Client turned candidate gets a fresh start with KDA Coaching

For 27 years, Connie Ryan served as the CFO at Peterson Milla Hooks Advertising (PMH), a retail advertising agency based in Minneapolis, MN. When the agency ceased operations in the Fall of 2024, Connie found herself lacking the skills necessary to find a new job in today's competitive environment and needed to reinvent herself.

Based on her exceptional experiences working with the Keva Dine Agency to place candidates at PMH, Connie knew who to call when it was time for her to return to the job market after all those years. After attending the bespoke "Branding You" coaching series, Connie was ready to overcome many obstacles, including facing ageism multiple times, and land the job she wanted with the type of organization she sought for her next career phase.

Keva Dine places the "best" candidates at PMH

For the last twenty years at PMH, Connie worked with the Keva Dine Agency to find and recruit creatives to fill open roles. When the agency took on a major new account, it needed to ramp up from seven people to 70 within a very short timeframe. At that time, Keva was instrumental in finding top-notch writers, art directors, and creative directors to help PMH meet its recruiting goals.

"Keva has this special gift. She can figure someone out very quickly and filter out people who just won't fit the agency or the role. As a result, the hires she placed with us were among the best people we ever hired. I mean it, the best," Connie said

Since the agency was owned and operated by a renowned Creative Director, it was essential to Connie that he didn't feel they were wasting his time presenting candidates who didn't possess the skills and talent he expected. Because she is a creative herself, Keva was able to place approximately 25 people at the agency over those years.

"Keva has an exceptional eye for good creatives. For example, she could look at the portfolios of people wanting to join as an art director and tell me immediately who was just okay, good, or amazing. She was right every time," stated Connie

Starting over after 27 years prompts the need for career coaching

Twenty-seven years is a long time to spend at one company. Connie knew that. She was also sure that if the agency hadn’t ceased operations, she would have been there until she was ready to retire. For that reason, Connie hadn't bothered to establish her personal brand. She never imagined she needed to. 

"I've worked at the same place for my entire career. I wasn't just starting out, but it was like I was. I was at a complete loss. I hadn't done a resume in 27 years and had no LinkedIn page. I had no idea where to begin or what to do," Connie admitted. 

As part of their working relationship, Connie received regular emails and newsletters from Keva advising on best hiring and job search practices. She also followed Keva on social media and was familiar with all her career and coaching offerings for candidates. When it was time for Connie to level up and boost her brand presence, she immediately called Keva.

"When I saw in Keva's content materials that she offered 'Brand You Coaching.' I immediately thought, yes, career coaching is what I need," Connie said.

However, it wasn't just Keva's career coaching options that made Connie ask Keva for help; their personal connection while working together to place talent at the agency also played a role. 

A personal connection spells success in advertising

"Keva's very personable and has a great sense of humor. She likes to bring that element of fun into work. Whenever we worked together, Keva always interjected quite a bit more personality into it than my relationships with the other recruiters," said Connie.

While adding fun and humor doesn't seem like a requirement for recruiters, according to Connie, making personal connections and getting to know the people you are working with makes a big difference when your clients are in the advertising industry. For Connie, Keva brought good energy to their interactions, and they clicked at a personal level. 

"While it may not matter in the finance or banking industries, the people working in advertising are more outgoing. They like a good story and a good laugh, and they like to have a deeper connection to the people they work with. So, I always enjoyed partnering with Keva," Connie explained. 

Brand You Coaching creates a bridge to a new career

When Connie called Keva for help, she knew she needed a new resume and a LinkedIn profile, but it didn't stop there. Although she had made personal and professional connections with hundreds of people in the creative industry throughout her career, Connie had never formally created a network to fall back on. Additionally, while Connie had interviewed plenty of people, she hadn't interviewed for a job in nearly three decades. She needed a story to tell that could help her overcome the ageism bias that exists in most industries today.

Once she started working with Keva, Connie was surprised at how much time and energy it takes to prepare for a job search. During her coaching sessions, Connie met with Keva at least once a week, received materials to complete, and participated in interview preparation sessions. 

"Keva really cracks the whip. The Brand You Coaching program is very formalized with tasks and checklists of things you must accomplish every week, and when it was time to check in with Keva via Zoom, she expected that I would have completed those tasks and that I was ready to tackle the new list for the next week. It was a full-time job, but I needed it," Connie said.

With help from the team at Keva Dine Agency, Connie had a resume that reflected her experience and value; written and formatted to appeal to hiring managers and automated systems, a LinkedIn profile that attracted connections, an understanding of what she was looking for, and a way to tell her story that communicated competence and flexibility. During her mock interview sessions, Connie learned how to tell her story and gained valuable insights into her goals and job requirements.

"What really helped me were the soul-searching questions Keva asked during the coaching sessions. And, if I didn't have someone putting my feet to the fire to finish the tasks I needed to complete, I would have procrastinated," Connie stated.

The job search takes off with new networking skills

One thing Keva emphasized with Connie was the importance of networking. Although it didn't come naturally to her initially, formalizing a networking strategy for Connie to communicate with the people she had worked with during her long tenure in the creative industry paid off.

Naturally, she experienced some of the same frustrations as every job seeker, plus some extra friction due to ageism. In one instance, she had already attended three interviews in six weeks—one of which was a three-hour panel interview—when the in-house recruiter called her to tell her, "We are looking for someone who is ascending in their career, and we feel like you're descending."

In moments like that, it was Keva Dine's support that kept her in the job search.

"I would become despondent, but Keva stayed supportive and advised me to help reframe the conversation away from my age and toward the value I'd bring to the organization," Connie mentioned.

After searching for nine months, networking paid off for Connie. Through her newly established LinkedIn network, she found a role at an agency that was inclusive and appreciative of her experience. Her LinkedIn profile played a significant role in her ability to get hired, as she and the company's president shared 35 mutual connections.

As Controller of Ingredient, a food marketing agency, Connie is excited to work somewhere with leaders in her age group and a diverse staff of talented individuals spanning ages and demographics. The agency also fits the criteria she and Keva established as her ideal workplace.

"I want to work in a privately owned agency that employs kind people and fosters a pleasant work environment where people can do their best work," asserted Connie.

When asked to describe what it's like to work with the Keva Dine Agency for recruiting and job search counseling, Connie said,

"KDA is great. Keva's very good at what she does. I'd say she's a hustler, a bloodhound, or a dog with a bone—all of those describe her and how she advocates for the people she works with. She does not stop, even when you feel like giving up. You're going to love working with her."

Keva Dine is Your Lifelong #BFFRecruiter

As an experienced Recruiter in the Creative and Marketing industries, The Keva Dine Agency Founder, Keva Dine, has made it her mission to establish relationships that go beyond the transactions of recruiting and talent scouting. During her 25 years of connecting top talent with sought-after organizations and roles, she has played many roles in the lives of those she encounters along the way.

Drawn into Keva’s orbit by her extraordinary drive and pursuit of excellence, people find themselves coming back to her for advice to help get them unstuck or take the next step in their career journeys. One of those people, Michael Sharp, Founder of Standard Black, began as a candidate on her Hot List looking for his dream role. Since then, he has returned to Keva repeatedly to help him build his own business with the top talent she is renowned for placing.

A Keva Dine Hot Lister

Keva and Michael began working together when Michael was a candidate at Chiat Day in NYC, trying to figure out his next big move.  At the time, he knew he didn’t want to make just another lateral move. Michael was seeking a role that would enable him to grow as a creative and gain more experience as a leader.

Michael knew that simply applying to LinkedIn job postings would not land him where he needed to be. Instead of going it alone, he sought someone with the expertise and industry connections to help him achieve his goals.

During his search, Michael found a few recruiting agencies that specialized in Creative and Marketing placements, but he didn’t want to get lost in the noise of a large agency. That’s when he discovered KDA and knew it was the perfect fit: A boutique agency where he could get the attention of the most senior recruiters and partner with a trusted professional who understood his career goals.

Michael’s instincts were right. After a short period, he landed a dream role that catapulted him to the next phase of his career.

"When you came along, you didn’t just find me a new job—you found me THE job. That role changed everything. I’ve said it a million times: you set me on the path,” remembered Michael.

That role gave Michael the experience he needed to advance to the next level in his career, agency owner. Forming an agency meant that Michael had to wear many hats and juggle a multitude of responsibilities. He was far too busy to take the time to conduct a talent search on his own. Plus, from his experiences as an agency employee, Michael knew that the key to his success and his greatest asset would be the people he hired to form his creative teams.

“It was chaos, but the good kind. I knew the agency would live or die based on the people I hired, so obviously, I called you," Michael told Keva.

When he considered how to find the right talent to fill his open roles, Michael immediately thought of Keva. He knew how discerning she was from his experience as a candidate with KDA. He also knew that Keva would make him and his agency a priority, helping him hire the people he needed to meet upcoming deadlines.

“You will never meet a more persistent person in your life; she gets the job done every time,” Michael said about Keva.

Michael’s instincts about the importance of hiring the right people were right. As a result of his leadership and a team of the most talented creatives, his agency, Standard Black, won the Small Agency of the Year Award for 2013-2014.

His #BFFRecruiter

Keva and Michael have come full circle from candidate to client. According to Michael, partnering with Keva has helped him achieve his current success. When asked why he keeps returning to Keva and KDA, Michael discussed his trust in Keva, her process, and her ability to deliver results.

“Because you get it. You don’t waste my time with a stack of resumes. You find the people who fit in and push us to improve. You’ve been doing that since day one," Michael stated.

Working with a boutique agency that delivers white-glove service and top talent gives Michael the freedom to focus on building his agency and delivering high-quality projects to his clients without worrying about filling open roles.

From Keva’s perspective, working with Michael, from candidate to client, confirms what she has always known about the recruiting industry: relationships matter.

“Relationships matter, talent matters, and keeping it real is the secret sauce. Michael gets it - and that’s why we keep working together,” Keva said.

Clever Creative scales to meet client demand with Keva Dine Agency

The Company

Clever Creative is an independent brand strategy and design agency that serves as a creative ally. It crafts impactful, meaningful work that connects brands to their communities, with a focus on branding for the people. During a high-growth phase, CEO Shannon Gabor sought a partner to source the right talent while providing expert advice to ensure the agency maintained its values-driven culture.

“Keva’s agency isn’t just about recruitment—it’s about partnership. She’s an extension of our team, helping us align our goals and talent strategy in a way that sets us up for success,” said Shannon.

The Challenge:
Limited resources and the need for long-term solutions

While her first priority was to hire talent to meet the client's immediate needs, Shannon wanted to avoid falling into the rapid hire-to-lay-off practices she had experienced at other agencies. She knew the cost of employee churn and wanted to hire the right talent and find people with the talent to execute projects promptly without sacrificing quality.

Founded in 2005, Clever Creative had established a strong brand presence, and Shannon needed talent to fit the agency's culture. In return, she wanted to provide a stable and supportive work environment.

“When I first came to Keva, I needed help scaling our team to meet client demands. She provided the right talent and helped us rethink how to structure our team for growth,” Shannon stated.

The Solution:
A personal touch to strategic talent recruiting

Eight years ago, Shannon was referred to Keva Dine by a colleague in the creative industry. Immediately, Shannon knew that Keva was the person she needed to help her find the perfect fit to fill out the agency's creative needs. Because she has been in the recruiting business for over 25 years, Keva knew the questions to ask, and she understood that Shannon had needs she hadn’t expressed.

What sets Keva apart is how deeply she understands our business and our values. Her agency feels less like an external recruiter and more like an internal partner. She gets what we need,” noted Shannon.

Through thoughtful conversations with Shannon, Keva understood her clients' challenges through the lens of the brand and sourced the talent to fit Clever Creative’s skill and cultural fit requirements. By getting to know the agency and its unique challenges and opportunities, Keva acted as an extension of the team, supporting long-term organizational growth by clarifying roles and identifying key leadership opportunities.

“The candidates Keva brings us are always high-caliber and aligned with our culture. It’s clear she’s not just filling a role—she’s making sure it’s the right fit for us in the long run,” said Shannon.

the Outcome: Alignment, communication, and trust help the agency continue to grow

In partnership with Clever Creative, Keva has helped identify key leadership opportunities and focus on long-term goals. The candidates provided by Keva have since grown into leadership roles at the agency.

“Keva’s placements aren’t just temporary fixes but long-term solutions. One of the candidates she brought in has been promoted multiple times and is now a leader in our team. That’s the kind of impact she makes,” Shannon said.

Now preparing for the 20th anniversary, Shannon is confident that Keva will help her agency grow while ensuring its core values and playful spirit remain intact.

“Keva advocates not just for us as the client but also for the talent she places. She ensures the relationship works for everyone involved, making a much stronger outcome,” Shannon concluded.