Creativity, curiosity and AI: How ZEAL Creative is rethinking what makes a great hire

In-house Recruitment Awards finalist Natalie Winterton-Whitfield shares how ZEAL Creative is navigating the changing role of AI in creative recruitment, while recognising the passion, skills and potential that make candidates stand out.

There's a good chance you've encountered the work of Zeal Creative without even realising it.

The agency works with some of the biggest names in consumer goods, including Nestlé, Kellogg's and Arla, creating campaigns that help familiar brands connect with consumers.

But behind those campaigns are designers, strategists, copywriters and creative thinkers. And finding the right people to produce that work is becoming an increasingly interesting challenge.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Natalie Winterton-Whitfield at ZEAL Creative, following her recognition as a finalist in the 2026 In-house Recruitment Awards.

With around 11 years of recruitment experience across several industries, Natalie has developed a refreshingly personal approach to finding talent. What struck me most was her enthusiasm for recognising potential and her belief that, however sophisticated technology becomes, great recruitment still depends on understanding people.

And in an industry where AI is changing how creative work gets done, that's a particularly interesting perspective.

Natalie's approach to recruitment reflects the wider culture of ZEAL Creative, which was recently named one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2026. It's recognition of a business that places real value on its people, from how they're recruited to how they're supported.

AI is changing creativity. Should it change how we recruit?

The creative industry's relationship with AI is fascinating.

On one hand, technology offers opportunities to develop ideas, streamline tasks and work more efficiently. On the other, there's an understandable concern about what happens to creative skills when people become too reliant on it.

Natalie explained that ZEAL has introduced an internal fair-use approach to AI, acknowledging its value while recognising the importance of protecting the creative thinking that makes the agency successful.

That balance is equally relevant to recruitment.

AI can help candidates communicate their experience, prepare applications and present their work professionally. But when recruiting creative professionals, there's so much more to consider than the finished result.

How does somebody approach a brief? Where do their ideas come from? Can they explain their thinking, adapt to feedback and bring something new to a project?

These are the qualities Natalie is interested in uncovering.

It's a theme explored in Veremark's article on five hiring assumptions HR teams should leave behind in 2026, which challenges employers to look beyond conventional indicators when evaluating candidates.

For Natalie, technology has its place, but it shouldn't overshadow the individual's creativity, curiosity and potential.

Looking beyond the portfolio

One thing I particularly enjoyed hearing was how hands-on Natalie remains throughout recruitment. Despite the availability of increasingly sophisticated screening technology, she personally reviews every CV and application rather than relying on AI to determine who progresses.

For creative roles, portfolios provide an important insight into someone's work, but they're only one part of the picture.

ZEAL's recruitment process includes conversational screening calls and, where appropriate, practical presentation tasks that give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

There's a big difference between admiring someone's work and understanding how they think.

Creative professionals need more than technical ability. They're expected to interpret briefs, solve problems, collaborate across teams and respond to challenges.

And often, it's through conversation that those qualities become apparent.

Natalie also prefers interviews that feel like genuine discussions rather than interrogations, giving candidates room to relax and show their personalities.

It's a reminder that structured assessment and a positive candidate experience aren't mutually exclusive.

In fact, creating the right environment can help employers get a much better understanding of the person they're considering hiring.

You can develop skills. But enthusiasm is harder to teach

There's something rather fitting about ZEAL's name.

The agency's culture is built around passion, energy and enthusiasm, qualities that Natalie actively looks for when recruiting.

Technical expertise matters, of course. But so does somebody's willingness to learn, develop their skills and contribute to a shared goal.

And with roles spanning everything from finance and client services to design and strategy, there's no single formula for what a great candidate looks like.

Natalie understands that better than most.

Her own recruitment career has taken her through several industries before finding her place in the creative sector. That breadth of experience has helped shape her appreciation for different backgrounds, perspectives and career paths.

ZEAL now fills approximately 97–98% of its vacancies directly, giving the internal talent function valuable insight into both the business and the people who thrive there.

For Natalie, recruitment success isn't simply about hitting targets. It's about finding individuals who can grow with the organisation and make a meaningful contribution.

And that requires looking beyond qualifications to understand someone's motivations, values and potential.

Building confidence in every hiring decision

While finding creative potential is exciting, there's another important consideration for employers: ensuring hiring decisions are based on reliable information.

Interviews, portfolios and practical assessments help establish someone's abilities. But understanding a candidate's potential is different from verifying their identity, employment history or eligibility to work.

Both have a role in building confidence in a new hire.

The objective isn't to make recruitment more complicated. It's to combine thoughtful assessment with appropriate due-diligence, giving employers confidence in both the person they're hiring and the process behind that decision.

Recruitment should evolve with the people it's designed for

Another aspect of Natalie's approach that stood out was her willingness to keep improving the candidate experience.

Rather than treating recruitment as a fixed series of steps, she sees it as something that should evolve through feedback.

Accessibility is considered early, with candidates invited to request adjustments to the interview process. Conversations are kept approachable, while structured assessments help maintain consistency.

And that attention to detail continues after an offer is accepted.

ZEAL's people team supports new starters with practical information, from dress codes to detailed instructions about accessing the office.

Small things, perhaps, but exactly the sort of details that can make somebody's first day feel considerably less daunting.

Of course, there's an administrative side to onboarding, too. Appropriate background checks, employment documentation and clear communication all help create a smooth transition.

As we've explored in Veremark's seven ways to improve your recruitment process after the offer, getting these steps right can prevent unnecessary delays and help maintain the positive experience established during recruitment.

Because even the most exciting new opportunity can lose some of its shine if joining the business becomes an administrative obstacle course.

The future of creative recruitment is still about people

Towards the end of our conversation, Natalie offered a simple but valuable piece of advice for other talent acquisition professionals: remember that recruitment is fundamentally about people, and build your processes accordingly.

It's an especially relevant message from an industry where technology is transforming both how people work and how their skills are assessed.

AI will undoubtedly continue to influence recruitment, but Natalie's approach demonstrates the value of balancing innovation with human understanding.

Technology can support efficiency. Structured assessments can help employers make informed decisions. Verification can provide confidence in the information behind a hire.

But recognising curiosity, passion and creative potential still requires somebody to take a genuine interest in the individual.

And perhaps that's the real opportunity for recruitment in 2026: not simply using technology to find people faster, but using it wisely while giving great talent more opportunities to shine.

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Congratulations to Natalie on her recognition as a finalist in the 2026 In-house Recruitment Awards. It was a pleasure hearing about her approach at ZEAL Creative, and we wish her every success.

Veremark is proud to support the 2026 In-house Recruitment Awards and celebrate the professionals helping organisations make better, more confident hiring decisions.