One of the interesting aspects of teaching is trying to make sure that the habits, skills sets, and knowledge of my students match up to the desires and needs of local employers. Each employer you speak with has his or her own unique set of criteria and priorities. Some are looking for raw talent and passion. Some are looking for artistic ability, creative inspiration, or communications skills. Most want dependability, the ability for self-directed learning and critical thinking skills. Attitude and how a particular person will fit with the existing team is usually a consideration. Some are looking for software experts with high productivity ability. An insatiable curiosity, a broad knowledge base, and a professional work ethic also are sometimes listed.
I toss this out as a question to those in the design profession. What are the most important attributes you look for in a potential employee? To students, what do you think employers want? I hope that your responses will guide both me in my teaching studies and my students in better understanding what they should be doing to prepare for their own future.
Personality is probably something most people won't mention, maybe it seems low on the totem pole. But not just any personality. Outgoing, friendly, easy to communicate with, someone who has enough chutspah to say: I have a great idea!
ReplyDeletePersonality problems could be the source of many not getting the job they want. Sometimes LACK of personality = insecurity, low confidence= employer having to micromanage. Micromanagement is something nobody really likes to do, so your being able to think critically and have the confidence to make decisions without asking every 5 minutes is important, and your employer knows it.
Personality conflicts can be resolved, but gelling with your employer upon first meeting them can be extremely important. They WANT to relate to you, be able to communicate easily with you. If you have a difficult time answering questions, or even if your answers turn into stories, they may take that into consideration. When it comes down to it - your employer wants someone a lot like them.
Apologies ahead of time, this is a long post. Unmotivated students should feel free to skip past it.
ReplyDeleteOver the past year, our company looked to fill around 4 graphic artist positions (at various levels), so we've had the opportunity to scrutinize a lot of applicants. Here's my list of reasons most of those people walked away without a job (in order that I remembered them):
- Lack of understanding of basic principles. I heard a joke recently that new applicants for a print position should be shown a swatch of color and asked to guess the CMYK makeup. They'd never get it right (and probably nowhere close), but the punch line was to discover if they even knew what CMYK was. The important part was that they took made an attempt, and understood how CMYK worked. Sadly, this joke has recently become a real criteria for judging likely candidates. Trying to show a potential employer you're qualified for ANY job is important. Actually BEING qualified is more so. It doesn't take much effort to do a little research into the terms and methods you claim to be able to use. It will drastically improve your skill set, and help you look like less of an idiot during your interview. What is DPI? And what is it's relationship to pixels? What is the difference between the RGB, CMYK, and LAB color spaces? Why are they even called color spaces? What is the difference between subtractive color models, and additive color models? What is a Histogram, and how is it important? What algorithm is being applied to my Photoshop layers when them to Overlay? to Hard Light? You may not need to understand all of these to land a job, but knowing how the tools work will let you work more productively (since you'll limit your trial-by-error stumbling around), and help you avoid potential pitfalls in your work. That means a lot to a company, and can help you keep that job once you've landed it. And just to hammer home to point, if you say "well, someone used to do that part/job/task for me", what I heard was "don't count on me".
- Lack of motivation. Whether it's putting in a few more hours to give a design that extra punch, or spending some time trying out new techniques - motivation is a key factor. Yes, you crammed hard during college. Yes, your Senior year/thesis was rough. Yes, you pulled some all-nighters. And yes, you can go get a job now that only requires 9-5. But ours is an ever-changing industry, and the moldy old talent gets shown the door. If you're looking for an easy job, you picked the wrong industry. Getting your diploma is no excuse to give up learning. By a far margin, the people I see who are let go from a job are the ones who never bothered to keep their skills up to date. We need people who can design for tomorrow and the next day, not yesteryear. Take the time to stay current, and don't be afraid to try new things. But how does that affect you getting the job in the first place? Employers can read a lot about your motivations and what drives you from your portfolios, how you conduct yourself, and the answers you give. "I haven't had time to learn this yet" can be a red flag. "That's not really the part I enjoy doing" is a worse one. It's a competitive market, and somebody will fill that job if you won't. Despite what your parents may have told you, businesses don't have to care what part of the job you like or dislike. They need to know you can get the job done, on time and on budget. Especially if you like getting a paycheck.
- Lack of reality (read: modesty). Everyone told you that the interview time is where you boast on about your amazing skills, and how worthwhile you are. While this is true, there is such a thing as taking a good idea too far. Keep your bragging to a realistic level, and try not to sound too amazed at the things you do. Remember that early in your career, you're accomplishing what others in the industry were doing years or decades ago. Patting yourself heavily on the back for adding a drop shadow to a design might seem like a good idea at the time. Or you may have helped the interviewer decide that he hates you. Coin toss. What seems like a remarkable achievement to you might be a tired old trick your interviewer has been using for years. Statistically, you're not going to impress them by gloating about your use of the lens-flare filter. I find that a slice of humble pie helps even out any bragging. Talking about how hard you worked to create a decent piece, but you also understand it could have turned out even better if you had more experience shows an employer that you're confident in your abilities if given an opportunity, but not an egotistical blowhard. Unless you're a young Michelangelo, keep in mind how little you've really earned. If your ego sounds like it won't fit in the door, what are the odds it will fit into a team environment? (Now, this is where I get to write demeaning sentences under the guise of being helpful:) If you're so amazing, why are you having to look for a job? If you were so valuable at your last job, why did they let you go? If your talent is so unmistakable, how have so many people mistaken it? There's plenty of time for ego once you've had a chance to earn it.
- Right tool for the right job. Understand that there is such a thing as industry-standard tools. No, they're not the only tools, but they get used a lot for a reason. Nobody cares if Corel Draw was easier to learn than Photoshop. Or that Flash can draw vector images just like Illustrator. Or that you can do text layout in Photoshop faster. We've seen a surprising number of applicants who used non-standard tools (however proficiently) to create their works. Unfortunately, companies have workflows and production pipelines, and have to work with other companies. And all those entities use the industry standards. Whether it's convenience, or experience, or laziness - get over it. It doesn't matter if you create beautiful work using the wrong software - it's still wrong. I would never hire a carpenter who hammered nails with a screwdriver, so why should you be held to a different standard? Countless hours have been lost when another artist has to redo your work in the correct program because you didn't know any better. Photoshop = image manipulation. Illustrator = vector artwork. InDesign/Quark = text & layout. Flash = web & animation. Give away your old copies of aging software so you won't be tempted to use it anymore. Deal with the pain.
- Entitlement. I've heard it said that today's emerging students are part of the "Entitlement Generation". Kids who've been sheltered from the realities of the world from over-protective parents, and expect grand things to be handed to them on solver platters. While it may not go that far, you should consider how you are perceived. If this is your first job out of school, please, please, PLEASE do not expect an $80,000 starting salary. Don't even ask. Do some research for what is a reasonable staring salary in your field, in your locale. Don't broadside your interviewer with a top-of-the head guess. And your bills & loans only add up to what you owe - not what you're worth. This is especially true in today's economy. With fierce competition for few job positions, a meager salary should sound much better than no salary at all. Don't price yourself out of options.
Those are most of the major complaints, but here are some one-liners:
- This should be obvious, but don't brown-nose. Be courteous and respectful, but don't hang yourself by being insincere.
- Your parents think you're a special snowflake, but nobody else cares. Pull your weight, and don't look for handouts or shortcuts. Whining doesn't work either (or I'd be doing it).
- Take is cheap and actions speak louder. The more time you spend telling me all the things you can do, the less time you've spent actually doing them. Put up, or shut up.
- Own up to your mistakes. You're a crappy liar, and we all know you're the one who screwed up. But we understand that everybody makes mistakes, and an apology followed by an act of contrition goes down a lot smoother than trying to lie your way out of trouble. Accept that you WILL screw up a job at some point. How we judge you depends on what you do after that.
- Nobody knows everything, so it's okay to admit that you don't either. Ours is a tough industry, but I've never found a shortage of people willing to help me when I didn't know what I was doing. And asking for help before it's too late helps avoid my last point.
- Have a sense of humor! We're not doctors, and it's okay to enjoy what you do.
- Don't be afraid to speak up. If you've got a good idea, throw it into the mix. This isn't an industry for shyness.
- Push harder. Deadlines & budgets are a reality, but you can always try to give that extra inch. Even if it goes unappreciated, your portfolio will be better for your next job.
I like the comment that brian put, especially when he said that you have to keep your skills up to date. I think the same way, just because you got you diploma doest mean you cant upgrade your skills. Another thing I liked that he said was to be respectful, don't be a brown-nose but still show the employer that your not going to give them a hard time. Also dont be afraid to speak, you have a voice and people want to hear it.
ReplyDeleteThe above statement regarding Brian's response is the truth and is reality. The market standards now a days are a tough jungle to get through. Carrying a cocky attitude with no background to make up for the knowledge you know does not take you anywhere. We have employers conducting interviews to individuals, those individuals should not carry their nonchalant approach with acting like they know any subject when they really don't, when they know that the employer knows the subject more knowledgeable then the person being interviewed.
ReplyDeleteToday's market and economy is a heart-stake looking for future employee's that can manage a fast, efficient, economic work flow with the knowledge they know and should be willing to accept more help. Listen, I've been playing with photoshop and illustrator for about 5 years now and Im still learning new things everyday, whether its a classmate or teacher showing me something new, even going online and doing the general search on tutorials to better yourself as a designer.
Employers want nimble thinkers. With rapid technological changes and other economies impacting ours, the ability to think critically as well as creatively is crucial. However, your creativity must be strategic—you must generate ideas with scale that cross platforms and even cross industries.
ReplyDeleteDoes an idea inspire? Does it resonate with the audience? Does it have many tendrils? Does it encompass many possibilities? Will it enter the public lexicon? Does it have longevity? Is it flexible? (Is it stretchy? Will it stick like Velcro?) Will it positively impact on society? Is it design as service? Marketing as service? What's in it for the audience?
Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack be spry.