[FamousAspect]

I work as a game designer in the video game industry, and even though GroupTalent and Folyo focus on graphic design, a lot of the sentiment holds true, especially this:

"If you’re trying to hire full time, you’re going to have to steal somebody from another company by being the brightest bird in the forest, or you’re going to have to find somebody young with aptitude, and teach them how to be great."

In the general talent wars withing Silicon Valley, I generally had lots of luck hiring young designers (and engineers) with aptitude and helping them grow, which is generally a more pleasant experience on the hiring manager end than getting in a bidding war over high priced talent.

[sgdesign]

Agreed, but the problem is that a lot of young startups simply don't have those skills at all. So for the first hire, they can't afford to get someone inexperienced since there won't be anybody that can mentor them.

Add to this the number of new startups getting launched these days, and you can see why senior designers are so in demand.

[superkinz]

Exactly, the existing team really needs to be able to carry that person for the first six months before they start becoming really productive.

[alexro]

and after 6 month of coaching those newly formed professionals suddenly realise their value on the market has increased dramatically ...