's a problem with a recruiter or a situation. The payroll person I was assigned to get my check would not even answer her phone. I had to use the person who sat next to her just to get a credible response about my paycheck. Nightmare. Company has zero transparency. One deal I was booked where I was a senior creative, they ignorantly booked a junior under me and paid him 20% more. I didn't find out until lunchtime when this guy bragged about his rate. When I called to complain they refused to make it right. They're that stupid and that negligent. As long as they get the "order" they want you to fall in line and shut-up. And if you protest about anything then you won't hear from them again. These creative staffing firms have ruined the freelance job market in my opinion because they have diluted income levels for creatives while spreading a lot of ill will and distrust amongst the industry. If you're desperate for work. Good luck with them. Even desperation won't guarantee you a continual income. I would think you would be better off working at Starbucks until you get a gig on your own. At least they provide health insurance. And you get free coffee. hahaha read more

Forget it if you are over 50. Don't waste your time. Seriously. That's not just my observation but 3 other friends I know have had the EXACT same blatant examples of ageism / experience. For years I've answered their posts for jobs. Never got placed even though my portfolio rocks with exceptional talent (as I've been told by many others) and of buckets of experience w/ fortune 500 companies Disney, Universal, Nissan, Quiksilver etc. At CC, you'll get a lot of lip service and saccharin sweet talk --but if you're over 50? Not going to happen. Pause --Look at all their other 1 star reviews here and proceed with zero expectations. Driving home this point further, look at all the 5 stars written by folks who obviously fall in the 25-40 group. See a pattern? Better yet -- if you're over 45-50 just save yourself the time and headache AND guaranteed disappointment. Try Aquent, Creative Group, Syndicate Blu and Creative Group instead. All of which I have been placed by. So that in itself is a good indication that it's Creative Circle's unwritten POLICY. Of course you'll never hear that --duh-- it would be against the law and they know it, but if they were forced (anti-trust lawsuit?) to show their books I GUARANTEE they'd lose their operating license. Epic ageism in LA brought to you by Creative Circle. read more

I wish there was a way to give this company 0 stars. They are the worst, least helpful people I've ever experienced in a hiring agency. I signed up with them, gave them my resume, and tried to get in there to meet them for an in-person interview. I was asked to not call anymore and that they would email me job recommendations. This was a red flag, but I've kept with it. I found a job elsewhere, but then when I returned to CC a few months ago, I tried again. They're not helpful, they won't answer phones or return calls/emails, and I'll be lucky to even get a response saying "you didn't get the job" for one of the many positions that I apply for via email. Since they're a staffing company, shouldn't I...you know...get staffed somewhere? Or at least met with and spoken to and guided into a job? Save yourself time, frustration, and anger. Look elsewhere. Creative Circle of Unemployment and Food Stamps is what they should rename themselves. read more

I went for an interview and was disappointed to learn later on that there seems to be no incentive for recruiters to actually find you a job. I received emails maybe every other day for jobs that fit my qualifications and never heard anything back. I didn't feel like they cared to find me a job. You'll have more luck applying on your own than using this employment agency. read more

Don't waste your time to meet them for an interview! They do it to fill up their own timesheet! A bunch of very careless people who don't bother even to make one phone call! I mean even if claim you could market professionals and I have 12 years of experience, you should be able to sell me at some point!!! The thing is: SIMPLY THEY DON'T CARE OR JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THEIR JOB. Don't bother to put your hope in these people at all. read more

An incredible amount of inability to know anything about what's going on. I've been applying to various jobs for months now, haven't been contacted about anything. I called the office, hoping for some kind of feedback. The initial front desk woman was a wall, just telling me to apply on the website. Other agencies have called me even if I wasn't a perfect fit for whatever job I applied for, asking me to send samples of this and that so they can better help me out. They've been great, polite. The only thing that CC has done well is their website, it's really great to use. Maybe that's why they keep trying to turn you back to it. read more

They have never gotten me a job. They just spam your inbox with job listiings, emailing you jobs that YOU KNOW you are qualified for; you reply and let them know you're interested, and they never reply back. I did however, work with a couple of people who were staffed from Creative Circle; they were constantly complaining about how big of a chunk the agency takes from their paycheck. So yes, they actually do help SOME people. You're better off using Craigslist landing a job on your own. p.s. And what's with the 5 star reviews, are you even for real? I call BS... read more

I've been a recruit for Creative Circle for about a year already. Haven't got a concrete offer. There was a position as a traditional media planner for an digital agency- which I had all the bells and whistles into filling & qualifying for this position I recalled. Eagerly I got a hold of the customer assistant, she was courteous though I was not able to get a call back from my recruiter I met her once on a video conferencing prescreening though never heard from her back. UPDATE (learned today 9/5/19 that I've never registered with them) though they will keep my name in file! Just learned through the reviews that you can walk-in to the office . There's nothing like showing up in person and humanizing the experience of seeking for a career. They have this feature to hashtag and filled bullet points in order to let them that you are qualified candidate and still no answer - crickets response. I've been aiming to get my foot into working for an digital or media agency for more than two years already. That's my tea! Could I say that there response service it's not as prompt? Unfortunately, it is. I've dealt with other recruiting business but nothing like this ever before. read more

I can't complain too much because they found me a job. But at the same time, they are hard to get a hold of. They don't call back unless you call and even then they don't give you all the information you need. Once, they messed up by giving me the wrong interview time but was lucky that the employer was flexible. I've also been on the employer's end, and we used them because the have the best candidates (they sometimes treat the employers the same way as their candidates). So if you're lucky to get a call back from them, they will probably find you a job. read more

I've had, more or less, a good experience with Creative Circle until today. Today, I decided to pull out of a last minute gig (received a call about it this morning and it was supposed to start tomorrow) because of the client's unprofessionalism and lack of communication, which are always big red flags. When I told the recruiter, instead of being understanding, she first tried to guilt me into continuing with the gig and, eventually, threatened me by saying she wouldn't call me for future gigs anymore. read more

Waste of my time. All they are doing is filling my inbox with junk mail. Businesses like this aren't needed in the world. I can't think of anything more frustrating than wasting the most precious thing that is on this planet....time. The future is about transparency, get on board creative circle or do us all a favor and close your doors for good . read more