Craft’s Dan Crowder on why your first creative job will be a fixed-term contract

Dan Crowder, Founder and Managing Director at Craft

Two shifts are already underway, and together they change what a first creative job looks like.

First, the work juniors have always cut their teeth on, like moodboarding, rollout and revisions, is being squeezed from both sides. AI does some of it outright, but more significantly it speeds up everything around it, so a senior designer can now pick up those tasks themselves rather than handing them down. Add clients wanting answers faster than ever, and the traditional junior workload starts to disappear

From the conversations we’re having at Craft, there are plenty of people who can execute, but far fewer who combine craft with judgement. Lisa Smith at Uncommon made a related point in our recent Creative Talent Edit, pointing out that agencies either invest in young talent or it doesn’t get brought in at all. I think many won’t invest because they see it as a costly risk, but it doesn’t have to be.

That ties in with the second shift: new employment rights in the UK, which apply from day one in a job, are pushing employers towards fixed-term contracts to limit their risk. My prediction is that within three years the typical first creative role will be a 6-12 month contract, with a permanent offer coming after you’ve proved yourself. Our placement data already shows leading studios aim to convert over 50% of temporary hires into full time roles in the future. “Try before you buy” is becoming the norm.

More generally, emerging talent need to reconsider what they’re showing in applications and interviews. Portfolios will count for less, because every portfolio now looks polished, and judgement will count for more. Hiring managers tell us that at junior level they’re screening for attitude, curiosity and temperament, because skills can be taught and disposition can’t, so basically, don't assume you're getting hired for your work. Entry level talent need to adjust how they prepare for interviews, internships – basics, presentation skills, storytelling, question asking. Lean towards being a generalist too – the writer who can move into motion or the designer who writes good copy – and assume AI fluency is expected, not a point of difference.

For employers, the responsibility is to make the onboarding and induction process meaningful, by agreeing what success looks like at six months and giving someone ownership of developing the person. Skills England found employer training investment fell 19% between 2011 and 2024. If a trial contract is just cheap extra capacity with no one developing the person, the pipeline of future seniors dries up.

Used well, though, a fixed term contract makes it less risky to back potential over polish. The studios that do will find the juniors they keep being told don’t exist.