udonkey Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I have an interview with a company on Friday for a web development/graphic design position. Keep in mind, I am certainly not a professional in either, but with my experience and willingness to learn, I think the company is pretty interested (being that I got several emails and calls within a 24 hour period of applying online).Regardless, in order to best "sell" myself during the interview (as I have to take off work at my current job and drive 4 hours to get there), I put together a portfolio. The way I see it is that I might as well go all out, as this job pretty much could dictate the next 5 years or so of my life (I'm a 4th year college student - looking to move home w/ my folks for a year or so - a ~$30k/year job would help me bank big time).Anyways, I'll have the actual portfolio burned to a cd with me at the time of the interview, but I uploaded it to my webspace to get some input from you guys.Any advice welcome. Its basic, and I like it that way, but if you can think of any simple things that will make it better, let me know.http://www.who-deyshirts.com/mike/portfolio.htmlThanks in advance,Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frenchie Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 As a Frenchman, one thing jumped at me... please use the proper spelling of:RésuméBad enough to see web banners the say: Qu è bec and Montr è al, but the U with the accent grave does not exist in French.As for the rest of your portfolio, I like your personal site, the stripes in the background are different, the grey is discreat enough to actually highlight the actual content, your designs...You have showcased websites that all look different which is great, shows versatility, adaptability.Interviews are very important, you have to sell yourself, without sounding too cocky.You need to find out what is the employer's NEEDS, what they are looking for...I have dismissed candidates in hiring I ran becasue they were too cocky, I have won a job to a more qualified candidate becasue HE was too cocky.In my opinion a good designer, especially in the corporate world, has to be able to put HIMSELF SECOND, Client comes FIRST... The ability to LISTEN and translate strategy into a concept is what makes a good designer...I hope this helps...Break a leg. @Frenchie_TO Owner of the Rochester Americans of the MLH Owner of the Toronto Frenchies of the GCFHL6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcgd Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I was in your situation about 3 months ago. The number one thing is look sharp and be confident, not cocky. Dress for the position you want, not the one you have. This applies to before and after you are hired. If you feel overdressed, then your perfect! Light colored dress shirt (I've heard not to wear dark for some reason) and a basic suit with a striped tie looks great! Don't answer with just yes or No's, most of the time if your in there, they think that you are qualified for that position. They want to get to know you. Practice with an elder if you can and don't give up. I had about 8 interviews, before I had any successful ones. I'm sure I'm on the low end of the average for people leaving college. Also do some homework on the company if you can. One of the first questiosn will always be "Why did you apply to ____?" Instead of saying "Well, I need money." tell them how you liked some of the work they had done before. Mention you wanted to be part of a successful company and that you want to help them continue to grow. Stuff like that, they love it!that being said I think you have an excellent portfolio and you've laid it out well. There's a couple pieces that aren't as strong as the others (the cididads...however you spell it is one) but all in all it shows good balence. One crit on your work in general is that its pretty inside the box, which isn't a bad thing at all! I'm not all that inovative either. But it'd be good to throw in one or two pretty creative, different, dare I say "out-there" pieces. But back it all up with good solid design, which you have! My favorite piece, and I told you this when you posted it before, is the Focus in the Field. I really like that.I'd also if you have time, get a portfolio on paper. The worst thing that could happen to you is you get in there and your CD doesn't work. Or your webpage doesn't work. Have it all on paper so you are sure they'll be able to see your work! Make it clean, mount all pieces, and DON'T USE PLASTIC SLEEVES! I had them for the longest time and it just doesn't look as nice as well mounted pieces on a neutral grey board. Optional is having them lose so you can lay them out. My portfolio is in a metal laptop case, all boards are cut into I believe 11x13 in. You can have this done at a hobby lobby for like 20 bucks including the board. (Don't worry, it costs money to get a job usually!)If you get the job, again, dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Also, one thing i quickly learned, sucking up is not neccessarily a bad thing. Say you have a boss that the others don't get along with. Don't fall into their thinking immediatly. Your new, its ok to suck up for awhile. then become discruntled when your securely there (I'm kidding of course, I'm sure you'd love any graphics job, just as i have!) Also, be very prepared to know pretty much nothing. They didn't teach us how to deal with tight deadlines, lazy vendors, and stingy customers. Also exptec to be treated like you know nothing by your coworkers. When you get to design, leave your mark. Most likely those first projects you'll get are gonna be for non-profit organizations (as someone coming out fo school) so that your company won't be making any money. This means, you have a little more freedom in your design. Leave a mark early. I hope I've helped out a little. Sorry about the book but I want you to be prepared as much as you can! I had to learn alot of this stuff on my own cause nobody told me. These are mainly tips I learned from my own job search within the last 6 months. Good luck and I hope that we have another professional graphic designer on the boards very soon!Best wishes,pc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udonkey Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Frenchie: Thanks for the heads up. As an Italian, I do not not the slightest thing about French. I made the change asap after reading your comments last night.PC: Thanks for the in depth write up. Even though I've had plenty of interviews thus far in my life (some professional, others more "college kid jobs"), I guess you can never be too prepared.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Any (cost effective - i.e. cheap) suggestions how to present the CD? I was thinking about just running to the store and picking up some of the adhesive labels and working on a unique cover, but I'm still not sure. I just want to have the attention to detail...Oh well, thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeenVol Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 You have a good set of work to show and I think you have a done a good job of laying it out. There are two things that jumped out at me right from the start...and these may seem nick picky but I have been through a lot of interviews in the design world so take it for what it is worth...1. Be consitant with your font usage. You have very readable type in your web section that pops up when you roll over the image, but in your graphics section you used a script font that is hard to read and takes away from your image. Use the same font for both and don't let the display font outweigh your image.2. You have some good logos you are showing to potential employees, but your own logo needs to reflect your creativity. I don't get that from looking at it. The use of "Marker Felt" (I think that is what it is) isn't working. Really try and produce something that is about you and reflects some of who you are, and don't be afraid to use some color combinations. The grey would work, but spice it up some. From your work you show your talent, but your logo does not reflect that to me at all.3. And lastly, link your websites to the actual pages. Have them open from your website in a new window so that a potential employer does not have to search for the page themselves. My best advice for a website, especially a portfolio website, is to make it as easy as possible for the viewer to see all of your work. A good employer is going to want to see how the websites you have worked on flow. They can not do that from just a thumbnail or image. I don't know if you will be able to do this on your cd, but I would do it for your website.Just as pcgd said be as professional as humanly possible, and fully prepared. Have questions to ask the employer once he is done asking his. It will show that you have really put a lot of thought into this interview, and that you are not just going through the motions. Also if you are only going to take a cd on the interview make sure you take multiple copies and check them all before you go!!! As pcgd said, you don't want to get there and have nothing work, and then have nothing to show. If at all possible have hard copies (print outs) of your work, display them in a portfolio, and mount them on illustation boards if possible. You don't want to go in there looking like you just threw something together.Hope some of this helps. I think from what I have seen you should feel confident going into the interview, but don't get down on yourself if it doesn't work out. I didn't go on a lot of interviews in the design world because I got every job!Good luck...and let us know how it goes. Let me know if I can help you out in any way.Brianbrian@suburbstudios.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcgd Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 take a music cd for the case. Then just measure and print for your covers and back cover. If you print on glossy photo paper it looks really nice (I've done the same thing before) and then probably either adheasive labels or just have a plain silver CD. Sometimes underdoing it will look the best in the end. If you want to later send this out to potential clients, inside the booklet maybe have your resume lookin' like the Song List and have some examples of your work in there. Yeah I figured you'd have had interviews before. But you can never hear that stuff enough!Once again, good luck and keep us all posted!Peace,Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
udonkey Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 It turns out that they are going to be considerate of my schedule/current living arrangements, and rather than give me 2 days notice to get out of work and drive 4 hours for an interview, they're going to mail me the paperwork, have me fax it back, then conduct an interview over the telephone.Should give me a few more days to get prepared.I'll be working on a new "MRG" logo...I threw the one thats up there together pretty quickly just to be done, as I spent a fair amount of time on the flash menus.The reason that the websites are not linked to the actual pages is because some of the pages are no longer active online. I will add links (to open in a new browser) to the pages that are still current.Thanks again for the advice. I'll keep you guys posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeenVol Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 If some of the websites are not still active you can still show them of full view of the page you have within a different window. If you have those images I would at least link them to a full size view of what the website looks like. It will give them a better feel for what the design looks like within a web page. Link the ones that are still active.Glad some of the pressure is off of you. Hope everything works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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