Salem Creative Agency Has Success With Local Job Board

SALEM, MA – Creative agency Sir Isaac moved from Jamaica Plain in Boston to Salem around 2011. The company has about a dozen employees – many of whom live on the North Shore – and found that the energy of Salem worked well for them.

Sir Isaac works with clients like Destination Salem on their marketing, with a focus on strategy and performance. Ross Dobson, founder of Sir Isaac, found that the vibrant culture in Salem helps them recruit employees, especially because they tend to skew younger in the industry. Between new bars and restaurants cropping up and the overall culture of the city, Salem has something that sets it apart.

Sir Isaac uses the InnoNorth job board, and Dobson said it produces a higher quality of applicant than other recruitment means.

"We’ve found that the few postings that we’ve done so far have really produced tech talent that’s every bit exciting for us as anything we’ve gotten through our former networks," said Dobson of the job board. "There’s definitely something there that’s working way better."

Justin Miller, InnoNorth founder, said their job board was built with an eye to user experience and marketing. Each job posting costs nothing, but gets a mini marketing agency treatment to highlight exciting aspects of the position. Then, it's put in front of people who are tapped into the local tech scene through InnoNorth's email list.

"That’s why I think it’s different for the North Shore because every other job board focuses on the national level," said Miller. Sometimes, the search engine optimization techniques Miller uses work a little too well: Dobson has seen applicants from California, New York, and outside the U.S.

Dobson said Sir Isaac has slowed down hiring, but said their next major hire will likely come from the InnoNorth job board. He said they've had some incredible interviews with candidates discovered through the board.

As for Miller and the job board, he's staying on the crusade to show local candidates that Boston isn't the only viable job market in Massachusetts.

To learn more about Sir Isaac, visit their website.

Image via Sir Isaac