We’re hiring... like everyone else

Might Cog be a good fit for your next job?

My social feed and inbox are full of job ads. It must be overwhelming if you are considering a move to a new role.

It feels like you have to play the employment game and follow the rules of engagement. When what you actually want is to find the role that suits how you want to work, will stretch you (enough), pays reasonably, and has a team that will support and nurture you.

It’s a bit like that for employers too. Most people don't want to make you jump through hoops. We just want to find the best possible fit for our team.

I can’t stand the recruitment process; I’ve written about that in the past.. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/my-company-recruiting-i-hate-michael-smith/

I understand the need for clarity, especially in providing equitable experiences for people from less privileged backgrounds.?But I really don’t like pretending that there are absolutes when, in reality, almost all small employers are flexible and open to discussion and compromise.?

So I thought I’d try a more open, chatty approach before I have to get into the inevitable form filling world of online advertising...

We need wonderful people to join our team.?

We’ve had a very successful few months and gained lots of new work. So we’re growing our team. We mostly need people in our digital project management team – client support and/or technical support. Although we're always happy to hear from brilliant designers and developers.

We can mould the roles around your particular interests, experience and skills. And we can train you in areas where you are interested in developing.

We’re an arts-based, culture-obsessed agency. So you’ll enjoy your time even more if you care about those too (through personal interest or professional experience). But that’s not essential.

We have particular interests in sustainability, accessibility and diversity so we’re a good fit if those topics interest you, or if you’d be interested in learning.

We work in websites so you need to be comfortable with technology. You don’t need to be an expert – we can teach most of that if that's what you need.

What do we pay?

We pay people based on the value they bring to the company. We're always open to a discussion around salary levels. As a very rough guide:

• We might pay someone who needs to be led, around ￡25K
• We might pay a team player who can lead their own projects, around ￡35K?
• We might pay a team leader, around ￡45K

Hybrid working around core hours

We’ve been listening to our team (as we always do) and, based on their feedback, we've recently moved to a hybrid approach, working around core hours.

We currently offer two ways of employing people (alongside our freelance team) –?

1. Home working with occasional trips to the studio plus some client meetings
2. Hybrid with a minimum of Mon – Wed in the studio, plus some client meetings

Most of us follow the hybrid, studio based model with many people working from home on Thursdays and Fridays.

Our full-time team work 7.5hrs per day, plus an hour’s lunch.?Our core hours are 10:00 – 16:00, Monday to Friday. So people can start at 7:30 and work ‘til 16:00, or start at 10:00 and work ‘til 18:30.

We offer 33+ days of annual paid leave.

Things that mark us out:?

• We’re a Certified B Corporation which means we have met exacting standards about the way we value our team, the efficacy of our working practices, the choices me make around suppliers and the overall benefit we provide to society
• You’ll always be treated with respect and empathy. Your line manager will work with you on a personal development plan that suits the ways that you learn best
• Funded monthly cultural outing with the team – in person and sometimes remote
• Monthly breakfast briefings with leading figures from the sector
• Regular training sessions delivered by team members and guests
• Membership of the Arts Marketing Association with access to online resources
• Membership of the Typographic Circle with discounted event tickets
• Annual team discussion day – where we celebrate the past and play an active part in planning your future.?
• Occasional team dinners and excuses to meet and spend time together
• Cycle to work scheme?
• Travelcard loans (interest free)
• Free tickets and opportunities to attend shows and client events
• A well stocked kitchen with cupboards full of fancy teas, coffee and biscuits
• The world’s best portfolio of arts clients

If that feels like the sort of place you’d be interested in working then let me know. You can message me on here or email me at [email protected], and we can follow up with a call or Zoom if that feels right.

I look forward to hearing from you.

In the meantime, just in case, I'll start filling out those online forms that give us a limited space and make us define stuff in ways that makes more sense to spreadsheets than humans.