heh...I've got nothing.

Ok, so this post comes a day late. Lock me up and throw away the key...if you must. But hey, just wait until I unleash my online portfolio. Then you'll see why this post was a bit late. An acceptable trade off, as far as I'm concerned.

Diving right in, chapters 13 nd 14 had a ton of information in them, and you'd think I might be overwhelmed, right? Well, hey, I am--so good call on that one...but it's probably just because I've really never discussed this stuff before.

What stuff, you ask? Well, hiring practices and salary requirements.

Let's talk about synergy, baby. If you dig me and I dig you, there's nothing that says we can't be synergized in the same work place, is there? Hello? Where'd everybody go?

...ok, so it's important for both the employer & potential employee to hit it off, so to speak. Making it a little less general, we'll just say that a work relationship needs to be formulated...where a potential employee must recognize the employer's needs, and in return an employer must recognize the candidate's goals.

I really liked the quote, ...the essential fact [is] that, in a creatively-driven business, people are the inventory and they walk out the door every night. Therefore, the level of talent and commitment possessed by employee or demanded by employer establishes the internal synergy of the relationship and the profound power one has over the other.

Also, the possible issues of personality, office politics, ambition, work environment, sex, culture, title, money, work ownership, the quality of the work and clients, and many other more subtle elements create the dymanics of successful or unsuccessful relationships.

I was a little upset that critical honesty in the hiring process is rare. It almost seems like we're backstepping here. Nevertheless, I do understand how busy an interviewer may be, and therefore may not have the time to criticize.

The big issue that keeps coming up is how important our next job is toward our career development and future employment.

The Employer's Viewpoint

*Most employers do not want to take the time to make the effort to comment constructively.
*Designers hate these ambiguous responses (damn right! anyone who cares about what they do will want details!)
*Interviewers look for skill, intelligence, and persuasiveness.
*Be able to articulate.
*Be able to discuss design strategies. Both verbally and in writing.
*Passion, baby, passion! (If you don't have it, stay out of the profession. Plain and simple.)

Love the phrase, Graphic design is truly color-blind as the portfolio usually precedes the individual.
It's such a cool thought, but as we learn as we keep reading....the portfolio is really just the way to get your foot in the door. Once you're in, it's YOU and how you synergize with the company that will get you the job. YOUR attitudes and YOUR personality traits MUST become evident in the interview. So make sure you make plenty of eye contact, have a firm handshake, but make sure it's not a death grip, and most importantly, be yourself.

So what do employers want? Well, the list is long but distinguished. Let's just name them, shall we?

Talent, business savvy folk, intelligence, commitment, motivation, verbal skills (communication), appearance, organizational skills, technology, writing skills, flexibility, attitude, and references. I'm not so sure any of those actually need an explanation, but I will say that actually viewing these attributes and reading their descriptions gets you thinking about who you are and what you do. It gets you thinking about your attitude, your work habits, your talent...everything. But I think it's a great thing. And I think reading a book like this can keep your ego in check. Sure, we already know that we have to believe 100% in the stance that we take--passion & motivation--but at the same time, knowing that you're good and being talented are not the only aspects to consider.

Sure, Roz mentions that there's always room to negotiate if you're very talented, but still, you can be an incredible designer and lack a business approach...and you may lack flexibility....and who knows, maybe your attitude is awful. Does a company really want you if you can't do it all? Apparently they might, considering good help is near impossible to find.

I have such a hard time believing that, but then again, what hiring have I actually done? Oh, let's see...about none. The closest thing I've doen to hiring someone is giving an informal interview to an applicant at the bowling center upon completion of their application. That's. About. It.

Wow...more pointy finger bullet points...

The Candidate's Viewpoint is important. Oh hey, that's me...duh (please tell me you knew that was sarcasm!?!). Once again, Roz lists a whole bunch of stuff for us to consider, including professional growth, quality of clients, need for diversity, recognition, money, lifestyle, opportunity, position and the least important to me, children/parental care. Hey, ho, it's all self explanatory...so moving on...

During the interview, it might be a good idea to bring some additional portfolio material with you....maybe bring an old or your newest sketchbook....or perhaps some sketches for a project that is currently in your portfolio. Who knows. Roz also mentions personal artwork...but I think that if your best work is to be in your portfolio work, this might already be in your book, right?

I remember going to my IBM interview dressed in a shirt and tie, and when my soon to be "mentor" walked out in jeans and a wrinkled collared shirt, I was speechless. I felt so misplaced, even though the corporate atmoshpere around me told me that I was dressed correctly. I walked into the lab where I'd be working and all eyes were on me...probably because I was so dressed up and everyone was so dressed down. I was basically a bowling thumb next to a regular thumb. I looked good, but extremely mislaid. That's ok. It was fun and at that particular time, I didn't dress up all that often, so it was a cool change. I've come to learn, just as Roz mentions, that dressing up for an interview is NEVER a bad thing.

I highlighted Confirming appointments: Do it.

I highlighted a bunch of stuff under Interview Questions, too, but this post is already ridiculously long...dare I continue?

Honestly, the questions posed are ones that I need to think about, so while I'd like to discuss them, things like future goals and being interested in a firm are things that I have to think about. Being interested in a firm depends entirely on...well, duh...what firm it is, am I right? HA!

I saw the subtitle of Lunch / dinner / drinks and laughed. The first question I asked myself was whether or not it's acceptable to order a drink. But I don't drink all that much anyway, so don't get the wrong idea. I remember seeing a Sam Adams commercial a while back where the boss orders a water, then everyone else follows suit except the last employee. He, instead, orders a Sam Adams...the boss goes hmm...I'll have a Sam, too. The other two employees, now feeling dumb, also chime in and want a Sam. It's a great commercial and it speaks volumes. I won't dissect it here, but it's a great commercial. The fact that it's at least two years old and I still remember it also means it's a winning commercial. So I laughed when I read drinks...good memory, I suppose.

There's questions to ask the inteviewer, but I'm not typing them out here...sorry. Roz is basically telling you to learn more about the company....again, there has to be a synergy between the two. Just because the company likes you doesn't mean you'll like them. A tough fact to allow yourself to comprehend, because most people would jump on the opportunity to be hired if a company likes them. But yeah, I'm a strong believer that it has to go both ways.

Salary should be dealt with at the time of the interviewer. More on salary in a second.

And to conclude the interview, say thank you. Ask if you should meet again soon and/or who's to contact who. Send a note if you're not coming back soon...well, that's what Roz says, but I think a note should be sent even if you are going back. Granted you don't want to smother them with contact, I still think it's a very appropriate thing to do. It's common courtesy and decency to make sure people know how much you appreciate the opportunity to meet with them. I don't care who they are...it's a good thing to do.

As far as signing something...do people really say, oh I'll need to show this to my attorney? Or for the most part, do people take the risk and sign it at the time of the hire? Roz always says nothing can happen without risk...but here she's saying to play it safe. I agree safe is the way to go, but what on earth would an attorney charge to look over a contract like that?

References...bring the LETTERS to the interview. Uhh...PB said I don't need a written copy. I'm a little bit confused.

Rejecting an offer. Be courteous. Plain and simple. Be honest, but be careful about what you say. Basically you don't want to burn any bridges.

Alright...Salary and the money question. How much am I worth? Huh? Huh? Huh?
I'm not sure, and I'm certainly not going to list a number on my 'public' blog. Some pondering has to be done. :)

Roz has a couple of good links for us, including:
www.rga-joblink.com
www.salary.com
A Yahoo City Salary site

Benefits...
The opportunities I focued on were: Health insurance, Vacations/Holidays/Personal & Sick days, Pension plans, Continued education, Profit sharing, and bonuses.
The employee handbook is very important, as well, and you can be sure I'll grab myself a copy as soon as I can....well, once I find a job, that is.

Negotiating a salary is touchy, but Roz and her trusty pointed finger bullet points are here to lead the way.
*Nature of the position
*Long/Short-term goals of the designer
*Quality of the firm + its agenda
*Areas of specialization
*Market factors
*Location
*Benefits

All great things to consider, and because these factors can change drastically from one job to another, we just have to keep an open mind with each interview we take.

Rule of thumb which should be common sense...ask for a little more than you expect to get. And oh yeah, give yourself time to sleep on it.

Ok Roz, time for Cynthia to take the stage for a few minutes....move dowwwnnn the bench.

Ok C.Baron, I can name that tune in three notes....err...sentences.

1.) Changing colors, fixing images, and making them portfolio appropriate is a necessary, and sometimes easy step.
2.) Photoshop, or a similar program should be used to make the necessary adjustments before they can be put into your portfolio.
3.) Pay close attention to resolution, remembering never to scale up, but only to scale down...finding a more than appropriate size and scale for your artwork to be shown at its finest.

Oh man, I just won a million dollars on "Name That ...." heh...I've got nothing.

...and poof, snow you see on a tv screen...

***snow***