Letâs just get this out in the openâmost recent college grads are awful at interviewing. In the last decade, Iâve interviewed over a hundred designers, many of them recent graduates, and Iâve hired about a dozen of those designers across three agencies. I own the most recent of these, Station Four, where I act as creative director to a team of six designers at a company of fifteen digital strategists, developers, and designers. The surest formula for giving a great interview is coming in with a ton of experience, confidence, and not âneedingâ the position for which you are interviewing. As a recent college grad, itâs likely you donât have any of these things. With that in mind, letâs look at some real ways you can find a foothold into your chosen profession. Youâre Gonna Get Googled When an applicant contacts Station Four, the first thing I do is copy and paste their name into Google. Well, maybe I pull up their portfolio first (you do provide a portfolio link, right?!?), but shortly after that, Iâm doing a deep-dive into Google to see what kind of dirt I can find. And donât think for a minute that this is unique to meâalmost every recruiter and hiring manager today is doing the same thing, so I highly recommend you do the same research on your own name and any variances. At the very least, make sure your Facebook account is locked-down tightâthat posts you intended for your friendsâ eyes only arenât actually available to the public. Conversely, it will be beneficial if you have a decent social footprint. When I look around and donât see any trace of someone on Facebook, LinkedIn, Dribbble, Behance, or Twitter it makes me think that the person (a.) might be a ghost, (b.) changed their name after committing some unspeakable crime, or (c.) just isnât really that connected or engaged. And in the design community, connections are important. Pro-Tip: Like many, at Station Four we rarely post job ads. Instead, we stalk social networking and portfolio sites for potential candidates. So, do make sure you have a solid presence out there! The Web and Social Media Should Be Your Friends The vast amount of data that exists on both companies and individuals is actually something you should leverage during the interview process. For example, before walking in to an interview with me at Station Four, you could learn who our portfolio clients are and the work weâve done for them, who our employees are and a little of their backgrounds, who Iâm connected with on LinkedIn, and even if my two-year-old son is adorable (hint: he is). I wouldnât expect you to memorize everythingâthatâd just be creepyâbut you should certainly understand our business, our culture and some of the things we do in- and outside of the company...because we tell you on our own website. Resumes Usually Donât Matter (Unless Theyâre Horrible) Maybe Iâm being naive, but Iâm sure Iâve hired people before without ever seeing their resume. Most resumes donât really help me out muchâespecially resumes from recent grads. The exception is when theyâre really bad. And as designers, there is absolutely no excuse for you to be represented by a sloppy resume. Keep your resume simple and professional because there is a particular audience for them (e.g., recruiters and larger corporate HR folks), and save the designer stuff for your online portfolio. Speaking of your online portfolio, I recommend avoiding canned portfolios, such as popular Wordpress themes. Your portfolio is your chance to shineâŠdonât leave that up to another designer. Your Degree Doesnât Matter, Sorry Itâs true. The degree usually doesnât matter unless youâre after one of those giant corporate gigs. Thatâs not to say that the skills you acquired while chasing your degree arenât valuable; they are. Youâre in the real world now and a college degree doesnât make anyone entitled to anything. Itâs a harsh world and youâre only as valuable as how much money you can make for someone else (or yourself). Thatâs a shitty way of looking at it but, on the flip-side, we get to create that value by making cool stuff, drawing pictures, and working with all different types of clientsâso itâs not all that bad. That said, donât rely solely on the projects and skills you developed within the program. Propose a redesign for Facebook and post it to your Dribbble account; develop an ad campaign for Trek Bicycles; participate in AIGA shows; try to make a responsive website using Bootstrapâthereâs never a lack of opportunity to get better and grow your portfolio. A Designerâs Job is Communication Design is visual communicationâbut thatâs only a portion of a designerâs job. The ability to communicate written and verbally is crucial in determining strategy, presenting designs, and generally working within a design department. Professional and clear written correspondence is important as is your ability to talk design. Through the portfolio review process youâll get some great experience talking through your work, but keep practicing. Successful designers can justify their decisions to others and are excited about their work. Pro-Tip: Be enthusiastic about your work! Donât just walk potential employers through your portfolio; tell storiesâwhy you designed the piece the way you did and what led you there. Talent and Skill is a Given. Passion and Energy are Key. A quality portfolio is a must. Without that, all of the advice and tips in the world arenât going to help out all too much. When I interview a recent grad, Iâve usually already seen their portfolio and know there is some level of talent there. What Iâm trying to determine is the intervieweeâs potential. No matter how talented, any recent grad has a whole lot of growing and learning to do. The people who can do that successfully love their craft and are willing to work hard on their own in order to hone it. When you interview, knowing which designers you like, what industry sources of information you regularly read, and having opinions on design trends let the interviewer know that design is more than just a job or degree for you. Good Agencies are Always Hiring Talented People While this is always true in a sense, it is especially true as the economy continues to recover and agencies are swimming in work. Thereâs never a point where I would say, âI donât think we need another talented designer on the team.â If youâre good, people will want to talk with youâdonât wait to respond to a job post. Send your portfolio around, call around places youâd like to work and see if theyâre hiring or interviewing. They may not be able to hire someone that day, but if youâre talented, good agencies will keep you in mind and think of ways to bring you on board. Interviews are Opportunities to Make Friends Depending on who youâre interviewing with, I encourage you to view interviews as networking opportunities. When a young designer interviews with meâeven if I donât bring him or her on at that timeâthey have an hour to sit and present and become acquaintances with an agency owner, who they could very well run into again at an AIGA event or similar. There have been many times when Iâve decided that someone might not be the best fit for Station Four, but have referred them to business associate or client that has an opportunity that makes more sense. Moreover, someone who might not be an immediate best-choice, may be down the road. In fact, some of our current team members here at Station Four were interviewed two or three times over the course of a few years before joining our family. The bottom line: always be networking! Flattery Might Get You Somewhere Iâm not immune to flattery, interviewees that come in praising my agencyâs work definitely start on the right foot. If youâre really excited about an opportunity, make sure you say it. I like hiring people who really want to be part of our team, and the only way I know that is when applicants tell me. Your Early Jobs are Crucial Unlike many, I believe that the jobs you take on early in your career are even more important than the eventual pinnacle of your career. The damage you do to your professional development and education by working for companies that donât allow you to grow, learn new or even industry-standard techniques and best practices can be severe. Donât pass on seemingly low-ladder offers waiting for that dream job, but donât give up looking for it either. A couple of quick moves early in your career isnât going to be a huge black mark on your work history. One of the biggest things recent grads have going for them is that theyâre affordable to employers. Youâre usually coming in at, hopefully, the least amount youâll ever make professionally. As time goes on, you should receive raises, which is good because youâre getting older, taking on more financial responsibilities, maybe starting a family...you get the point. The thing is, I find that even in awful jobs where your skills arenât really growing, youâll still find ways to get those raises and increased responsibilities. This cycle can create a trap whereby when you finally do find your dream jobâwhere you could really grow your skillsâyour income requirements are too high for someone with your actual knowledge base. Get Out There A lot of interviews and hires are the result of a referral from a friend or a friend-of-a-friend. So go make more friends! If youâre looking for a job, your biggest resource is your network. You grow your network by going to industry events. AIGA is a great resource and hosts several events each year. There are also AAF (ad), JAMA (marketing), PRSA (public relations), and a host of young professional events. Introduce yourself, try to let people know youâre looking, and donât over-promote. If you have fun and make new friends, a lot of other things in life tend to fall into place. Station Four is based in Jacksonville, Florida, creating marketing strategies, designing websites, creating applications, and building brands. Station Four is a sponsor of AIGA Jacksonville's 25th Annual Portfolio Review Weeke...
