The Chase for Remarkable Talent: Building the Brand Behind The Bank

THE OVERVIEW

We helped one of the world’s largest financial institutions attract a wealth of remarkable talent to their industry to reimagine experiences for the digital age.

THE CHALLENGE

The bar is highest for the best.

With over 200 years of history, 200,000 employees, and $2 trillion in assets, our client is one of the oldest, largest, and most well-known financial institutions in the world. This global enterprise has served over 66 million households, 5 million small businesses, and the world’s biggest investors. The brand’s banking business has nearly 5,000 branches.

As a self-proclaimed ‘talent-driven company,’ this exceptional client called for remarkable talent to upgrade legacy systems and execute a wide range of strategic initiatives. Reimagining employee and customer experiences alike, the company sought marketing mastery, creative excellence, and, most often, UX design delight.

The challenge was the industry; the world of finance isn’t exactly known for the artistic freedom, exciting work, or relaxed culture that top talent often value. However, our client is far bigger than the average bank, and the brand takes pride in raising the bar. They just needed talent specialists and niche experts strong enough for the job.

THE SOLUTION

Know the brand, nurture the talent.

As the financial services company was in the midst of multiple digital transformation (DX) initiatives, we assembled top recruiters from our DX staffing task force. Over a series of strategy meetings, our team studied the nuances of the financial institution’s open roles, business goals, and the perks that set the workplace apart.

Leaning into performance-based hiring practices, we evaluated thousands of candidate portfolios and case studies for right-fit excellence. Then, we nurtured the relationships to build a growing pipeline of leading experts. To win the top talent over, our team educated them on the impact and career moves they could make by working for our client. The best of the best agreed. We hired 100+ experts who could demonstrate strategic thinking, collaborate across functions, and deliver measurable results.

Onward Search went on to become one of the company’s #1 talent partners. We’ve since introduced the brand to the metaverse, shared our digital accessibility expertise with client-side executives, and led private workshops for our client’s hiring managers. Today, we consistently deliver top talent to the company within 48 hours or less. Together, our client and talent modernize legacy systems, maximize efficiency, and revolutionize experiences to propel the economy forward.

“The right candidate isn’t always the industry insider or the practice veteran; it’s the proven performer who can justify their decisions, collaborate across functions, and deliver excellence.”

– UX Design Recruiter, Onward Search

BY THE NUMBERS

Relevant achievements and statistics to date:

• Named #1 Talent Partner at the start of 2023
• Filled 2X more open roles than our client’s other staffing suppliers
• Recruited 100+ hard-to-find hires
• Always found candidates within 48 hours for our client
• Earned extensions or full-time offers for 85%+ of contract hires
• Built a talent network of 7,500+ designers

BY THE SERVICES

Workforce solutions that we provide to financial services companies:

• Contract Talent
• Contract-to-Hire Talent
• Direct Hire Talent
• Strategic Advisors
• Managed Solutions

BY THE CAPABILITIES

Specialty areas that we leverage to support financial services companies:

• Accessibility 
• Content 
• Creative  & Production 
• Experience Design 
• Gaming & Metaverse 
• Marketing 
• Operations & PMO
• Technology

BY THE EXPERTS

Examples of roles we filled for our financial services client:

• Art Directors & Graphic Designers
• Copywriters & Content Producers

• Marketing & Creative Project Managers

• Digital Marketing Analysts
• Email Marketing Specialists
• Event Planners
• Video Producers
• Product Designers & Owners
• QA Leads, Engineers & Analysts

• Social Media Managers, Strategists & Coordinators
• UI / UX Designers & Researchers

We don’t just search; we solve.

Beyond staffing, we also equip the world’s leading companies with fast, flexible access to strategic advisors and managed solutions. Check out Onward Imagine, our new way to redefine the power of design.