AI is already part of the working day.
It is in research notes, meeting summaries, first drafts, reporting, admin, content planning and client delivery. Some people are using it confidently. Some are testing it quietly when they get a spare ten minutes. Some are avoiding it because they are not sure what is allowed, what is useful, or what might come back to bite them.
The question for employers is no longer, "Will AI affect our teams?" It already has. The better question is, "Are people being helped to use it properly, or are they being left to work it out alone?"
In <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">DNA Recruit's 2026 Salary Guide</a> whitepaper, 90% of candidates say they use AI tools at work. Half say AI is very important in their role and use it regularly, while 40% use it occasionally. At first glance, that sounds like adoption is sorted. It is not. A third of candidates say they feel left behind as new technology is introduced.
That is the bit employers need to sit with. AI is being used, but confidence is patchy.
<h2>Usage does not mean confidence</h2>
A high usage figure can hide a lot.
Someone who uses AI to cut two hours of admin from their week and someone who occasionally opens a tool, types a vague prompt, gets a poor answer and gives up would both count as users. Their experience could not be more different.
That is why access alone tells part of the story. A team may all have the same platform, but that does not mean they are using it in the same way, or to the same standard.
Hiring managers, agency leaders and internal talent teams should be asking more practical questions:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">Where is AI saving people time?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Which tasks are people using it for?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Who feels confident using it?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Who is worried about accuracy, privacy or quality?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Which outputs still need heavy rewriting or checking? </li>
</ul>
Those answers tell you far more than whether the business has "rolled out AI".
In many teams, adoption is already happening informally. People are summarising calls, drafting documents, pulling themes from notes, building rough reports and finding shortcuts. That can be useful. It can also create risk if there are no shared rules.
When everyone works to their own standard, quality becomes uneven. Managers spend more time checking. Confident users move faster, and less confident people fall further behind.
<h2>Buying the tool is the easy part</h2>
A lot of AI rollouts still look too much like software rollouts.
A tool is chosen. Access is granted. A few links are shared. Someone runs a demo. Then the business assumes people will start using it well.
Some will. Many will not.
The harder part is helping people build judgement around the tool. What is AI good for? What should it never be used for? What information should stay out of it? When does an output need to be checked? Who signs off AI-assisted work before it reaches a client, candidate or customer?
Without proper support, a familiar pattern starts to show up:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">Early adopters race ahead.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Less confident employees stay quiet.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Outputs vary from helpful to unusable.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Managers become the quality-control safety net.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">People worry the tool is being introduced to replace them. </li>
</ul>
Even when replacement is not the plan, poor communication can make people fear the worst. If AI arrives with no explanation, no training and no clear link to how it will help the team, people will fill in the gaps themselves.
Usually, they fill them with anxiety.
<h2>The role replacement story is too narrow</h2>
There is a lot of noise around AI replacing jobs. Some of it is fair. Some of it is inflated. Most of it is not that helpful for leaders trying to make good decisions right now.
The employer data in DNA Recruit's 2026 Salary Guide gives a more grounded view. 80% of employers say AI has not replaced any roles in their business. Only 6% say it has replaced some roles or functions. Employers are far more likely to report time savings, productivity gains and better client delivery than job cuts.
That does not mean AI has no effect on roles. It clearly does. But the immediate shift is more about how work gets done.
AI can reduce repetitive admin. It can speed up research. It can draft a starting point. It can summarise messy information and help teams get to a usable structure faster. Used well, it gives people time back for the work that still needs judgement, context and commercial thinking.
That is the opportunity. But it only becomes real if people are trained properly. Otherwise the business gets faster output that still needs to be rewritten, corrected or unpicked.
Speed is useful. Speed without judgement is expensive.
<h2>Start where the friction already is</h2>
The temptation with AI is to make it grand. Transformation plans. New operating models. Big promises about productivity.
For most teams, a better place to start is the work that already irritates people.
Look for tasks that are repetitive, slow or admin-heavy, but still need a person to steer them. That might include:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">First draft research.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Meeting summaries.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Interview question prompts. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Role profile drafting.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Reporting templates. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Survey response themes.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Reformatting content for different channels.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Follow-up notes and action lists. </li>
</ul>
These use cases build trust because people can feel the benefit quickly. They do not have to buy into a grand vision. They can see that a task that used to take an hour now takes twenty minutes, and the final version is still theirs.
A useful question for managers is:
<blockquote>
"What work does your team repeat every week that still needs a human, but does not need to start from scratch?"
</blockquote>
That is often where the first good AI habits sit.
<h2>Faster work still needs human judgement</h2>
AI can make work faster, but it should not be treated as the final decision-maker.
This is especially true in hiring, marketing, creative, tech and client-facing work, where context matters. A tool can summarise an interview, but a person still needs to know what was important. It can draft a role profile, but someone still needs to check whether the brief reflects the real job. It can suggest interview questions, but someone still needs to think about fairness, relevance and bias.
Human oversight is not a barrier to AI adoption. It is what makes AI adoption safe.
Every business using AI needs a simple view on:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">What AI can be used for.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What AI should not be used for.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What information must stay confidential.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Which outputs need checking.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">How facts should be verified.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Who owns the final decision. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal">How bias or quality issues should be flagged. </li>
</ul>
This does not need to be a 40-page policy that nobody opens after the first week. In many businesses, a one-page working guide is more useful.
The principle can be simple:
<blockquote>
"Use AI to support the work, not to remove your responsibility for it."
</blockquote>
That line sets the right expectation. AI can draft, structure, summarise and suggest. The person using it still owns the thinking, the quality and the final output.
<h2>Do not leave people to catch up alone</h2>
AI adoption will look different in every business, but the employers who handle it well tend to do four things.
First, audit how your team is already using AI. Ask what tools they use, what tasks they use them for, where AI saves time and where they still feel unsure.
Second, train around real work. For a talent team, that might mean writing a candidate update, building interview questions from a brief, or summarising feedback after a first stage. People learn faster when the example looks like their actual job.
Third, set simple rules of use. Employees should not have to guess what is allowed. Set basic guidance on confidentiality, client information, candidate data, factual checks, tone, bias and sign-off.
Fourth, give people time to practise. AI confidence does not come from one training session. It comes from repeated use. A short monthly session where people share one useful AI workflow can do more than another long policy document.
AI is already inside the working day. Pretending it is still a future issue only makes the gap wider between those who are confident and those who are quietly struggling.
The employers who get the most from AI will not necessarily be the ones with the biggest tech stack. They will be the ones that help people use it well, start with practical efficiency gains, and keep human judgement in the process.
A third of candidates feeling left behind is not a reason to slow everything down. It is a reason to support people properly.
For more insight into how employees and employers are approaching AI, progression, pay and retention in 2026, <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">download the DNA Recruit 2026 Salary Guide whitepaper.</a>

Your Team Is Using AI. Are They Using It Well?

<h2><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Aptos',sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-ZA; mso-fareast-language: EN-ZA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The conversation about AI and talent has changed, and it&rsquo;s good news</h2>
I&rsquo;ve just got back from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canneslions.com/">Cannes Lions</a>, and I left thinking about something that has nothing to do with sipping ros&eacute; under the scorching sun. 
A year ago, the festival had one story to tell &ndash; all about AI. Every panel, every stage, every conversation on the Croisette came back to the same anxious question: is this the thing that finally replaces us? AI was being sold as the creative itself. The talent in the room was nervous, and you could feel it.
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">This year felt different. </h4>
AI was everywhere again, but the heavy mood was absent. The industry has stopped asking what AI might do to us and started asking what it&rsquo;s actually for. The phrase I kept hearing was &ldquo;proof of humanity&rdquo;. AI-produced creative work has been put back in its place again. It&rsquo;s not the star of the show, but another layer of technological infrastructure the industry builds on. It&rsquo;s a tool. A very good one at that, but a tool all the same.
Here&rsquo;s the part that stayed with me. The work everyone was talking about, the work that won, wasn&rsquo;t the loudest AI showcase. It was the profoundly human stuff. The ideas with a point of view. The campaigns built on human insight and fresh thinking that no AI model could have reached on its own. The judging reflected it too: the work was being assessed on the quality of the thinking behind it, with the technology treated as scaffolding.
There was a whole strand of the festival about careers, and it told the same story from a different angle. The fear used to be that AI would wipe out jobs, especially the junior ones. The conversation now is about how AI changes what those jobs are. It clears the noise &ndash; the drafting, the variants, the admin that used to swallow whole teams &ndash; so that people are freed up for the work only people can do. The strategic call on which idea is even worth making. The judgement. The taste. The bit that decides whether the work is any good.
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">So, what are leaders actually looking for now? </h4>
Not someone who can do the things a machine does faster. From my perspective it&rsquo;s the human qualities that matter most. Because it&rsquo;s drive, adaptability, curiosity, and resilience that communicate a point of view worth paying attention to. Those are the differentiators leaders are looking for, even in an AI dominated world.
If you&rsquo;re reading this from inside an agency or a brand, that&rsquo;s genuinely good news. It means the value of a great hire has gone up, not down. When everyone has access to the same clever tools, your edge isn&rsquo;t the technology &ndash; it&rsquo;s the people using it. The strategist who reads the room. The creative leader who knows which idea to kill and which to fight for. The commercial mind who turns a good agency into a growing one. AI takes everyone to the middle. People are how you surpass it. 
This is what we&rsquo;ve always believed at DNA. Talent, creativity, fresh thinking, a bit of uniqueness &ndash; that&rsquo;s not a nice-to-have on top of the technology. It&rsquo;s the whole game. Brands and agencies don&rsquo;t win because they have AI. They win because they have the right people pointing it at the right problems to deliver the right solutions. Getting those people in the building is the most human, and most important, decision a business makes.
Outsourcing this decision to machines and tools is one of the biggest mistakes a business can make. Human judgment and instinct still beat out cold analysis. People are alive and cannot be reduced to data points, that&rsquo;s why we think recruitment deserves the human touch from start to finish. And if you need the talent to drive your business forward, that&rsquo;s exactly what we&rsquo;re here for &ndash; so do get in touch.
<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt;">Which brings me, rather neatly, to next week.</h4>
We&rsquo;re at <a href="https://www.madfestlondon.com/">MAD//Fest</a>, and this year&rsquo;s theme is The Human Touch. For a talent business, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine a better theme, especially after a week in Cannes. It feels more on the money than ever. We&rsquo;re looking forward to the talks, the speakers, and meeting as many of you as we can.
We&rsquo;re also raising the stakes to deliver our own human touch. As Official Talent Partner, we&rsquo;re bringing back the ever-popular whack-a-mole &ndash; but this year and for the first time, <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/news/win-a-hire-at-madfest-2026">we&rsquo;re giving away a completely free hire</a>. One lucky business will walk away with a hire fully sourced, screened and placed, at no cost to them. Give us the brief, and we&rsquo;ll find your person.
Come and find us on the stand, have a go, and let&rsquo;s talk about what the human touch really means for your next hire. After last week, I&rsquo;m more convinced than ever that it&rsquo;s the thing that matters most.
See you there,
Ali Wallace CEO, DNA Recruit

What I learned at Cannes 

Most employers still treat happiness as a decent proxy for retention. If people like the culture, get on with their manager and have a passable benefits package, the assumption is that they are probably staying.
The DNA Recruit <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">2026 Salary &amp; Hiring Trends Guide</a> points to something less comfortable. 68% of candidates describe themselves as happy or very happy in their current role. At the same time, 90% are open to moving.
That is the problem. Satisfaction and loyalty are being treated as the same thing, when the data suggests they are not. People can like where they work and still take a call from another business if pay, progression or flexibility starts to look better elsewhere.
<h2 class="MdHeading2">The Loyalty Gap</h2>
The 90% figure is worth separating out, because this is not one group of people all behaving in the same way. Some are ready to leave now. Others are not actively searching, but they are listening.
<ul>
<li class="MdListItem" style="text-indent: 0cm;">42% are actively looking for a new job right now</li>
<li class="MdListItem" style="text-indent: 0cm;">31% are not looking, but would move for the right opportunity</li>
<li class="MdListItem" style="text-indent: 0cm;">17% are casually browsing the market</li>
</ul>
Only 10% of the workforce describes itself as fully committed to staying put. That means the vast majority of your team, including the people who told you they were happy in their last engagement survey, are at least open to a conversation with someone else.
<blockquote>
90% of professionals are open to a new opportunity. Only 1 in 10 are staying put.
</blockquote>
That should make employers more careful about how they read culture scores. A happy team is not automatically a settled team. The better question is whether people can see a reason to stay.
<h2 class="MdHeading2">What Actually Triggers a Move</h2>
When candidates identify their primary motivation for considering a new role, salary leads the list, but only just. Career progression runs almost neck and neck with it, and beyond those two the motivators spread across a range of factors that tell a more complex story.
<h4 class="MdParagraph">Why candidates consider moving (primary motivation)</h4>
<ul>
<li>Salary and pay - 23%</li>
<li>Career progression - 22%</li>
<li>Flexible and remote working - 13%</li>
<li>Leadership and management quality - 12%</li>
<li>Company culture and values - 11%</li>
<li>Work-life balance - 8%</li>
<li>Meaningful work - 7% </li>
</ul>
The employer perspective largely lines up on the top two. Better pay and limited development opportunities are what most businesses believe drives people out. Where the gap opens up is further down the list. Candidates rank leadership quality and company culture higher than employers seem to realise. If your people are leaving because of their manager, a pay review alone will not solve it
<blockquote>
"Retention is not a single-lever problem. The businesses that hold onto their best people address the full picture."
</blockquote>
<h2 class="MdHeading2">The Satisfaction Scorecard</h2>
The guide asked candidates to rate their satisfaction across ten dimensions of their current role on a scale of one to five. The results paint a picture of a workforce that feels underinvested in at almost every level.
<h4 class="MdParagraph">Satisfaction scores across ten dimensions (1-5 scale)</h4>
<table class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 100.0%; border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; mso-padding-alt: 0cm .5pt 0cm .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .25pt solid #E1E4E8; mso-border-insidev: .25pt solid #F6F8FA;" border="1" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<thead>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 36.0pt;">
<td style="border-top: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 5.0pt 6.0pt 5.0pt 6.0pt; height: 36.0pt;">
Dimension
</td>
<td style="border-top: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 5.0pt 6.0pt 5.0pt 6.0pt; height: 36.0pt;">
Score
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Work/life balance
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.71
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Culture
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.60
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Company values and mission
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.54
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Rewarding work
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.49
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Current salary package
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.46
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Travel
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.24
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Benefits package
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.18
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Training and development
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.17
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
<td style="border-top: none; border-left: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; border-right: solid #F6F8FA 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
Future earning potential
</td>
<td style="border: none; border-bottom: solid #E1E4E8 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid #F6F8FA .25pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #E1E4E8 .25pt; padding: 4.0pt 6.0pt 4.0pt 6.0pt; height: 28.8pt;">
2.16
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes; page-break-inside: avoid; height: 28.8pt;">
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Career path
</td>
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2.14
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Career path, future earning potential, and training and development sit at the bottom. Those are the areas that tell someone whether their employer is genuinely investing in their future.
That is why the retention risk is bigger than pay alone. If people cannot see where they are going, cannot see how their earning potential improves, and feel their development has stalled, they are easier to lose. Even when they are happy day to day.
<h2 class="MdHeading2">The Benefits Blind Spot</h2>
52% of candidates are dissatisfied with their current benefits package. When you look at what most compensation packages actually include, the reason becomes clear.
<ul>
<li>69% of candidates receive base salary only, with no additional compensation</li>
<li>28% receive a personal bonus</li>
<li>24% receive a company bonus</li>
<li>12% receive commission </li>
</ul>
For most people, the reward conversation begins and ends with base salary. That leaves employers with very little room to show investment beyond the annual pay review.
Benefits do not always need to mean expensive new schemes. Development budgets, additional leave, stronger pension contributions, flexible benefit options and better support around wellbeing can all help. The point is to make the package feel considered rather than default.
With more than half of candidates dissatisfied, the bar for standing out is probably lower than many employers think.
<h2 class="MdHeading2">What Employers Can Do About It</h2>
The data in this year's guide does not describe an impossible problem. It describes a solvable one, provided employers are willing to act on what the numbers are saying rather than what they assumed was true.
Run a pay review before someone else does it for you. 45% of professionals received no pay rise in 2025. Salary remains the number one trigger to move. If your team has not had a meaningful increase and the market is offering 6-10% elsewhere, the maths is straightforward.
Make progression visible and personal. 79% of candidates say their employer has no clear progression plan for them. If you have a framework, pressure-test whether your people actually know about it and whether it feels relevant to their individual goals. A generic career ladder is not enough.
Ask what it would take to keep your best people. Engagement surveys measure satisfaction. They do not measure loyalty. Build direct, honest conversations about development, ambition, and long-term fit into your regular one-to-ones, and act on what you hear.
Audit your benefits package with fresh eyes. If 52% of your workforce is dissatisfied, something is missing. Look at what your competitors offer, identify the gaps, and consider where low-cost additions such as development budgets or enhanced leave could make a meaningful difference.
<blockquote>
"The businesses that win at retention will not be the ones that assume a happy team is a loyal one."
</blockquote>
The DNA Recruit 2026 Salary &amp; Hiring Trends Guide contains the full retention data, the complete satisfaction scorecard, and salary benchmarks across every specialism in the marketing and creative sector.
<a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">Download the full guide</a> to get the complete picture and the practical guidance to act on it.

Your Employees Are Happy. So Why Are They Still Looking?

<h4>Advice for hiring managers and internal talent teams, based on DNA Recruit&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">2026 Salary Guide</a> whitepaper.</h4>
Most businesses think they are doing something about career development.
There is usually a framework somewhere. Maybe a review process. A set of job levels. A few manager conversations that happen when things calm down, which of course they rarely do.
On paper, that can look like progress.
From an employee&rsquo;s side, it can feel very different.
If someone cannot explain what their next step looks like, what they need to show, or who is helping them get there, the framework may as well not exist. That sounds blunt, but it is often where the problem sits. Progression gets documented, but not felt.
That is the thread running through DNA Recruit&rsquo;s 2026 Salary Guide whitepaper. Career development is not just another workplace topic in the report. It is one of the clearest gaps between what employers believe they are offering and what employees say they are experiencing.
People do not always leave because they are unhappy. Plenty of people like their team, enjoy the work and still take the call from a recruiter. They leave when they cannot see a future where they are.
And for many employers, that is the uncomfortable part. The warning signs are often quiet.
<blockquote>
"Progression gets documented, but not felt."
</blockquote>
<h2>Employers think the path is clear. Employees do not.</h2>
The progression data in the whitepaper is hard to brush off.
When candidates were asked whether their employer has a clear progression plan for them, 79% said no. Employers saw things very differently. 63% said they have a documented framework in place, while another 23% said they manage progression through informal conversations.
That is a big gap. Not a rounding error. Not a slight difference in interpretation.
It means many businesses believe they have given people a path, while most employees cannot see one.
Sometimes the framework exists but has not been explained properly. Sometimes it was explained once during onboarding, then quietly disappeared into a shared drive. Sometimes it is too generic to be useful. Sometimes managers are expected to turn it into a proper development conversation, but they have not been trained, supported or given enough time to do it well.
And sometimes, if we are being honest, the framework says one thing while promotions happen another way.
That is where trust starts to go.
If people see colleagues move up without understanding why, or they keep hearing "you&rsquo;re doing well" without being told what needs to happen next, the process starts to feel vague. Over time, vague starts to feel unfair.
Most employees are reasonable. They know promotions are not automatic. They know budgets, structures and timing matter. What frustrates people is not always the absence of an immediate step. It is the absence of a straight answer.
<h2>Lack of clarity is where ambition stalls</h2>
The whitepaper also shows that lack of clarity is the number one blocker to career progression. It ranks ahead of blocked pathways, glass ceilings, lack of training and lack of mentorship.
That is worth sitting with for a moment.
Because lack of clarity can easily be mistaken for lack of drive. An employee may seem flat, distracted or less engaged than they used to be. The assumption might be that they are not ambitious enough, when the truth is they may have been ambitious for months and got nowhere with it.
Unclear progression often shows up in small, familiar ways:
<ul>
<li>An employee hears "you&rsquo;re doing a great job" but gets no detail on what would move them up.</li>
<li>Promotion criteria change depending on who manages the person.</li>
<li>Job titles do not match the level of responsibility someone is carrying.</li>
<li>Development plans are only discussed during annual reviews.</li>
<li>Feedback focuses on current performance, not future growth.</li>
<li>Training exists, but it is not connected to any clear career outcome.</li>
<li>Senior opportunities only seem to appear when someone resigns. </li>
</ul>
None of these things feel dramatic on their own. That is why they are easy to miss. But together, they tell employees something they do not want to hear: the business values what they are delivering now, but has not thought enough about where they go next.
People can tolerate that for a while. Not forever.
<h2>A career ladder is not a career conversation</h2>
Career ladders have their place. Growing businesses need structure, especially once teams become too big for progression to be handled through instinct and memory.
The issue is when the ladder becomes the whole answer.
A generic framework might describe what a Senior Account Manager, Strategy Director or Head of Growth is expected to do. It might list skills, behaviours and responsibilities by level. Useful? Yes, up to a point.
But most employees are asking a more personal question:
<blockquote>
"What does progression look like for me?"
</blockquote>
That is where generic ladders often fall down.
They tend to rely on broad words: strategic, commercial, proactive, collaborative, leadership-ready. Those words are not wrong, but they are not always useful either. One manager&rsquo;s version of "strategic" might mean leading a client growth plan. Another might mean improving margin. Another might mean thinking two steps ahead on resourcing.
Without examples, people are left guessing.
A better conversation turns the framework into something practical. If someone needs to show stronger leadership, what does that look like in the next quarter? Mentoring a junior team member? Running a client meeting? Taking ownership of a difficult brief? Helping shape the response to a pitch?
The difference is specificity.
A framework gives the outline. The manager has to make it real.
That is also why informal progression conversations can be risky. They sound personal, and sometimes they are brilliant. But without structure, they depend too much on the manager. One person gets clear guidance and proper sponsorship. Another gets vague encouragement and a "let&rsquo;s revisit this later."
Progression should not depend on whether someone happens to have a naturally development-minded manager.
<h2>When people cannot grow with you, they look elsewhere</h2>
The cost of unclear progression rarely arrives as one dramatic moment. It builds quietly.
Someone starts comparing their role with what they see on the market. They notice other businesses offering clearer titles, clearer salaries or a better route into leadership. They start listening when recruiters call. They may not be actively looking at first, but they become open.
The whitepaper shows that 90% of professionals are open to new opportunities. Career progression is almost level with pay as a reason candidates consider moving.
That is the bit employers need to take seriously.
Pay matters. It always will. But progression is what helps someone believe staying is worth it. If they can see how they will grow, earn more, learn more and take on better work where they are, they have a reason to invest their energy in the business.
If they cannot see that, a role elsewhere starts to look less like a risk and more like a route forward.
And replacing someone is rarely cheaper than developing them properly.
You lose knowledge, client context, team confidence and time. Then you go back to market, pay the current rate, and bring in someone who still needs to learn how your business works.
That is why progression is not just an engagement issue. It is a hiring issue, a retention issue and, frankly, a cost issue.
<h2>How to fix the progression gap without making it complicated</h2>
Closing the progression gap does not have to mean building a huge internal programme.
For many businesses, the biggest improvement comes from being clearer, more consistent and more intentional with the conversations they are already having.
<h4>1. Make progression visible</h4>
If you have a framework, do not assume people understand it.
Talk it through properly. Build it into one-to-ones. Make sure managers can explain it in plain English. Most importantly, check whether employees can describe their own next step without having to decode a document.
A simple test helps:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">Can this person explain where they are now?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Can they describe what the next level requires?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Do they know what evidence they need to show?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Do they know who is supporting them?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Do they know when progress will be reviewed? </li>
</ul>
If the answer is no, the framework is not working yet.
Visibility also means being honest about limits. If there is no promotion available this quarter, say so. If the business needs to see a certain level of performance first, explain what that means. People can handle honesty. What wears them down is silence, vagueness and moving goalposts.
<h4>2. Make the plan personal</h4>
A career ladder defines levels. A development plan should fit the person.
Not everyone wants the same thing. Some people want to manage teams. Some want to become stronger specialists. Some want bigger clients, broader exposure or a route into leadership. Others may not know yet, which is fine too. That is part of the conversation.
A practical development plan does not need to be long. It should answer:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">What does this person want next?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What does the business need from them?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What needs to improve or develop?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What opportunities can they be given in the next three months?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What support would make the biggest difference? </li>
</ul>
That is much more useful than telling someone to "be more strategic" and hoping they work out what you mean.
<h4>3. Use mentorship properly</h4>
Mentorship is one of the most underrated retention tools a business has.
It does not need a big budget. It does need care. Pairing junior and mid-weight talent with senior people gives them access to context they may not get from their line manager alone. They can ask questions, sense-check ideas, build confidence and learn how more experienced people think.
Good mentorship can help people:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">Understand what progression really looks like in the business.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Build confidence before stepping up.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Learn how to handle clients, stakeholders or senior conversations.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">See different routes through the company.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Feel noticed before frustration turns into disengagement. </li>
</ul>
The best mentoring relationships still need some shape. Agree how often people will meet, what the focus is, and how both sides can make the time useful.
A monthly conversation with the right person can do more than another vague promise about future opportunities.
<h4>4. Make development check-ins part of the rhythm</h4>
Annual reviews are too far apart to carry career development on their own.
By the time a yearly review arrives, someone may already have spent months feeling stuck. They may already be speaking to other businesses. They may already have decided that the company is not serious about their future.
Quarterly development check-ins are a sensible starting point. They give managers and employees space to talk about progress, blockers and next steps before frustration builds.
These conversations should not be buried inside task updates. They need a bit of protected time and a different set of questions:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">What part of your role is stretching you at the moment?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Where do you want more responsibility?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What feels unclear about your next step?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What support would make the biggest difference?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What progress have we seen since our last conversation?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">What should we focus on before the next one? </li>
</ul>
The aim is not to promise a promotion every quarter. It is to keep development alive, honest and visible.
That alone can change how someone feels about staying.
<h2>Progression needs attention, not theatre</h2>
Employees do not expect every business to hand out instant promotions or endless pay rises. Most people understand that growth takes time and that business needs matter.
What they do expect is clarity.
They want to know whether their employer sees a future for them. They want specific feedback, not vague encouragement. They want someone to talk to them about their development before they have one foot out of the door.
The progression crisis is fixable. But not with a career ladder that sits untouched in a shared drive.
It needs managers who can talk about growth properly. It needs honest check-ins. It needs mentorship that is treated as part of how people develop, not as a nice extra. And it needs employers to notice the gap before their best people start looking for answers elsewhere.
For more insight into what employees expect from employers in 2026, including progression, pay, retention and development, <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">download the DNA Recruit 2026 Salary Guide</a> whitepaper.

Why Your Best People Can’t See a Future With You

MAD//Fest is one of the highlights of our year, and we&rsquo;re proud to be returning this July as the Official Talent Partner.
 Being a partner means a great deal to us. It&rsquo;s a recognition of the role talent plays at the heart of every growing business, and a chance to be part of an event built around the people who make our industry tick. To mark it, we&rsquo;re bringing back a firm favourite, whack-a-mole, and this time we&rsquo;ve raised the stakes.
We'll still be giving away magnums of wine for the daily winners of whack-a-mole, but for the first time ever, we&rsquo;re giving away a completely free hire.
Play whack-a-mole. Win your next hire.
Here&rsquo;s how it works. Come and find us on our stand, play whack-a-mole, and enter our prize draw.
One lucky business will walk away with a free hire. Fully sourced, screened and placed, at no cost to them.
 Give us the brief, and we&rsquo;ll find you the person and place them with you. No fee. It&rsquo;s as simple as that.
 Why are we doing this? Because this year's MAD//Fest theme is 'The Human Touch'. And it&rsquo;s one we believe in completely.
For all the talk of technology, automation and AI, businesses are still built by people. It&rsquo;s talent that moves an organisation forward with the right person in the right seat, doing work that matters.
So when we asked ourselves how best to celebrate a theme like the human touch, the answer felt obvious. There&rsquo;s nothing more human than the people you bring into your business. This is the opportunity for one business to feel the real power and potential of getting talent right.
 It&rsquo;s a one-of-a-kind giveaway, and we couldn&rsquo;t be prouder to be the ones offering it as the MAD//Fest Official Talent Partner.
 Come and see us Whether you&rsquo;re hiring right now or just want to say hello, come and play. Have a go at whack-a-mole, enter the draw, and you could be the business that leaves MAD//Fest with your next great hire already on the way. 
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Terms and Conditions
Please read these terms carefully. Your participation is optional and if you do not agree with these terms you will not be able to participate.
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The free hire
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">The prize is one free placement for the winner&rsquo;s business, sourced and delivered through DNA&rsquo;s screening platform.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The free hire carries no rebate and no free replacement should the placed&nbsp;candidate leave. This is a non-negotiable condition of the prize.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The winner agrees to take part in a written and video testimonial following the acceptance of offer of the preferred candidate.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">The role must be UK based and within DNA's specialist disciplines</li>
</ul>
Your Responsibilities:
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The Mad//Fest pass must be in your own name to win.
You are responsible for reading these terms for a complete understanding of why and how your information will be used.
For the purposes of this service you are required to provide your first name, job title, company, and work email address. This information is used to register your score against user details and to enter you to win the free hire.&nbsp;
Any data that is required will be made clear when completing the form. 
Our staff have absolute discretion to delete any entry and ask you to leave our experience for any reason. 
If you have any questions please speak to a member of staff.
Our Responsibilities:
DNA, We Are Xi Limited, and our partners will process the participants&rsquo; information so that the user can take part in the services provided.&nbsp;
We will only use your data for the express registering your score against a user and to select the win a hire competition winner.&nbsp;
Users&rsquo; personal data may be kept for up to three months (90 days). This personal data may include your name and email address.
The user has the right to have their data removed by contacting DNA or We Are Xi Ltd. using the contact forms on the website wearexi.com/contact or https://www.dnarecruit.com/get-in-touch.
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&nbsp;

Win a hire at MAD//Fest 2026

The hiring market in 2026 is active. Businesses are recruiting and candidates are moving, while the workforce quietly recalibrates its expectations around AI, flexibility, pay, and progression.
Underneath all of that activity sits a more uncomfortable truth. Employers and candidates are not experiencing the same market. They are looking at the same workplace and seeing completely different things, and those gaps are costing businesses their best people.
We put this to the test in the DNA Recruit <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">2026 Salary &amp; Hiring Trends Guide</a>, surveying professionals and employers across marketing, creative, agency, and digital sectors. What came back was a report defined not by what people agree on, but by where the disconnects are sharpest.
Here is what the data found:
<h2>The pay reversal nobody saw coming</h2>
Last year's salary guide told a story of a market rewarding its people. This year, that story has reversed completely.
<blockquote>
45% of professionals received no pay rise at all in 2025. The year before, 83% did.
</blockquote>
That is a dramatic reversal in twelve months, and it matters because salary remains the single most-cited reason professionals consider a move. If your team has not had a rise and they can get 6-10% elsewhere, which is what the majority expect when they change roles, the question is not whether they will leave.&nbsp;
The question is when. The businesses that address this proactively will hold onto their people. The ones that assume loyalty will absorb the gap will find out otherwise.
<h2>Happy does not mean loyal</h2>
Here is the finding that should stop employers in their tracks.
<blockquote>
68% of candidates describe themselves as happy or very happy in their current role.
</blockquote>
And yet:
<ul>
<li class="MdListItem">42% are actively looking for a new job</li>
<li class="MdListItem">&nbsp;31% are not looking, but open to the right opportunity</li>
<li class="MdListItem">17% are casually browsing</li>
</ul>
That means 90% of the workforce is open to moving, even the ones who say they are happy. Satisfaction and commitment are two different things. People can enjoy their work and like their colleagues while still feeling they are not being paid fairly, developed properly, recognised consistently, or given a genuine reason to stay long-term.
<blockquote>
"Happiness at work doesn't equal commitment."
</blockquote>
The businesses that win at retention will be the ones that ask, regularly, what it would actually take to keep their people.
<h2>The progression gap</h2>
If there is one disconnect that defines this year's guide, it is this one.
79% of candidates say their employer has no clear progression plan for them.
63% of employers believe they do.
That gap says something important. Either the frameworks are not being explained properly, or candidates do not experience them as real.
When candidates were asked to name their biggest career blocker, the answers were clear:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">Unclear progression - 32%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Blocked pathways, nowhere to go - 18%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Glass ceiling - 15%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Lack of training - 13%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Lack of mentorship - 9%</li>
</ul>
The biggest problem is clarity. People cannot see the path. In some cases, they do not believe there is one.
In a market where 90% are open to moving, that is a serious retention risk.
<h2>The hiring process is losing candidates before they even start</h2>
Employers know their processes need work, and candidates are telling them exactly where. The problem sits in the gap between awareness and action.
The biggest red flags candidates raise during a hiring process:
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;Slow communication or lack of updates - 74%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">No feedback after interviews - 71%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Unclear or changing job requirements - 58%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Disorganised interviews - 56%</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Process takes too long - 54%</li>
</ul>
On speed, the mismatch is stark.
<blockquote>
76% of candidates want a hiring process wrapped in four weeks. Only 30% of employers manage it.
</blockquote>
Most processes still take six weeks or more. In a market where so many professionals are at least open to a conversation, delays create space for another employer to move faster.
<h2>AI is mainstream, but a third of the workforce feels left behind</h2>
AI has moved from talking point to business reality. The adoption numbers confirm it.
<ul>
<li class="MsoNormal">50% of candidates say AI is central to their role and they use it regularly</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">40% use it occasionally</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">9% say it does not apply to what they do</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Which means 90% of candidates now use AI tools at work in some capacity</li>
</ul>
On the employer side, the impact is tangible. Time savings and productivity gains lead the way, and 80% of employers say AI has not replaced a single role in their business.
But there is a warning in the data that employers cannot afford to ignore.
<blockquote>
A third of the workforce feels left behind as new technology is introduced.
</blockquote>
Deploying tools without investing in the people using them creates a new kind of divide. The companies that get AI right in 2026 will be the ones that bring their people along for the ride, investing in training and building confidence before pushing for transformation.
<h2>Flexibility is being quietly pulled back</h2>
The debate about whether flexibility matters is settled. Last year, 66% of candidates said they would decline a job that did not offer it. This year, the question has shifted to how many businesses are quietly pulling it back, and what that is costing them.
The answer is significant. Over a third of candidates say their flexibility has decreased in the past year. The 3-4 day office week is now the dominant model, with 61% of employers operating on that basis.
<blockquote>
Every extra mandated office day filters out a portion of your candidate pool.
</blockquote>
Flexible working remains the third most common reason people consider a move. Employers pulling people back need to weigh the collaboration benefits against the talent cost. The best candidates have choices, and rigid policies push them towards competitors who offer more autonomy.
<h2>The full picture</h2>
Every disconnect in this report points to the same underlying issue. Employers and candidates are operating with different information, different expectations, and different experiences of the same workplace. The businesses that close those gaps, on pay, progression, process, and flexibility, will be the ones that attract and keep the best people in 2026.
The DNA Recruit 2026 Salary &amp; Hiring Trends Guide covers all of this in full, including salary benchmarks across every specialism from BD and growth to creative, digital, strategy, social, tech, and beyond.
<a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">Download the full guide</a> to get the complete data, the salary tables, and the practical guidance to act on it.

What Employers Think is Happening vs. What Candidates Actually Experience in 2026

<h4>Why slow communication is costing hiring teams strong candidates, and how to fix it before the best people disappear.</h4>
Hiring managers and internal talent teams usually know when the obvious parts of a process need attention. A salary band feels light. A brief is too vague. A job title is not quite right. An interview panel is too big, or the first stage is asking too much too early.
Those things matter, but they are not always what makes candidates lose interest first.
More often, the damage starts with silence.
Slow communication, patchy feedback and unclear next steps can make a good opportunity feel risky. From the employer side, the delay may be perfectly reasonable. Someone is travelling. A stakeholder has not replied. The team needs one more conversation. The budget is almost signed off.
Candidates do not see any of that. They see the gap between the last conversation and the next update, and they start to draw their own conclusions.
In DNA Recruit's 2026 Salary Guide whitepaper, 74% of candidates said slow communication or a lack of updates was a red flag in a hiring process. It was the most common concern, ahead of shifting job requirements, disorganised interviews, poor interviewers and long processes.
<blockquote>
Silence does not feel neutral to a candidate. It feels like uncertainty.
</blockquote>
<h2>Silence changes how candidates read the opportunity</h2>
A hiring process is not only a way for you to assess candidates. It is also the first proper look candidates get at how your business behaves when something matters.
Every touchpoint says something. The speed of your replies, the clarity of the brief, the way interviews are handled and the quality of feedback all become evidence. Candidates use that evidence to decide whether the company is organised, respectful and serious about hiring.
When communication is clear, candidates feel kept in the loop. When it drops off, they rarely assume everyone is busy and doing their best behind the scenes. They are more likely to wonder whether the role has stalled, whether the hiring manager is unsure, or whether they are not the preferred choice.
That is when momentum starts to slip.
Strong candidates are often in more than one conversation. If your process goes quiet while another employer is keeping them warm, the other opportunity starts to feel safer. Not necessarily better, just clearer. And clear often wins.
To a candidate, a lack of communication can suggest:
<ul>
<li>the role is not a priority</li>
<li>the team is not aligned on what it needs</li>
<li>the business is slow to make decisions</li>
<li>feedback may not be valued internally</li>
<li>the working culture may be just as unclear as the hiring process </li>
</ul>
None of those assumptions may be true. The problem is that silence gives candidates space to believe they might be.
<h2>The timeline mismatch is where trust breaks</h2>
The whitepaper also shows a clear mismatch between the pace candidates expect and the pace employers are delivering.
Most candidates want the process wrapped up within four weeks. In fact, 76% said that was their preferred window. On the employer side, only 30% said they manage to complete hiring within that time. Most processes are taking four to six weeks.
This is not an argument for rushing important decisions. Hiring well takes thought, especially for senior, specialist or client-facing roles where the wrong hire can create real cost later. But there is a difference between a considered process and a drifting one.
A six-week process can still feel professional if the candidate knows the stages, understands the timings and hears from someone regularly. A three-week process can feel poor if the communication is inconsistent.
The issue is not time on its own. It is time plus silence.
<blockquote>
A slow process with updates feels managed. A slow process without updates feels careless.
</blockquote>
This matters even more in a market where many professionals are open to a move. The 2026 Salary Guide whitepaper reports that 90% of professionals are either actively looking, casually browsing or open to the right opportunity. That does not mean every candidate is desperate to leave, but it does mean they are listening.
If a competitor moves faster, gives clearer feedback and makes the candidate feel wanted, you may lose before you have made a formal decision.
<h2>Why hiring processes go quiet</h2>
Most hiring teams do not set out to leave candidates hanging. The silence usually comes from small process gaps that were never fixed before the role went live.
Sometimes the hiring manager wants to see a wider shortlist before giving feedback. Sometimes interviewers have different views of what the role needs. Sometimes the person with final sign-off is brought in too late. In other cases, no one has agreed who is responsible for updating the candidate, so everyone assumes someone else has done it.
These are ordinary problems, but they are not harmless. They slow the process, create extra work for recruiters and make candidates feel like they are being managed badly.
The most common causes tend to be:
<ul>
<li>too many interview stages for the level of role</li>
<li>unclear ownership of candidate communication</li>
<li>slow CV feedback from hiring managers</li>
<li>decision-makers joining the process late</li>
<li>briefs changing after candidates have already been approached</li>
<li>offer approval being treated as a final admin step rather than part of the plan</li>
</ul>
The fix is not to put pressure on everyone to move faster at all costs. The fix is to design a process that makes speed easier and silence less likely.
<h2>The cost is bigger than one lost candidate</h2>
When a candidate drops out, it is easy to treat it as a one-off. They had another offer. The timing was not right. They were never fully committed.
Sometimes that is true. But if candidates keep cooling off, declining second stages or disappearing after interview, the process deserves a closer look.
Poor communication creates commercial drag. It extends time to hire, weakens shortlists and leaves teams under-resourced for longer. It also gives recruiters more work to do because they have to re-engage candidates who were warm a week ago and are now unsure.
There is also the reputation piece, which is harder to measure but easy to feel in the market. Candidates talk to peers, recruiters and former colleagues. A slow, vague process can follow a business long after the role is filled.
That is why candidate communication should not be treated as admin. It is part of the offer you are making before the offer exists.
<blockquote>
The hiring process is often the first proof point of your employer brand.
</blockquote>
<h2>Four ways to tighten the process and secure top talent faster</h2>
The good news is that this is fixable. Most teams do not need a complete overhaul. They need clearer ownership, cleaner timelines and a more disciplined approach to updates.
<h4>1. Agree the process before the role goes live</h4>
Before the search starts, agree how the process will work. Decide how many stages are genuinely needed, who should be involved, when interviews can happen and who has final sign-off.
This sounds basic, but many delays are created because these decisions happen after candidates are already in play. By then, every internal wobble becomes an external delay.
At minimum, agree:
<ul>
<li>the number of interview stage</li>
<li>the people involved at each stage</li>
<li>the feedback deadline after each interview</li>
<li>the decision-maker for offer approval&nbsp;</li>
<li>the target date for completion</li>
</ul>
<h4>2. Send updates even when the answer is not ready</h4>
Candidates do not expect instant decisions every time. They do expect to know where they stand.
A short holding message can protect trust while the business gets aligned. It might be as simple as: "We are still gathering feedback from the final interviewer, but you are very much still in the process. I will come back to you by Thursday."
That kind of message takes less than a minute. It also stops the candidate assuming the worst.
<h4>3. Give feedback within 48 hours</h4>
Feedback does not need to be long, but it should be prompt and useful. A candidate who has taken time to prepare, attend an interview and think seriously about your business deserves a clear response.
A 48-hour feedback rule is a sensible standard. If the decision is not ready, send an update anyway. Silence after interview is one of the quickest ways to undo goodwill.
<h4>4. Give decision-makers the authority to move</h4>
Speed improves when the right people are involved at the right time. If every decision needs another conversation, another stakeholder and another week of diary coordination, the process is too fragile.
Agree who gives input, who makes the final call and who simply needs to be informed. For senior or business-critical roles, this matters even more. Candidates can tell when a business is confident in its own process.
<h2>The businesses that communicate well will win more often</h2>
Better communication does not mean rushing a hire. It means respecting the candidate's time, protecting momentum and making the process feel as organised as the business wants to appear.
The <a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">2026 Salary Guide</a> whitepaper makes one thing clear: candidates are paying attention to more than salary. They are looking at progression, flexibility, leadership, culture and the way a company behaves before they join.
If the hiring process is slow and silent, it weakens the rest of the story.
<a href="https://www.dnarecruit.com/salary-survey">Download the DNA Recruit 2026 Salary Guide</a> whitepaper for the full findings on hiring timelines, candidate expectations, pay, progression and retention in 2026.

The silent killer of your hiring process

Our approach is always evolving and what makes us different is that we adapt our approach and services to best fulfill your needs.

Incredible people are at the heart of every successful business – we are dedicated to helping you identify, attract and secure the talent you need to thrive.

Founded by Ali Wallace and Jo Suter in 2008, our uniquely honest and personal approach sees candidates, clients and employees as people, and jobs as careers.That’s why we connect with everyone we work with - to create real relationships that last.Combining our collective experience in recruiting across the advertising, marketing and technical scene, we pride ourselves on building respectful partnerships and collaborative successes, from the start of a career, right up to the top.

We build dynamic alliances with the talent creating the future

We deliver dynamic recruitment, search and career consultancy solutions that build new alliances between ambitious businesses and the people they need to grow and evolve.

Explore DNA process which helped to secure an Account Manager for a Brand Activation Agency.

We are here to help you find the best talent.

Register your CV and we will support you in your career journey.

We understand the importance of securing top-notch Business Developers to drive success.&nbsp;

Our team boasts an extraordinary network of talented individuals who possess excellent communication skills, relationship-building abilities, and industry knowledge.When you partner with us, you can focus on what matters most to you in the recruitment process whilst we take care of the rest. Our tailored solutions cover everything from start to finish, and we're here to provide guidance every step of the way.If you’re looking for your next BD opportunity or are just interested to see what’s out there, we'd love to hear from you.&nbsp;

Sourcing the best talent to develop your business.

If you're seeking to expand your team or fill a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.

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Navigating the executive landscape demands a profound understanding of leadership dynamics, industry intricacies, and organisational cultures.

At DNA Recruit, we understand that finding the perfect fit for these high-stakes positions requires a blend of expertise, insight, and unwavering dedication. Our mission is to bridge the gap between exceptional candidates and leading-edge executive opportunities, ensuring a harmonious alignment that propels companies toward unparalleled success.Our team comprises seasoned specialists and head hunters who possess an innate knack for identifying leaders who not only meet the job description but also resonate with a company's vision. From CEOs with a vision that inspires to Directors with a strategic mind, our approach is a blend of partnership and precision. We're here to match exceptional candidates to roles that they're not just qualified for, but thrive in.Whether you're a business seeking the next cornerstone of your leadership team or an individual ready to make your mark at the highest levels, DNA Recruit is your gateway to success. Get in touch with the team today.

YOUR COMPASS TO CONNECT OUTSTANDING SPECIALIST CANDIDATES WITH TOP-TIER C-SUITE AND EXECUTIVE OPPORTUNITIES.

Request our most recent salary survey for a guide to benchmark salaries.

<h3>We're committed to finding the right people for the right career, and we use our expertise to get you there.</h3><h3>Getting to know everyone we work with helps create a fully collaborative partnership that leads to longstanding relationships.</h3>

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​Send us your referral's details, along with your own and we will do the rest.

We believe in creative connections. Show us the real you!

Explore DNA process which helped to secure an Executive Creative Director for a leading Creative Agency.

Explore the DNA outplacement process that we implemented for BBDO

DNA are on of the first fully remote recruitment businesses in the UK and across the globe, giving out team full flexibility to work as a home based consultant, or out of our London office

Explore the DNA outplacement process that we implemented:

Find out how DNA supported a leading Creative Agency in securing an innovative, collaborative and experienced Executive Creative Director.&nbsp;

BBDO is the world's most awarded and effective advertising agency with over 8,000 employees across 70+ countries (source: LinkedIn 2023).&nbsp;BBDO Germany needed to appoint an outplacement expert to support a number of employee redundancies however they wanted a company that offered recruitment as well as outplacement.As an existing recruitment partner, we were selected and appointed by BBDO Germany because we specialise in recruitment as well as outplacement.The majority of BBDO staff at risk were international employees based from all around the world who were working on a visa in Germany. BBDO wanted to make sure they were all looked after and were able to find suitable new roles.&nbsp;

Sourcing an Executive Creative Director for an Integrated Agency

<div>Find out how DNA supported a leading Creative Agency in securing an innovative, collaborative and experienced Executive Creative Director. </div>

Are you looking to elevate your Client Services team with creative and strategic professionals? Look no further!&nbsp;

Whether you require experienced relationship builders, expert problem solvers, or exceptional communicators, our team is here to help.But that's not all - if you are seeking your next exciting role in Client Services, we've got your back too! We understand the importance of finding the perfect match between professionals and businesses. Whether you're an established veteran or a rising star in the field, we can connect you with opportunities that align with your skills and aspirations.Let us find the perfect fit for you, ensuring seamless client experiences and long-lasting partnerships, elevating your Client Services to new heights.

sourcing top-notch talent for all your Client Services needs

We are dedicated to supporting you in advancing growth with the best talent for your business.&nbsp;Incredible people are at the heart of every successful business.

Whether you need skilled client relationship managers, analytical market researchers, or visionary product managers, we're here to connect you with top-tier expertise.Looking for a new opportunity? Let DNA Recruit guide you towards opportunities that align with your skills and aspirations, fostering growth and meaningful collaborations.

Elevate Your Team with Top Talent from DNA RECRUIT

Are you on the lookout for exceptional Creative and Design talent to elevate your team? Look no further – DNA Recruit is here to transform your creative projects.Whether you're a business in need of top-tier graphic designers, art directors, or UX/UI experts, we've got you covered. Our team specialises in matching businesses with skilled creatives across various expertise levels.And if you're a creative professional ready to make your mark, we're your stepping stone to exciting opportunities. From experienced veterans to budding talents, we help you find roles that align with your unique skills and ambitions.Ready to ignite creativity and forge impactful partnerships? Get in touch today!

Unlock Creative Excellence, Your Path to Exceptional Talent and Exciting Opportunities

In an era where data fuels innovation, we're dedicated to uniting top minds with ambitious organisations.&nbsp;

Data and Analytics encompass a wide spectrum of expertise, from data scientists who unravel patterns within the information chaos to business analysts who translate numbers into strategic direction. And we're here to match candidates who possess not only the technical prowess but also the creative edge required in this landscape.We don't just fill positions; we build partnerships. We take the time to comprehend your unique data needs and ambitions, then handpick candidates whose skills and values align. Whether you're a company seeking to unlock the power of data or an individual ready to make your mark in analytics, DNA Recruit is your partner in crafting success stories that thrive in the data-rich business landscape.

DNA Recruit's seamless connection of exceptional candidates and forward-looking clients.

If you're seeking to expand your team or fill a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.

Explore DNA process which helped to secure a Digital Account Director for a leading Integrated Communications Agency.

We understand the ever-evolving nature of Digital Marketing and the need for top-notch professionals who can navigate this intricate terrain.

Our team consists of industry-savvy experts who are not only well-versed in the latest trends but also passionate about shaping the digital landscape. From social media mavens who can turn engagement into conversions to data-driven wizards who uncover insights from the numbers, we have the perfect candidate for every digital marketing niche.We're dedicated to understanding your specific needs and goals. Whether you're a start-up aiming to establish a digital footprint or an established brand seeking innovative ways to stay ahead, we're here to provide tailored solutions. Our approach goes beyond merely filling positions; it's about fostering long-term partnerships. Through DNA Recruit, candidates and clients unite to create digital marketing success stories that resonate and inspire. So, if you're ready to harness the power of Digital Marketing with the right talent by your side, look no further than DNA Recruit.

Seamlessly connecting exceptional candidates and forward-thinking clients.

Ideal for when you need a consultative partner to help you secure hard-to-find talent, consult on hiring strategy and manage the end to end hiring process discreetly.

We offer:Dedicated recruitment consultants, immersed in your respective markets with unrivaled network reach.Dual-branded advertising across all social channels to an audience of over 27,000 followers.DNA Insights Report - Assessing your processes with practical recommendations.Bespoke, targeted search of our extensive database of candidates.Video shortlists and talent review dashboard.Advanced 1st stage interview and executive assessment.Agile recruitment process management from initial brief to offer-stage.

Improve your chances of unearthing senior talent not actively on the market and deliver your strategic recruitment needs.

Get the best view of your next team member

We understand the importance of having a top-notch talent acquisition team. That's why we offer the support of experienced embedded recruitment experts who are dedicated to your success.

Our flexible, cost-effective subscription model allows you to quickly and efficiently scale to match your ambitious growth plans whether you're a start up or a well-established business.We act as an extension of your team, working with your business leaders and hiring managers to find the best solution for every role. Let us help you achieve your hiring goals and build the best team possible.We take an inclusive approach to sourcing and managing the talent acquisition process and implement D&amp;I-centric methodologies help improve our clients' chances of building a more diverse workforce.

Build an agile team from the inside out with our 'HIDDEN' by DNA Embedded recruitment solution.

Ideal for when you need to attract executives who will take your brand to the next level.

We offer:Premium branded talent attraction marketing campaigns across all our social channels to an audience of over 27,000 followers.Bespoke search approach and video headhunting.Advanced DNA Screen interview process.Detailed assessment and insights of your existing processes and employer brand with practical recommendations.Agile recruitment process management from initial brief to on-boarding.

Senior appointments specialists, utilising their unrivalled networks of senior professionals, sourcing tools and technology to identify and attract hard-to-find talent.

Ideal for when you need a recruitment partner with well connected consultants to source and attract specialist talent on-demand.

We offer:Access to our team of expert recruiters and candidate engagement specialists, well-networked in your respective markets to identify and attract passive candidates.White-label advertising of your requirements across social media and industry job-boards.Search our extensive database of the best talent.Recruitment process co-ordination from initial brief to offer-stage.

Our classic approach to recruiting contract, freelance and permanent talent.

As experts in recruitment, our DNA outplacement service is the perfect choice to coach employees facing redundancy and help them successfully find and transition to a new role.

What makes DNA Outplacement different is that we don't just do career coaching, we use our extensive and trusted recruitment network in the digital, marketing, creative &amp; tech worlds to help find and place employees into new roles.&nbsp;We provide career transitioning coaching delivered through a variety of formats. Employers can choose from group sessions, tailored 1:1 support and also offer employees access to online resources. We can put together a package to suit your needs, which may be a combination of all 3.Our team includes market specialists and a careers coach with an extensive experience supporting professionals in career transitions.

Helping employees facing redundancy find and successfully transition to a new job / role

Helping employers manage redundancies by coaching employees to find new roles

DNA screen is a cloud based video interviewing software designed with both agencies and candidates in mind.

DNA Screen can improve your teams efficiency, allowing them to focus on personal and business development. Use this time to develop client relationships, create new business opportunities, learn new skills, and develop new products and service offerings to your clients.﻿With the ability to cut shortlist review times by over&nbsp;50%, our software can save around&nbsp;£2,000&nbsp;and&nbsp;16 hours&nbsp;for each senior hire you make.

Saving you time and money whilst improving candidate experience.

Saving you time and money whilst improving candidate experience, DNA Screen is a cloud based video interviewing software designed with both agencies and candidates in mind.

With the ability to cut shortlist review times by over&nbsp;50%, our software can save around&nbsp;£2,000&nbsp;and&nbsp;16 hours&nbsp;for each senior hire you make.DNA Screen can improve your teams efficiency, allowing them to focus on business development. Use this time to develop client relationships, create new business opportunities, learn new skills, and develop new products and service offerings to your clients.

Improve your recruitment process with our cloud-based video interview technology.

Are you currently seeking exceptional Events &amp; Experiential professionals to elevate your projects?Your search ends here with DNA.&nbsp;

Our specialist team works with an impressive network of skilled event planners, experiential marketers, and creative producers, ensuring a tailored match for your specific requirements. With a focus on excellence, our team excels in connecting businesses with top-tier experts across various levels of experience.For professionals in the Events &amp; Experiential domain, our platform serves as a gateway to promising opportunities. Whether you’re a seasoned industry expert or an emerging talent, we assist in navigating your career journey towards roles that align with your skills and aspirations.Ready to foster innovation and craft memorable moments? Reach out today to our team today.

Your Partner for Exceptional Talent and Expertise.

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We know how important it is to scale up at speed to keep pace with your business growth and new projects. Let us help you fill a talent gap quickly with experienced freelancers that 'get' your business.

The freelance industry is thriving. There are some seriously talented people out there who are embracing the freelance lifestyle. If you're looking to scale up or fill a talent gap please get in touch with one of our talent seekers to discuss your needs.We manage the financial side of paying freelancers - payment is sent directly through our system which is linked to our Timesheet Portal. It's simple to set up so that freelancers can be up and running quickly. If you're thinking about freelancing with DNA you'll need an umbrella or a limited company both of which are fairly straightforward and quick to set up. We can supply guidance.If you're a freelancer or are thinking about freelancing, we'd love to hear from you.

Flexible freelance talent for scaling up at speed

Our experienced freelance talent team are here to help find the right fit for both freelancers and businesses. Get in touch today if you have a freelance vacancy.

<h4>HEAD OFFICE</h4>The Stanley Building,7 Pancras Square,Kings Cross, London,N1C 4AG<h4>GET IN TOUCH</h4><a href="tel:+44 (0)20 7490 9350" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">+44 (0)20 7490 9350</a><a href="mailto:hello@dnarecruit.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">hello@dnarecruit.com</a>

Whether you're interested in a role, want DNA to help grow your business, or would just like to chat, please don't hesitate to get in contact.

We’re committed to investing in the best recruitment technology and have embraced the latest cloud based interviewing software

We believe in creative connections.Our approach is always evolving and what makes us different is the way we adapt our approach and services to best fulfill your needs.We will collaborate and consult with you every step of the way to create a formula for success and drive your business forward.

We have a range of innovative products for businesses looking to make a critical hire.

Our approach ensures we are able to attract and engage with the right candidates across the UK and globally.

Elevated Strategies for Finding and Hiring Exceptional Talent.

DNA is one of the first fully remote recruitment businesses in the UK and around the globe, providing our team with full flexibility to work as home-based consultants, out of our London office, or from anywhere in the world.

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Incredible people are at the heart of every successful business &ndash; we are dedicated to helping you identify, attract and secure the talent you need to thrive.

As the realm of web3 continues to reshape industries, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities this transformation brings.&nbsp;

Led by specialist recruiters, we are dedicated to connecting exceptional candidates with cutting-edge roles that define the future.At DNA Recruit, we don't just match candidates with jobs; we foster a community of innovators. The web3 industry demands a shift in recruitment paradigms, and we're here to guide both candidates and companies through this transformation. With trends shifting away from traditional CVs towards tangible skills and innovation, our platform is designed to empower your journey into this exciting new era.At DNA Recruit, we don't just recruit for roles; we recruit for the future. Explore how we're redefining the recruitment experience for Infrastructure and Emerging Tech, and contact the team today.

Your trusted partner in navigating the world of Infrastructure and Emerging Tech. 

Wonderful things happen when you collaborate

We offer a range of support around diversity and inclusion targets, industry insight, salary bench-marking, employee brand perception – all of which will contribute to attracting the best talent as well as maximising talent retention.

Fill out the form, attach your CV and we will help you with the next step in your career.

DNA is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Although we try to respond to all applications, unfortunately due to the high number we receive we are unable to respond to all of those who are unsuccessful.

We build dynamic alliances with the talent creating the future.

We&rsquo;re building a business where experienced recruiters get real autonomy, earn properly, and grow fast without being micromanaged or squeezed into a rigid corporate structure. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you&rsquo;ll fit right in.
We&rsquo;re not here to sell you the dream. We&rsquo;re here to give you the tools, trust, and support to build a career you&rsquo;re actually excited about.
Your future, your rules.&nbsp;Join DNA.

" DNA is one of those rare places where you’re supported, not just professionally but personally too. The people I work with are lovely, and the culture here really does make a difference, it’s not just talk.When things got tough, I wasn’t left to figure it out alone. Jo and Ali genuinely had my back.A few years ago, my mum moved into a care home, and life turned upside down. There were medical appointments, legal paperwork, and a lot of emotions to juggle. Being able to manage my own day made all the difference. I could take care of what mattered at home and still deliver on my work.If I’d been in a traditional setup, even part-time, it just wouldn’t have been doable.There’s always support when you need it. I’ve had great guidance from the leadership team, especially when I was learning how to sell retainers. "You’re never made to feel like you’re on your own, but you also have the space to get on with it. That balance has really helped me grow.

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At DNA Recruit, we operate a fully remote model, giving you the flexibility to work from home, a co-working space, or even while travelling. It&rsquo;s a setup built on trust, autonomy and collaboration, made for experienced, self-motivated recruiters who want the freedom to work on their own terms. You&rsquo;ll have access to best-in-class tools and leadership support, with the space to grow, the platform to deliver, and the flexibility to live life properly while still smashing career goals.

Ready to shape media landscapes and forge impactful collaborations? Look no further than DNA Recruit.&nbsp;

Our team of specialist recruiters are dedicated to identifying and securing the finest professionals to fortify your media strategies. From astute media planners to visionary strategists and data-savvy analysts, we possess the know-how to connect you with standout candidates who align seamlessly with your business objectives.And if you're a seasoned Media Planning pro seeking your next chapter, consider us your guiding light. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or an emerging talent, we're committed to steering your career toward roles that resonate with your distinctive skills and aspirations.

YOUR PARTNER FOR EXTRAORDINARY TALENT AND EXPERTISE

If you're seeking to expand your team or fill a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.

Our team of specialist consultants brings unparalleled expertise, tapping into the pulse of the industry and understanding the nuances that set exceptional candidates apart.

We're not just about filling roles; we're about crafting partnerships. We take the time to grasp your unique needs and aspirations, and then carefully match them with candidates who possess not only the necessary skills but also the mindset that aligns with your vision.&nbsp;From talent identification to facilitating seamless onboarding, our comprehensive solutions and guidance enable you to direct your attention towards a focused and successful journey.Whether you're a company seeking to optimise your marketing or a candidate ready to excel in performance marketing, DNA Recruit is your strategic ally.

UNITING TOP-TIER CANDIDATES AND FORWARD-THINKING BUSINESSES, ENSURING THE PERFECT FIT FOR SUCCESS.

Explore DNA process which helped to secure a CRM Planner for a Creative Agency.

We're your go-to link between skilled candidates and clients in this fast-paced arena.&nbsp;

At DNA Recruit, complexity and creative bursts are our forte. We thrive on the intriguing intricacies of PR &amp; Communications. Our team, filled with experts in the field, ensures tailored connections. We don't just match candidates with jobs; we find the right fit that adds a special touch. So, whether you're a business seeking to amplify your message or an individual ready to shine, join us in crafting success stories that stand out in the world of PR &amp; Communications.

Your path to success with DNA Recruit, connecting exceptional candidates and clients seamlessly.

In the realm of project management, success hinges on the prowess of the team behind it.&nbsp;

In the realm of project management, success hinges on the prowess of the team behind it. Our dedicated specialist team partners with your business, to source and secure extraordinary project management candidates – connecting the very best to roles where leadership finesse, strategic mastery, and industry insight converge seamlessly.Simplify your search with our unwavering support, spanning from pinpointing the right talent to facilitating smooth onboarding. Our comprehensive solutions coupled with steadfast guidance ensure an effortless journey, empowering you to concentrate on what matters most. Are you a seasoned project management professional, ready to embark on a new chapter, or are you keen to discover untapped opportunities? Our mission revolves around shaping fulfilling careers and channelling talents towards roles that resonate. Get in touch with the team today.

Exploring the Horizon of Project Management Possibilities

Our approach ensures we are able to attract and engage with the right candidates across the UK and globally, and provide insight, knowledge and credible introductions necessary for client side and agency roles.With an extensive collective experience in recruiting across niche sectors, we pride ourselves on building respectful partnerships and collaborative successes.

Recruiting people isn’t a science.Recruiting the right people is.

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<ul><li>Referrals must not already be on DNA’s database</li><li>Will only apply to placements made at the company within six months of the initial introduction</li><li>The candidate placed must pass their agreed probationary period</li><li>You do not have to be registered with DNA to make a referral</li><li>You will be notified in writing once a permanent placement has been made to your referral business</li></ul>

<ul> <li>Referrals must not already be on DNA’s database</li> <li>Will only apply to referred friends who are placed within six months of the initial introduction</li> <li>The referral must pass their agreed probationary period</li> <li>You do not have to be registered with DNA to make a referral</li> <li>You will be notified in writing once your referral is placed in a new permanent position</li> </ul>

Introduce us to a company that you know is hiring and if we successfully place a candidate into a permanent role, we’ll reward you with gift vouchers or a donation to a charity of your choice.

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<ul><li>Referrals must not already be on DNA’s database</li><li>Will only apply to referred friends who are placed within six months of the initial introduction</li><li>The referral must pass their agreed probationary period</li><li>You do not have to be registered with DNA to make a referral</li><li>You will be notified in writing once your referral is placed in a new permanent position</li></ul>

Introduce us to a friend and if we successfully place them into one of our roles, we’ll reward you with gift vouchers or a donation to a charity of your choice.

Send us your referral's details and we'll take care of the rest

Introduce us to a candidate and if we successfully place them into one of our roles, we’ll reward you with gift vouchers or a donation to a charity of your choice.

Send us your CV today and we will guide you towards the next step in your career.

With our expertise, passion and instinct, we continue to successfully place the most talented people with ambitious brands and businesses.

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Complete the form to get instant access to our 2026 Salary Guide.

Scroll down for the latest hiring trends and to benchmark salaries in our latest report.

Stalled pay rises, the progression gap, AI upskilling, and the quiet pull-back on flexibility are all changing hiring in 2026.
If you want to attract the best people and hold on to the ones you have, this report is the practical playbook.
Download it now to see what it means for your business.

Get straight to the point on what&rsquo;s shaping hiring, pay and talent trends across the U.S. in 2025. Our latest Salary Guide gives you the numbers, insights and smart strategies you need to stay competitive. Whether you&rsquo;re hiring, job hunting or just planning ahead, this guide helps you make better moves with real-world data, not guesswork.

Pay, Benefits and Retention: What’s Changing in 2025

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We understand the importance of securing top-notch Business Development Professionals to drive success. Our team boasts an extraordinary network of talented individuals who possess excellent communication skills, relationship-building abilities, and industry knowledge. If you're seeking to expand your team or fill a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.When you partner with us, you can focus on what matters most to you in the recruitment process whilst we take care of the rest. Our tailored solutions cover everything from start to finish, and we're here to provide guidance every step of the way.If you’re looking for your next BD opportunity or are just interested to see what’s out there, we'd love to hear from you.

SECURING THE TALENT YOU NEED TO DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS.

Our experienced talent team are here to help find the right fit for both professionals and businesses. If you're seeking to expand your team or fill a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.

Matching Business development professionals to the right roles

We’re committed to investing in the best recruitment technology and have embraced the latest cloud based interviewing software

Let us find the best candidate for your role

Our approach ensures we are able to attract and engage with the right candidates across the UK and globally, and provide insight, knowledge and credible introductions necessary for client side and agency roles.With our expertise, passion and instinct, we continue to successfully place the most talented people with ambitious brands and businesses.

Recruiting people isn’t a science. Recruiting the right people is. 

Unlocking Potential: We Find Top Talent Across Our Sectors

OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS DON’T COME ALONG EVERYDAY

Amplify your influence, and explore an exceptional network of social media and content talent and opportunities.

Our talent seekers act as your dedicated partner, securing the best professionals in social media and content –that blend creativity, strategic thinking, and digital expertise.From identifying exceptional talent to facilitating seamless onboarding, our comprehensive solutions and unwavering guidance empower you to focus on your digital journey.Whether you’re interested in elevating your team or curious about new opportunities, the DNA Recruit team are here to help. Get in touch with our team today.&nbsp;

Navigate Social & content excellence with DNA at your side.

Our classic approach to recruiting contract, freelance and permanent talent.

<h3>Features</h3><ul><li>Access to our team of expert recruiters and candidate engagement specialists, well-networked in your respective markets to identify and attract passive candidates</li><li>White-label advertising of your requirements across social media and industry job-boards</li><li>Search our extensive candidate database</li><li>Recruitment process co-ordination from initial brief to offer-stage</li></ul>

Attract great talent to your business with our on-demand recruitment service.

We deliver dynamic recruitment, search and career consultancy solutions that build new alliances between ambitious businesses and the people they need to grow and evolve.Combining our collective experience in recruiting across the creative, advertising, marketing and technical scene, we pride ourselves on building respectful partnerships and collaborative successes, from the first interaction.

Our formulas to effectively recruit the talent you need.

We adapt our approach and services to best fulfill your needs

Looking to recruit a new team member? We are here to help!

Fill out your details below or contact us directly today to discuss your requirements.

Explore the DNA process that helped Tommy scale globally with precision and confidence.
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In the dynamic realm of technology, a stellar team drives innovation and success. We're here to shape careers and accelerate business growth by connecting exceptional talent with the right opportunities.

We're your dedicated partner in sourcing exceptional tech talent, individuals who seamlessly blend cutting-edge skills, collaborative prowess, and industry insights.Streamline your tech recruitment with our comprehensive support, from identification to onboarding. Our end-to-end solutions and unwavering guidance ensure a seamless process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters – your business.Are you a tech professional looking for your next challenge or curious about opportunities? Let's talk.

Connecting Visionaries with Top-tier Technology Professionals

We’re part of your crew. We’recommitted to investing in the best recruitment technology and have embraced the latest cloud based interviewing software

It’s not just what we say that’s important – it’s about what our clients and candidates have to say.

Unlocking Potential: We Find Top Talent Across The USA

At DNA Recruit, we not only understand the demand for skilled UX/UI professionals but also offer comprehensive support throughout the recruitment process.&nbsp;

Our specialist team of consultants take care of the full recruitment lifecycle supporting you with targeted advertising, interviewing, and seamless onboarding, our tailored solutions ensure a great experience for candidates and businesses.Our focus is on both attraction and retention – cultivating a nurturing environment with mentorship and collaboration. Whether you're looking for your next UX/UI opportunity, seeking to expand your team or filling a talent gap, don't hesitate to connect with our dedicated talent seekers to discuss your specific needs.

Attracting, Nurturing, and Bridging the Gap for Top-tier UX/UI Professionals

THANK YOU

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