Over the past 5 months Happy Creative has seen quite some changes. We welcomed a new web developer as well as an office administrator into the fold. We even had a work experience student join us for a week and are still looking for an account manager for maternity cover.
During this time we interviewed a number of people, all with fascinating stories to tell. This reminded me of all the interviews I had been invited to before I joined Happy. Some were quite interesting whilst others being a disaster from the minute I stepped in. There is no doubt that since the dreaded recession it has been difficult to find stable employment. The expectations are very high for graduates and it’s understandable that some companies will only hire if you go above and beyond what they are expecting. They can’t afford the luxury of hiring someone who won’t hit the ground running anymore. Even with my one year work placement and almost 2 years of working in a studio I wouldn’t want to be in the position of attempting to look for a design job in this climate. So what can be done to be an outstanding candidate at a job interview?
1. Be Different
This might sound like an obvious point to make but when there are thousands of students, all graduating from university at the same time, all vying for the same job at the same firm what would make them choose you over someone else? Most students mistake standing out with making a statement. Novelty resumés have become quite common with students sending out CV’s printed on all sorts of materials, in the form of jigsaws, playing cards etc. Whilst this shows creativity it is also a risky option. Some agencies will see the creative angle whilst others might not warm to the idea of reading a CV printed on glass.
2. Do Your Research
There is a possibility that you may be asked questions about the agency about the kind of work they do (some interviewers even do this on purpose to catch you out!). At this point there is nothing worse than stuttering your way through a failed answer. Always find out everything you can about the company. Their website will only take you so far. Find press articles, look for their work in design magazines, ask people you know about them. Turning up without any idea shows that you didn’t pick them out of genuine interest.
3. Correct Work
One of the many mistakes I made at interviews was the type of work I brought with me. It is important that you tailor your portfolio to the kind of studio you are visiting. A digital studio will be expecting animation, web design, app design etc. I was under the illusion that bringing a wide range of work from editorial to packaging would show how versatile I was. However the agencies, who had no interest in packaging design, didn’t call back. What you bring with you is what they will remember you by therefore it’s important that all your work is on point and relevant to the kind of work they do. If in doubt, leave it out.
4. Personal Projects
There is the old Catch-22 scenario where in order to be hired for a job you need experience. However to get said job experience you need to be hired in the first place.
There are a number of ways to get around this. One of them is to give yourself that experience through self-initiated projects. This will show the interviewer that you have taken the initiative and created something independently. Another way to do this (and get great exposure at the same time) is to take part in competition briefs. If your work is good enough you might even be contacted directly by agencies. Some competition briefs even offer a few weeks work placement as reward for winning.
5. Any Questions?
It is very rare for the interviewer to not ask whether you have any questions of your own. After an energy draining process it is very easy to answer “no” and make a beeline for the nearest exit. However that is the worst thing you could do. Even if you had shone during the interview, not asking any questions of your own gives the interviewer the impression that you are not interested enough.
Some examples of interesting questions would be:
What kind of work will I be involved in?
What could I have improved in my portfolio?
How was the company formed?
Questions to avoid would be anything that involves asking how many hours you’re expected to work, how much will you get paid and what time are my breaks? Whilst these are important questions they are questions that are best saved for further interviews where small details like these will be explained. The point of the first interview is to make a good enough impression to be granted a second one. Asking about wages, breaks and hours may give the impression that your mind isn’t going to be on the job.
Hakim Shujaee is a Creative Thinker and Designer at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
