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Forbes
10-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Smart Ways To Scout Out Creative Candidates
Today's marketers must consistently craft fresh campaigns, solve problems on the fly and adapt quickly, so creativity should run deep across the entire team. However, identifying truly innovative thinkers isn't always easy during the recruitment and interview process. To help you uncover top-tier creative talent, 20 Forbes Communications Council members share their smartest strategies for spotting ingenuity in candidates. Follow their recommendations to build an unstoppable marketing team. 1. Ask About Their 'Biggest Fails' I like to ask the "biggest fail" question in interviews. For instance, "Tell me about a marketing campaign that failed." Then, I redirect with a question about how or if you would relaunch the campaign with the lessons learned. It's important to identify not only the creative spirit but also the ability to evaluate their own ideas objectively for creative problem solving. - Esther Bonardi, Yardi Systems 2. Find Out How They Create Ask a creator how they create. Listen to how they develop ideas and their method from going from an idea to a campaign ready to launch. Ask them how they learn to prepare for the next idea. Then ask additional questions. If you get inside the thinking process of a creative person, you can tell if they are truly a creative or more of a valuable worker who supports creative people. - Bob Pearson, The Next Practices Group 3. Stay Open To Unique Expressions Of Creativity Stay open to diverse expressions of creativity to uncover unexpected strengths. Creativity isn't one-size-fits-all—it can appear as problem-solving, intuitive thinking, finding new paths or visualizing ideas, among others. Don't expect candidates to 'check a box.' Lead with creativity yourself and keep an open mind to the unique strengths each individual can bring to your team. - Alyssa Kopelman, Otsuka Precision Health 4. Gauge Their Ability To Brainstorm Evaluate candidates not just by their answers, but by how they think and respond to novelty. Creative thinkers instinctively connect seemingly unrelated ideas. You'll hear more "what ifs" and "yes ands" than the average candidate. They light up in the presence of a novel idea because it energizes them at their core. If the interview starts to feel like a brainstorm, that's a great sign. - Stephanie Bunnell, Azira 5. Ask How They Would Describe Themselves As A Brand One of my favorite ways to vet creative candidates is by asking, "If you were a brand, how would you describe yourself?" This immediately pushes candidates to think abstractly and apply marketing principles. I then prompt for deeper insights, such as, "What are your brand colors and key message?" These conversations are always enlightening, revealing a different level of creative thinking. - Kayla Spiess, Searce Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify? 6. Have Them Walk You Through A Campaign With Tight Constraints I ask candidates to walk me through a campaign where they faced significant constraints—a tight budget, limited time or a difficult brief—and how they still managed to deliver an innovative solution. This reveals how they can think resourcefully and creatively under pressure, not just in ideal conditions. It's a test of their problem-solving ingenuity, which is critical for creative success. - Patrick Ward, NanoGlobals 7. Bring Up Relevant Campaigns And Ask For Thoughts I bring up timely, culturally relevant campaigns and ask candidates to react—what worked, what didn't and what they'd do differently. It reveals how they think creatively within real-world constraints and how quickly they can ideate, adapt and respond to evolving narratives. - Lyric Mandell, PhD, MOXY Company 8. Ask Them To Plan A Quick Campaign During interviews, we ask candidates to plan a quick campaign for a made-up product with limited resources. It reveals how they think, whether they can work under pressure and how well they can explain ideas in a simple, clear way. - Jamie Elkaleh, Bitget Wallet 9. Learn About Their Outside Sources Of Inspiration I ask where they find inspiration outside of their current industry or function. I think great ideas often come from unexpected places: theater, nature, art and music. When a candidate draws on unrelated disciplines, it signals they're a systems thinker who can synthesize unexpected inputs into novel solutions. In a team that blends technical and creative work, cross-pollination is golden. - Rinita Datta, Cisco Systems, Inc. 10. Have Them Define Their Vision I evaluate creative candidates by asking them to define their vision and demonstrate how they turn ideas into outcomes. Can they lead with clarity, collaborate under pressure and lift those around them? Creativity alone is not enough. I hire for strategic imagination, emotional intelligence and the capacity to shape culture as future leaders. - Marie O'Riordan, The Croí Initiative, including Croí Impact and Croí Capital 11. Have Them Critique Your Current Marketing I ask candidates to critique our current marketing, not to impress me, but to see if they can see beyond what exists. True creativity isn't just about generating ideas—it's about reimagining and sharpening what's already there. Those who challenge thoughtfully and offer clear insight show both courage and creative clarity. That's who I want on the team. - Deboshree Sarkar, Platform 12. Ask What Sparks Their Creativity You can't output great creative work if you're not constantly absorbing inspiration. One thing I love to hear is how creative candidates seek to fill their creative well. What online or offline resources do they enjoy from a purely personal perspective? What about in the professional realm? How do they like to spark and inform ideas with the internal team? Quality inputs support quality outputs. - Ellen Sluder 13. Ask Them About A Time They Let Go Of An Idea I ask candidates to tell me about a time they had to squash an idea they loved. Great creatives aren't just idea machines; they know when to pivot, edit or let go for the greater goal. This question reveals self-awareness, collaboration and the ability to balance vision with strategy—hallmarks of mature, impactful creativity. - Katie Jewett, UPRAISE Marketing + Public Relations 14. Look For Various Work Samples We look for varied examples of a candidate's work. The ability to work in various media allows us to be able to tackle all requests and projects as they are developed or requested by members of our community and leadership. We also seek candidates who are willing and able to work on multiple projects at the same time, as deadlines change regularly. - Sayar Lonial, NYU Tandon School of Engineering 15. Have Them Share A Time They Broke The Rules I ask candidates to share a time they broke the 'marketing rules' on purpose. It reveals how they think beyond templates, challenge norms and trust their instincts, all signs of a truly creative marketer. Bold ideas often start where the rulebook ends. - Cody Gillund, Grounded Growth Studio 16. Provide A Sample Scenario I interview candidates for creativity by giving them a simple scenario like, "How would you create a campaign to drive pipeline from the 'X' segment for our solution?" Creative candidates tend to ask questions to understand the target persona, their buying journey and our solution's value proposition in order to personalize the campaign. Creativity without context doesn't matter in marketing. - Rekha Thomas, Path Forward Marketing 17. Walk Through A Past Problem Solved Ask candidates to walk through a past campaign and the problem it solved. Creativity isn't just about ideas—it's about impact. I'm listening for originality, resourcefulness and results. Great marketers think beyond the brief and that story always reveals it. - Kal Gajraj, Ph.D., CAN Community Health 18. Look For Deep Brand Insights To me, creativity isn't just solving a problem or the brief. It's mining deep consumer insights that connect your brand and products to the soul-level identity of your target audience. I look for strategic marketers who can show me that they can find and activate these truths into belonging and sustainable competitive advantage by building strong brand equity and fans and not just buyers. - Toby Wong, Toby Wong Consulting 19. Conduct A Working Session On A New Topic I always do a working session on a topic alien to both of us. That allows creative juices to flow and enables me to understand how they can be created in different aspects of work. - Ritu Kapoor, 20. See If They Can Turn Complex Topics Into Relatable Stories I look for candidates who can simplify complex technology into relatable stories. During interviews, I ask them to explain a technical concept to different audiences—like describing AI to a CEO versus an engineer versus the general public—to assess their creative adaptability. - JoAnn Yamani, Future 500
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RealPage Is Under Fire For Its Rent Algorithm — But A GOP Tax Plan Could Protect The Company From Lawsuits And Local Bans
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. RealPage, the Texas-based software company embroiled in a firestorm of controversy and legal struggles due to its algorithmic rental price setting, may have found an escape in its fight against state and local governments. The company has the latest GOP tax bill to thank for its possible lifeline. The bill, which passed the House on May 22, would hinder local and statewide efforts to ban algorithmic price-setting software, including RealPage and Yardi Systems, due to a provision that allows artificial intelligence-based decisions to prevail for 10 years. However, the bill would not prevent the civil lawsuit against RealPage brought by the Department of Justice from continuing. Don't Miss: Invest Where It Hurts — And Help Millions Heal: If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a ? Several U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Providence, Rhode Island, and most recently, Jersey City, New Jersey, have implemented bans on the software, with several other cities on the verge of doing so, the Journal reports. The cities allege that RealPage and others help landlords engage in illegal collusion to ensure rental prices continue to rise by collecting and analyzing confidential data and using it against residents. Should the bill pass Congress, all that could change. "We would no longer be able to enforce this ban," Providence City Council President Rachel Miller told the Journal. Local governments would not take the new law lying down should it pass. Suing the federal government as a first retaliatory measure, Miller told the Journal. Secondly, they would lean on tenant-protection laws. "Rent control—that would be the biggest tool if folks are using algorithms to jack up rents," Jersey City Councilman James Solomon, who was recently successful in banning RealPage in his city, told the Journal. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — RealPage is fighting back against the bans, suing Berkeley, California, over its ban. Meanwhile, landlord advocacy trade groups, such as the National Multifamily Housing Council, have intensified their lobbying efforts, arguing that the housing shortage, rather than algorithmic pricing, is the primary reason for rent increases. It has also reiterated RealPage's defense that landlords can refuse to follow RealPage's recommendations and set their own rental prices, and that large landlords do not contribute to the majority of rental units in the U.S. Rather, mom-and-pop landlords who do not use RealPage offer the majority of rentals. However, NMHC staff and others contributed suggestions to a House Financial Services Committee that shaped the current AI component in the GOP tax bill, according to The Wall Street Journal. "At a time when housing providers face increasing pressure to meet booming demand, tax policy should not stand in the way. Indeed, tax policy should lead the way," NMHC President Sharon Wilson Géno said in a letter of support sent to the chairman of the panel that added the provision to the new tax bill, the Journal has already suffered a reputation loss and the loss of potential business from landlords who have backed away from using it after the Atlanta offices of multifamily company Cortland were raided by the FBI last year as part of the DOJ investigation. Cortland ended up settling with North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson, the only management company to have done so. "Everybody that I know has stopped using RealPage just out of sheer terror," Tony Julianelle, chief executive at real-estate brokerage Atlas Real Estate, told the Journal. RealPage has a lot to lose — $73 billion, according to the Journal, should it be unsuccessful in the lawsuits it is facing. Additionally, it would face significant restrictions on how its revenue management software is used. However, Congress could change the narrative should it diminish the influence of local and state lawmakers in their fight against RealPage, taking the wind out of the sails of the larger opposition. "It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card," Kevin Weller, a New Jersey tenant who filed one of the largest class-action lawsuits against RealPage, told the Journal "But it could muddy the waters." . 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Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jersey City, New Jersey Shuts Down AI, Banning Landlords From Using The Latest Price Setting Software To Artificially Increase Rents
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Jersey City, New Jersey, has banned algorithmic software favored by landlords for setting prices and collecting payments. The City Council voted unanimously on May 21 to ban the use of AI-driven software, such as RealPage and Yardi Systems, which critics have blamed for artificially inflating rents. Advocates of the ordinance, a first for the Garden State, are not alone in their criticism. The Biden Justice Department sued RealPage for the same reasons. However, the tax bill in the Senate aims to bar the ban, The Wall Street Journal reports. Don't Miss: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — , which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate with just a $100 minimum. Under the Jersey City ordinance, the use of algorithmic software based on AI will be a code violation. City Council member James Solomon, who introduced the ordinance, called the new law a "bold stand" against landlords colluding to force rents higher by using the software. "With the passage of this first-in-the-state legislation, we are putting corporate landlords on notice: if you're using software like RealPage to coordinate rent hikes, you're breaking the law — and now, tenants and the city have the tools to hold you accountable," Solomon told the New York Post. Under the ordinance, residents would be able to sue their landlords and submit complaints to the city, should they suspect that management companies or landlords have been using banned software. Rents in Jersey City have increased by 50% since 2015, according to a 2024 report by the nonprofit Regional Plan Association. Rent Cafe lists the average rent in Jersey City as $3,702 for a 791-square-foot apartment, making it one of the most expensive rental cities in the U.S., reports the Gothamist. Trending: Invest Where It Hurts — And Help Millions Heal: The ordinance, as evidenced by the new GOP tax bill, is not without its detractors who, according to The Gothamist, feel that the law doesn't get to the heart of the issue — a lack of housing. Other landlords fear that the general language used in the bill leaves landlords who are not using algorithmic pricing open to penalties. The ordinance blames algorithmic pricing as a tool used by landlords to aggregate various factors that determine rent prices — including market rates, lease length, supply levels, and more — to tip the scales in favor of landlords when calculating rental prices. The Washington Post identified 3.1 million market-rate rental units under the management of companies named in the Department of Justice lawsuit in January. According to the Post, there were 10 counties where more than 1 in 3 multifamily units are managed by a property company allegedly using a rent-setting program from RealPage. The DOJ's suit alleged that one landlord, utilizing RealPage revenue management software, began increasing rents within a week of implementing the technology and raised rents by more than 25% in 11 months, according to The reported in 2022 that it also found evidence of faster rental increases in cities where RealPage's YieldStar software was used by property management firms. New Jersey Attorney General Mathew Platkin has taken up a separate case against algorithmic pricing, filing a suit in April against the Garden State's largest landlords and RealPage, alleging that "tens of thousands" of New Jersey residents overpay in rent. "The defendants in this case unlawfully lined their pockets at the expense of New Jersey renters who struggled to pay the increasingly unlivable price levels imposed by this cartel," Platkin stated in a statement. Real estate is a great way to diversify your portfolio and earn high returns, but it can also be a big hassle. Luckily, there are other ways to tap into the power of real estate without owning property. Arrived Home's Private Credit Fund's has historically paid an annualized dividend yield of 8.1%*, which provides access to a pool of short-term loans backed by residential real estate. The best part? Unlike other private credit funds, Looking for fractional real estate investment opportunities? The features the latest offerings. Image: Shutterstock This article Jersey City, New Jersey Shuts Down AI, Banning Landlords From Using The Latest Price Setting Software To Artificially Increase Rents originally appeared on
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Jersey City just banned landlords from using AI to sent rent — a first for the Garden State
Jersey City landlords are going to have to set rent the old fashioned way. The Jersey City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to ban the use of AI-driven, rent-setting software by landlords. The ordinance, introduced by Councilmember James Solomon, is the first of its kind in the Garden State. Advertisement 5 Using AI-driven rent-setting software is officially a code violation in Jersey City. Blacqbook – 5 Jersey City Councilmember James Solomon. Jersey City The amended ordinance makes a code violation out of use of tools from rental software firms like RealPage or Yardi Systems. Advocates of the ordinance claim these tools help landlords and property management companies to artificially inflate rents and constrain supply. Advertisement Solomon, in a statement provided to The Post, called the move a 'bold stand' against rent collusion. 'With the passage of this first-in-the-state legislation, we are putting corporate landlords on notice: if you're using software like RealPage to coordinate rent hikes, you're breaking the law — and now, tenants and the city have the tools to hold you accountable,' the statement said. Enforcement of code violations includes the ability for residents to sue landlords or submit complaints to the city over the use of algorithmic rent-setting, according to Solomon. Detractors of the new ordinance say the measure fails to address the root of the problem — a lack of new housing supply. Others argue that the language of the bill is overly broad and could lead to unnecessary penalization for property owners, Gothamist reported. Advertisement 5 Jersey City and New York City share a beautiful river and a big housing problem. Mariusz – 5 Jersey City is among the most expensive places to rent in the country. James – Jersey City has a documented affordability problem. Rent prices in the city have increased by 50% since 2015, according to a 2024 report by the nonprofit Regional Plan Association. The city was the country's third most expensive city to rent in April, according to Zumper, right after New York City and San Francisco. Proponents of the new ordinance pin the problem, in part, on landlords' use of AI-driven tools to raise rents. Advertisement These tools, according to the bill, aggregate local prices, supply levels, occupancy rates and lease details. The information allows landlords to boost profits by selecting the most financially advantageous rental prices, lease terms or occupancy levels for their buildings. A 2022 ProPublica investigation found evidence of faster price increases in cities where RealPage's YieldStar software was widely adopted by major property management firms. 5 RealPage and other companies like it have been the subject of multiple lawsuits in recent years over the uses of their software. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The ordinance comes on the heels of a similar bill proposed in fall 2024, which is currently stalled in the state Legislature, Gothamist reported. New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed his own lawsuit in April against 10 of New Jersey's largest landlords and RealPage over the alleged use of software that forced 'tens of thousands' New Jersey residents to overpay for rent. 'The defendants in this case unlawfully lined their pockets at the expense of New Jersey renters who struggled to pay the increasingly unlivable price levels imposed by this cartel,' Platkin said in a press release. RealPage and Yardi could not be reached for comment by press time.
