Miscellany
How not to get a job in design
Designers beware. You are not good enough and you will be spotted.
Fresh in my inbox today, a designer CV from yet another desperate deluded recruitment consultant who “feels his candidate is strong” and who is “available immediately”. Of course he’s available. He hasn’t been able to get any work because he’s anything but strong.
Key problems with this application (they are numerous and act as a “wot not to do” when touting for work / pimping out a candidate):
- CV is a PDF file, 14 pages long. WTF.
- Not a CV, but a C-Volio. Some sort of ugly cross-breed of something resembling a folio and reams of dull text and non-standard dimensions.
- Digital designer with no online portfolio. Please. Either, a) you can’t code, b) your site is temporarily down/broken, c) you’re bone idle, or d) you lied and didn’t do any of the work. Use carbonmade.com, set up a Flickr set behance.net yourself or make a site with exhibit/wordpress/blogger.
- Check your PDF when you output it. Don’t send out something with gaps where images should be.
- Typos are never acceptable. People who can use a computer are able to read a dictionary. Sometimes they even have friends who have also mastered the art. “Client’s projects”, not “Clients projects”. Apostrophes are still relevant in 2009.
- Sound like a designer, don’t sound like an accountant: Why put LTD after an agency name? Why say “Department achievements”?
I’m bored of this. I guess that there are people who won’t be working for a while.
Tags: behind the scenes, foolhardy, what every designer should know
Anonymous
people wont be working cause the market stinks atm. but hey, i agree with all of the above. when times are tuff, its time to tuffen up. crack on and crack out! get your shit together.
11 Feb 2:49 pm
Lordy Lordy
Get a hair cut!
11 Feb 3:15 pm
Nina
1. The standard for a CV is 2 pages, but I’m not sure what the standard is for a PDF portfolio? Nowadays folks have become lazy on creating a website so they just send their pdf of work around, which can’t be a substitute. A C-Volio is a type of teaser to go to your website and should hold the same brand, in my view. 4 pages max perhaps? Or 2 pages folio and 2 page CV? I prefer a CV to have no thrills and spills.
2. The other thing that bothers me whenever I look at a CV is when it’s in the first person and every paragraph starts with ‘I’. Will this person be able to work in a team if the “I” is so prominent, I always ask.
3. Links not found, is a big no-no. If the site is down, link to screenshots of what it used to look like. Or even worse is if an internal portfolio link links incorrectly. Frustrating and common in Flash websites.
11 Feb 9:49 pm
Chris
Solid list, Chomoi
The ’sounding like a designer’ part reassured me greatly. Who wants to employ a designer that sound like they have all the vigour and flair of a civil servant? (No offense to civil servants.)
In response to Nina’s annoyance at the multiple use of ‘I’s in CVs - surely this is largely unavoidable if the main objective is to sell yourself? Don’t be too harsh!
12 Feb 3:52 pm
Anonymous
why havent you been posting…. slacker. !
18 Mar 8:05 pm