The Reflex Blue Show, Season 2, Episode 22: Interviewing for a Graphic Design Job
Every now and then we decide to get serious – a 2 credit stock photo of a handshake serious – this is one of those times.
On past shows we’ve covered freelancing, getting your portfolio ready for an interview (still one of our best podcasts), and getting an internship. But sometimes you just need a straight-up job, and that usually takes an interview. To share the perspective of a younger designer in the this process, we bring in the talented Chris Kelly.
And a special thanks goes out to Mig Reyes for the student tip. When Mig was on the Season 1 finale, he said he’d provide the student tips for Season 2 of the Reflex Blue Show, and he delivered.
We’ll be back in a month with Season 3, which will also include daily recaps from the HOW Conference in June.
Download The Reflex Blue Show, Season 2 Episode 22 or, click here to subscribe to The Reflex Blue Show from the iTunes Music Store.
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Ok, I’m not done listening to the show yet, but I have to chime in and remark on a recent interview I was on, where the interviewed attempted to flatter me by remarking that they had over 700 applicants for the role! I was one of 40 selected for interviews, which means the recruitment process is still going to be convoluted, even with that small group being selected.
I’ll prolly have a lot to say about this subject, so lemme come back with another comment after I’ve listened to the whole thing.
Great episode guys! I wanted to jump in on that conversation multiple times, but I think you did a good job of covering all sides of some debates.
In a fit of half-procrastination, half-ranting, I wrote a few thoughts on my interview/job-hunting experiences lately.
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The non-reply. Unfortunately, silence is the default answer when applying for jobs. As you observed, it does feel good to a reply, whether it’s up or down. Usually, this will come by email, but I actually received a phone call once telling me I was out of the running, where another candidate won the race. When applying online for a corporate job this isn’t very taxing emotionally, but it can get tough when you see the small firm diss you for what seemed like a dream job. I’ve even been “blanked” following an interview!
No questions. Interviewers don’t ask “interview questions” as they might in other professions. Instead, they’re seeking to answer a few key questions for themselves: Can you do the job? Have you done the job previously? Will you fit in? Will you quit in a hurry? (ideally, the answers are yes, yes, yes, and no.) And the whole thing is basically a portfolio review with some landmines thrown in there to mess you up.
Questions I ask. I think I sometimes ask too many questions, or at least try to distill the answers from the conversation. Here are a few I like to know even in the first interview: Can I see the workspace? What technology are you using? What are the hours (ie, do y’all work insane overtime)? Do you have a company culture (lunches together, outtings, in-studio lectures, etc.)? Do you subscribe to books/magazines? How many work for the team/division? Who is my direct supervisor (and is he/she a creative or a suit)? Opportunities for travel? Opportunities for client-facing duties? … Most of these are dervied from the larger question “Are you part of the graphic design profession?” Before you say yes, think. Are you?
Business Casual. Is the default dress code for working day to day. But for an interview, you can kick up a notch by adding a jacket or by leaving all denim at home. Look sharp. A full suit is appropriate for any job in the fields of Finance, Government, Legal, and sometimes Higher Education. If you’re heading in-house at a bank, that is suitville indeed. I agree that managers should be more professionally dressed, but part of this has to do with who is conducting the interview. Ask in email or on the phone who you’ll be meeting with, and if it’s the company owner, or some other non-creative, maybe dress “up” a little. If you’re a junior designer meeting with a senior designer, you don’t need to try so hard — it’s a fellow traveler on the other side of the desk. Still, a suit with a sharp shirt doesn’t need the tie, methinks. Also, if a place makes you wear a shirt-and-tie, you are totally within the right to raise your rates 5-10%. Call this is the trouser surcharge. But don’t tell the hiring managers about it.
Delicate Balance. Perhaps the illest truth of interviewing for design jobs is how we are judged on so many dimensions. Specifically, we are judged — very thoroughly — on our Portfolio, our Resume, and our Personality/Attitude. Some companies want a killer book, even if it includes student or concept work. Some companies want a pedigree and a long list of reputable firms. And some companies will simply hire based on gut feelings and who they connect with. The trouble is that we are judged on all three, and if one element of one of these components is out of place, you won’t get the job. It’s that simple. To make things worse, you may have to pass the test of multiple folks at the company, thus putting a second, slightly different, fine-toothed comb over your whole life. (Another ill truth is that most companies won’t make a clear internal decision beforehand about what they’re looking for. Even if the job ad says “we don’t care about years of experience, we just want to see good work” they may not mean it. And Murphy’s law predicts that if you apply for that job, lack of experience will be the _exact_ excuse used by the employer.)
Online Portfolio. These days everyone — including print designers — needs an online presence. You don’t need to design your own site from scratch, but you need to have a solid body or work online. No longer can you just post samples to wet the appetites, employers want to see everything from the start. Case studies and shit.
Position may not exist. The biggest enemy of job-hunting isn’t the other candidates, it’s the job itself. I estimate that 50% of all jobs fizzle into nothing and never get filled. Even when there’s an apparent emergency with a new client or last-minute pitch, the situation may result in a No Hire. Fucking BS, but a large part of the struggle.
Hand-Written Card. I have never received confirmation nor denial that the hand-written card — or any follow-up note, for that matter — was the difference. But I have never received word the other way. It’s hard to run experiments on yourself so I can’t say for sure if we’ll ever know. I imagine that a company who really likes a candidate will hire him/her even without this supposed courtesy. Half the time your letter won’t even make it back to the firm’s leader or creative director, as there’s a secretary running interference. That’s cynical, but sometimes accurate.
skillS5Z
PF, great insight on the process out East. Being in a different region, it’s sometimes hard to tell what changes there are based on geography, but it sounds about the same there as it is here (Well, other than 700 people applying for a job… as I’m not sure we have 700 designers in the area). I have heard of over 300 for one position on a few…
Great season fellas! Mig’s last tip was brilliant:)
I want to say first that I love your show and you make my work day much more productive.
I graduated this past May with a degree in Information design, which is a design degree focused on journalism design. I actually started in another major and switched into this major after taking a couple visual communication design classes. I chose this major because it was an accelerated design degree instead of having to stay in school for another 4 full years.
Well now I have a job in design at a book publishing company designing interiors and I am thinking about going back to get the official visual communication design degree. I was wondering if I should re-enroll into school full time and get an additional degree to dive deeper into the graphic design career or should I just keep learning programs on my own and enhance my portfolio with real world experience rather than an extra degree.
I am really interested in digital design and multimedia and am not sure if watching lynda videos is going to impress any clients.
Any suggestions on how to improve my career after graduation and having an entry-level job?
Thanks! Keep up the great shows!
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