Tips for Hiring and for Getting Hired
I haven’t looked at the latest “unemployment” data lately, but everywhere I’ve looked I’m seeing tons of job postings, the market is ripe enough for niche job boards that will ultimately help get the right people in front of the right companies. Businesses want to hire good people – good people want to work for good companies, yet the whole process seems to be so difficult. The question begs to be answered, how do you find those companies that need your skills, and for the companies, how do you find people that have the skills that you need?
Get Hired
- Learn the craft of the profession you want to work in. Companies don’t want to train you to do the job. They might train you to do the job better, but they will not teach you how to do the job. You’re on your own there.
- Learn about the companies that you want to work for. Read their websites, know their work, try to get in touch with people who know about them. A few resources for this kind of research are: Core77/BusinessWeek Design Firm Directory, The Firm List, Agency Compile. If you are really thorough, you might even consider getting a credit check on the company that you are thinking about working for (nothing could be worse than working for a company that isn’t profitable, or that has financial troubles – you want your skills to go towards good design, not finance issues).
- Keep your resume and portfolio updated.
- Wear nice (interview ready – maybe even a tie) clothes to work at least once a week. It’ll keep your current boss on his toes, keep your wardrobe current, and over time it will stifle any suspicion that you might be thinking of jumping ship. Don’t let them take you for granted.
- Stay in touch with past contacts, they might be your doorway to a new job.
- Be honest with your portfolio, make it very clear what you are responsible, and the roles that other people played.
- Keep learning, you never know what skills you’ll need in the future. If it seems good, you’ve got to try and learn it.
- Look for jobs outside of your region – even if you don’t want to relocate, other markets may have more jobs that fit your unique skill set. If nothing else, you can learn from these job posts – what are people looking for? Is my skill set marketable? Did I learn the right things to get me a job?
- Don’t be satisfied with an online resume submission. Chances are, your super-star skills will be glossed over. Call, or visit in person to make sure that a human being got your resume.
Hire
- Learn about the skill that you want hire. Not from one of your business books, but from real people who do the thing that you want to have done. Get out and talk to people, who knows – you might actually find the person you need without hiring a recruiter.
- Talk to local University Professors. These guys worked with the people you want to hire for several years. Chances are the best of the best still maintain some sort of relationship with their college mentors. They can help you find new blood, as well as seasoned designers that might be potential hires
- Post your job description in places where it counts (NOT in the local newspaper). Think hard here — what are the websites that the people I want to hire are visiting? Can I post the job description there? It can’t hurt to ask. A couple years ago, when I was working at Humaniz we asked Cameron Moll to post a job on his site, he did, and we found some great people (now he’s even got his own job board).
- Take your time! Do you really need to hire the wrong person? All the time and effort you’ll spend looking for the right person will be miniscule compared to the time you’ll lose if you hire the wrong person.
- Ask for and check references – how hard is that?
- Demand the most from your applicants – you’ve only got them for a couple hours, so your interview had better be thorough, if you hire them, they’ll forgive you.
Resources for finding and posting design jobs:
- The Local University – Businesses: talk to people who know the people you wan to hire. Job Seekers: Part of the job of your university is to find you a job. They are not successful unless you are working and making lots of cash. They will (and should) want help you.
- Niche Job Boards – the ones specific to the your industry and that cater to the audiences you want to hire or work for (try the job board at 37Signals.com or Authentic Jobs )
- Design Job Boards – Not as niche, but cater to a larger audience (Aiga design jobs, Creative Hot List, How Design, Corloft jobs, Aquent, Graphic Arts Guild Jobline, AIGA, IDSA Employment, SEGD Job Bank, Ad Week, American Advertising Federation, Talent Zoo – to name a few)
- Internet Job Board Conglomerates – you’ve got to get your resume out on Monster, Simply Hired, Career Builder, Yahoo Hot Jobs, Indeed, and anything else you can find. If nothing else, you are covering all your bases, and getting some good practice at submitting your resume.
- Linkedin – a great social networking site. You can perform a search for the company you want to work for and see if you are connected to anyone there who might be able to give you an “in.” The service is also a great way for you to stay in touch with past colleagues.
- Craigslist – subscribe to the job RSS feed. You can see what is going on in your region, what people are looking for, and you’ll be notified instantly of any new jobs that become available.
- Others?
There’s just a few tips that hopefully give you a place to start, you’ll just need to get active, prove yourself, being willing to take the first opportunity to come along (nothing says you have to keep it). If you’re talented, diligent, and patient, good things will come your way.
Incidentally, If you’ve got super-star skills in interaction design, experience (5-10 years), great people skills, and a passion for all things design, there’s a job waiting for you here.