Intro
I’ve recruited into agencies for a big chunk of my career.
PR.
Digital.
Integrated.
Media.
Performance.
Creative.
And one thing that’s always struck me is how easy it is to make an agency CV look like a perfect match.
Similar clients.
Similar agency.
Similar title.
Sorted.
Except it isn’t.
Because agency hiring is as much about how somebody operates as where they’ve worked.
A £1m client isn’t always a £1m client
Two Account Directors might both say they’ve led £1m accounts.
One may have genuinely owned the relationship, grown the account, managed difficult conversations, protected margin and led the team.
The other may have had a brilliant Business Director doing most of that above them.
Same CV bullet.
Completely different hire.
Commercial ability matters
At senior agency level, client service can’t simply mean “clients like me.”
Can they grow an account?
Spot an opportunity?
Protect margin?
Challenge a client?
Handle a difficult renewal?
Lead a pitch?
Know when to say no?
Agencies don’t employ senior people simply to keep everybody happy.
They need them to help make the agency successful.
Different agencies need different personalities
Some agencies are structured.
Some are entrepreneurial.
Some are beautifully organised.
Some are less beautifully organised. 😂
Someone who’s brilliant inside a global network isn’t automatically going to thrive in a 40-person independent.
And vice versa.
That’s why culture fit shouldn’t mean:
“Would I have a pint with them?”
It should mean:
“Can this person perform in the environment we’re actually putting them into?”
Don’t over-index on identical client experience
Relevant sector knowledge can absolutely matter.
But I’ve seen businesses reject brilliant people because they haven’t worked on precisely the right type of account.
Ask what knowledge is genuinely essential.
And what a smart person could learn.
Otherwise you’re fishing in an unnecessarily tiny pond.
Work out what success looks like
Before interviewing, decide what you need this person to change.
More senior client relationships?
Better retention?
New business?
Stronger team leadership?
Improved profitability?
A new capability?
Then assess against that.
Not simply whether their CV contains three agency logos you recognise.