{"id":67308,"date":"2026-03-02T16:59:59","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:59:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zealous.co\/about\/?page_id=67308"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:16:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:16:25","slug":"creative-recruitment-platform","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/zealous.co\/about\/creative-recruitment-platform\/","title":{"rendered":"Creative Recruitment Platform – Fair, Structured Hiring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Creative Recruitment Platform<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A creative recruitment platform that lets the work speak first<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Portfolios scattered across Behance, WeTransfer links, and email attachments. Your hiring panel reviewing work on different screens with no shared criteria. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zealous brings every application into one place. Candidates upload portfolios in any format. Your hiring panel scores against consistent criteria. Anonymous first-round review removes bias before names even enter the conversation. You hire based on the work, not the CV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Get Started<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Quick Tour<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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20 entries free. No credit card required.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Trusted by creative organisations hiring talent worldwide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Design<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"London<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"BBH<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"British<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Legal<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Pearson<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Bulk<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Every portfolio, one place, full resolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Candidates submit images, video reels up to 4GB, PDFs, and embedded links from Vimeo or YouTube. Lossless image compression means your hiring panel sees the work exactly as the candidate intended. No more downloading ZIP files or squinting at compressed thumbnails.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Shared criteria so every candidate gets the same standards<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Without structure, each reviewer applies their own gut feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set up criteria-based evaluation with configurable score ranges per requirement. Concept thinking out of 20, technical execution out of 10, presentation out of 5. Every candidate measured on the same scale, every time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more on how to structure your evaluation rounds<\/a> before launch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Team<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Jane<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We were able to deal efficiently with a much higher number of submissions than anticipated. We will use Zealous again and would certainly recommend them to other organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jane Hackett, Project Director<\/strong>
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Excited<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Anonymous review that reduces bias before shortlisting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Names, institutions, and backgrounds can influence decisions before anyone opens a portfolio. Each introduces bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zealous hides candidate details automatically during first-round review. Your panel evaluates the work on its own merit. Personal information only appears after scores are locked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our free resources<\/a> include guidance on building fairer evaluation processes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Judy<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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What I appreciate most is how Zealous supports clarity \u2014 for entrants, judges, and organisers alike. When systems are clear, people can focus on creativity rather than logistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judy Holm, Founder and Director<\/strong>
The Global Climate Design Awards<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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From a single hire to a full graduate intake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A one-off senior designer search needs a different setup than an annual graduate recruitment programme with 300 applications. Most tools only handle one of these well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Run unlimited programmes on one subscription. Clone your programme for the next cycle. Templates get you live within 48 hours, whether you\u2018re filling one position or twenty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

See how to plan repeating cycles in our programme lifecycle planning guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Audience<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Employee<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Panel coordination without the email chains<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Distributed hiring panels mean chasing people across time zones. Who\u2018s reviewed what? Has the external consultant finished scoring? Zealous gives you real-time progress tracking, automated reminders, and a dashboard showing exactly where every reviewer stands. No more follow-up emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unconscious bias is hardest to address when reviewers can see names, photos, and alma maters before they\u2019ve looked at the work. Anonymous first-round review strips those details out. Scoring records across your panel give you a clear, consistent basis for shortlisting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your data stays protected throughout the process. See our security overview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Shabih<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Switching platform was super easy and smooth, earnings increased and users found it easier to apply than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shabih Rao, Head of Studios & Partner Engagement<\/strong>
Tearsheet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Evaluation modes built for reviewing creative work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choose how your hiring panel reviews applications at each stage of the process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Criteria-Based Scoring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Define the qualities that matter for each role. Set configurable score ranges per criterion, like concept development out of 20 or craft skills out of 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every candidate evaluated on identical standards. No guesswork.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Quick Selection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For high-volume screening rounds, admins can rapidly select or reject applications without completing full scoring rubrics. Move fast when you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cut through 200 applications in a fraction of the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Anonymous Review<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Candidate names, photos, and institutional details are hidden automatically. Your panel sees only the portfolio and responses you choose to include.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decisions based on creative ability, not background.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Blind Portfolio Walkthrough<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Panel members can open applications in separate tabs to compare work across candidates. Full-resolution images, embedded video, and documents load without compression artefacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Review creative work the way it deserves to be seen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Multi-Round Selection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Move from screening to shortlist to interview stage. Assign different panel members and criteria at each round. Only relevant applications carry forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Structure your hiring pipeline without managing it in spreadsheets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Matt<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We\u2019ve had around 5,000 users submit through Zealous and very rarely hear about any problems or complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Freidson, Deputy Director<\/strong>
Creative Future<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Stop chasing, start hiring<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You got into creative hiring to find brilliant people, not to spend your evenings reformatting spreadsheets and sending reminder emails. Here\u2018s how Zealous gives you that time back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Launch your recruitment programme in under an hour<\/strong><\/summary>\n

Pick a template, add your role description and criteria, brand it with your logo and colours. You\u2018re live. No procurement process, no onboarding calls, no waiting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sign-up takes two minutes. Your first 20 applications are free so you can test everything before committing to a plan. <\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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See every application presented properly<\/strong><\/summary>\n

Candidates upload portfolios in the formats that suit their work. Images stay at full quality. Video reels play inline. PDFs render without download prompts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No more chasing candidates for broken links or re-exported files. Every application looks professional because the platform handles the presentation.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Score applications with shared criteria, not gut feeling<\/strong><\/summary>\n

Your hiring panel logs in from any device, sees their assigned applications, and scores against the criteria you\u2018ve set. Comments stay attached to each application for later discussion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real-time progress tracking shows you who\u2018s finished and who needs a nudge. Automated reminders handle the nudging for you.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Track your pipeline and prove your process<\/strong><\/summary>\n

Your dashboard shows application volumes, panel progress, and score distributions in real time. Export data for internal reporting or compliance reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bespoke trackable links let you measure which channels drive the most applications, so you can focus your outreach where it works.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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