“Talent is impossible to manufacture, the only easy option to harness it, is to recruit it.” As relevant as this quote is to the current corporate landscape, the prospects of finding a creative and scalable talent pool are just as complex and require profound screening. However, Artisan Talent, a digital-age talent recruitment business has outshone all others as a master of this art. Starting as one of the first creative staffing agencies for freelance Graphic Designers, Art Directors, Photographers, and Illustrators in Chicago, Artisan Talent today has become one of the most successful and influential digital, marketing, and creative staffing agencies in the U.S. In its quest to identify and match talented people with the right company, Artisan Talent uses a blend of advanced analytics and in-depth personal interviews. Bejan Douraghy, CEO, Artisan Talent, says, “Our two crucial advantages are first we are a unique, boutique visual, digital, creative and marketing staffing firm and second how we handle and represent our talent, where we do indeed believe that we are advocates for them.”

The talent recruitment business is candidate driven and the challenge for most companies over the years is not only have the number of jobs increased, but also the talent pool has been consistently shrinking. This has forced a number of organizations to be on their toes as they must improve their brand messaging and strategies in order to attract and retain talent. Artisan Talent functions as an industry agnostic talent agency unlike conventional recruitment firms that many employees are familiar with. Rather than simply reviewing resumes and sending a flurry of candidates to a client, Artisan strives to identify the specific needs of the client and build its talent hunt strategy around that.

In addition to identifying what an organization needs from its staff, Artisan also looks at upcoming projects, budget constraints, and a multitude of other factors. “Our job is to figure out what the client’s culture is and what are they really looking for. It is not just about sending a warm body over. It has many intangibles and we really hone in on them for a better understanding and to make a superior fit,” explains Douraghy.

Operating as a one-stop resource for finding the best-suited talent in the digital, creative marketing space, Artisan Talent has won multiple awards for its approach to staffing, including its recognition by INC. 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in the country. In its list of achievements, the company’s other achievements include ‘Best of Staffing – Clients’, ‘Best of Staffing – Talent’ and ‘Best Staffing Agency’ ranking it among the top 2 percent of all staffing agencies throughout America. CEO Bejan Douraghy was also a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Artisan Talent plans to carry this legacy of success into the markets of other American cities including Boston, Atlanta, Houston, and beyond. “In terms of a big picture, we are about inspiring better lives. What we are doing is not for ourselves but for the talent that we represent and of course for the clients and how we are trying to make their life easier when it comes to finding qualified visual, digital, creative and marketing talent,” concludes Douraghy.