Recently at our design studio for communications company Porter Novelli (www.porternovelli.co.uk) we employed a new Junior Designer. This is the first time that I have managed this personally, so this post is really to say how we went about it, what made people stand out for us and what we looked for. I guess I am hoping this post will be beneficial to both employers who have not done this before like myself and also designers looking for work. Of course it helps to have a good body of work, but there are also plenty of other things to consider.
Firstly it is probably important to say exactly what we were looking for as this is obviously going to effect who would be the prefect person. We wanted a junior designer who didnt mind getting stuck in and getting his hands dirty. Sure, there would be plenty of nice, pretty, creative projects to work on, but realistically, in most studios there is also a fair share of not so exciting stuff. In ours it is much the same, with powerpoint presentations and image retouching and resizing also playing a prominent role. We wanted someone who wouldn’t mind doing this whilst also offering something to the creative side of things with plenty of fresh thinking, ideas and also able to inject a pulse of new energy into our department. It was also important that any applicant would enjoy the position and get lots out of it.
We didnt want to spend loads of money on advertising or employing recruitment agencies so decided to handle it all in house. Our approach was to contact art colleges and universities directly. We posted adverts on several websites, including the london college of arts website (http://www.arts.ac.uk/) which represents several of the large art colleges in London. As with any design related position, we got an absolutely massive response and one of the first challenges was dealing with the sheer quantity. I have heard that some companies have elimination processes such as automatically throwing out all the applications in brown envelopes, but we did check through them all. It was really interesting to see the variation of applicants at this stage. We had everything from people who had never given design a try really, but fancied a crack, to Creative Directors with years and years of experience who were obviously over qualified. Obviously this allowed us to easily narrow it down the applicants.
We also asked in the advert that applicants apply with a pdf with examples of there work on. Again this allowed us to narrow it down a lot more as well. Many people applied with examples in tif format or web links. I’m sure that either format is fine, however as there were hundreds of applications, our HR department organised it into printed formats within folders. They printed the original email and also the attachments. That is why we specifically asked for a pdf, as we knew they could open it and would not have to spend much time opening things to print it out. They simply could not open tif files and didn’t bother printing web links. We would look at it in only the email and not with work examples as some hadnt been printed, and so could not consider it. Obviously we would love to spend days looking at all the web links we were sent, but when you have hundreds to go through, this is not always possible and time does become a factor. It was actually amazing to see how many people had just applied for jobs in bulk with a standard template and gave no consideration to what is specifically asked for. I guess in creative industries, because it is so hard to find jobs, people just try to apply for as many as they can. It is far more effective to consider the individual application more, rather than just one template you send to everyone.
So we were able to narrow down quite a lot through non design-related areas, but what of the design work? Generally, we didnt mind if someone was not the finished article, thats what we wanted! But we did want someone who could produce professional looking design work. Obviously we looked for good basic typgraphy skills. Areas such as good page structure with balance and columns were important, and also small areas like the attention to detail in bullet points were something we payed attention to. The basics are areas which few people straight out of college have actually payed too much attention too, and at that stage most people fancy them as an ‘ideas person’. But the reality is, certainly in our studio, that not every project will allow the time to conceptualise, and some things have to be produced quickly, but visually crisp to tight deadlines. Its not always rocket science,but it requires a good knowlege of typography and the basic elements. and is crucial in a busy business environment.
In terms of more conceptual ideas, we looked less at wildly creative and more at something being appropriate. Some candidates had some spectacular creative work, but it also had to be right for that particular project. Again, we were not looking for the finished article, but just someone who considered things.
The presentation of the work was also something to consider. Again the work which looked the most professional was what stood out. I always enjoyed seeing photographs of actual printed work rather than flat spreads or something. This made it real and as it was something that not many people did, it was one more way to stand out from the crowd. A variation of work was also important. We also wanted to see if someone could work over a variety of different projects from identity to websites.
From there, we picked out our favourite ten candidates and invited them in. So what did we look for within the interviews themselves? Well obviously seeing the work close up was important, rather than in just a low res pdf via email, but there was lots of other things that set people apart as well. Many questions in an interview are quite obvious, and there is only so much you can learn from the answers as you know they will always say what they think you want to hear. Instead we looked at general body language. We didnt mind someone being nervous, but the right candidate had to be the right kind of nervous with a can-do attitude. The candidates had to show plenty of enthusiasm and energy. Its a cliche I know, but actually I think genuine enthusiasm is difficult to fake, and this definetely helped people stand out. It was also good if people had made an effort to really research the company. The best candidates also asked us plenty of questions, and our final choice even came equipped with notes of things he was keen to find out about us. It showed he really made an effort with the preparation for the interview and had a genuine interest in the company. He also followed up the interview with a direct email, thanking us for our time and saying how keen he was for the position. This is always a good idea at the interview in my opinion.
We invited 4 people back for second interviews and asked them to do 2 briefs over the weekend to discuss. They all approached the brief well and came up wih some lovely solutions. The winning candidates ideas though, were especially well thought out and considered. He didnt just design for designs sake and at times rejected the ‘beautiful’ option as it wasnt nescecarilly appropriate. He also took it completely to the next stage and suggested print solutions with mock ups. This really impressed us and showed he had maturity for his tender years.
So thats the process we went through, and it all ran quite smoothly. Hopefully this has been interesting for you to read. If your a applicant or employer, I hope you have read something useful. I shall finish this blog with some tips for both applying and for interviews themselves. These are certainly some of the things that we considered which we maybe didn’t expect to. All the best!
Application tips
Make your application specific for that job.
Don’t just use a standard template. Each position asks for certain qualities and also CV formats. Chances are, if you don’t offer these you won’t even be considered.
Make it easy.
Make the application easy for the person who is about to receive it. If they ask for a pdf, give a pdf. If they want individual jpgs, give individual jpegs. If they want a printed version, then thats what you send. Make all the text simple and easy to read not too many words, but just enough information.
Make it interesting.
Yes a design has to work on its own, but employers also want to hear your thoughts and explanations. Say a little bit about the project, how you came to that approach and why did you think that one was the best.
Don’t include mistakes.
This is true sin of any applications. Spelling mistakes will cost you and there is no excuse.
Make it appropriate.
Take time selecting the work you include in your aplication portfolio. It is great to have variation, but some work may be suited to certain companies or agencies than others.
Stand out.
When I first started out in graphics I always made a point of phoning up and introducing myself before any application. It may not always be appropriate, but it can just put your name in their head as someone to look out for. Make your CV and portfolio interesting. Make it into a story, brand yourself, make it directly aimed at who your applying for. Basically anything to stand out. I read a story once about an applicant who put up posters advertising himself outside the office of where he had applied to. Going the extra mile can often make the difference.
Interview Tips.
Be enthusiastic. Whatever the position, energy is important. Paul Arden said that, ‘being nice will only get you so far. You need energy to get to the top’. Show the employer how much you want the job.
Present your work well.
The presentation of the work is almost as important as the work itself. Do your research, how do design magazines or award brochures present the work? Take the time to make it look professional. I always like to see photographs of printed design work. If you are going to have flat spreads then bring hard copies to show as well. Also, be considerate as to which order you are going to display it. A portfolio should logically flow from one piece to the other.
Come prepared.
This was a must for us and really made certain candidates stand out. Come with a good knowlege of the company and plenty of questions to ask your employer. This will show you made the effort to prepare well. Its also another great way of getting your energy across.
