Hiring Designers: It's getting really difficult.
We’re always looking for talented designers. We’re not asking for much, besides the obvious prerequisite of just being good designers, they need to be good natured, honest, hardworking, reliable & punctual. That's all. Pretty standard right? & I absolutely love my team & we’ve made some terrific hires! But Yeah, things are getting a little harder. Over the past 2 years the following is what we noticed…
The call: So a CV comes by my desk and like every CV there's a mobile number right there. I like what I see, and so naturally, I call the number. BUT apparently most folks now don’t answer unknown numbers. Well I'm sorry President Obama I will get in touch with you via your secretary next time. My apologies.
The ghost: So you get in touch with an applicant. They're receptive and you setup up a google meet interview with them. Ok, so far so good. And then you log on to the google meet, they don’t show up & you’re just staring at a black screen with your initials in a pastel colured circle, like a complete baffoon. I mean, an email, a text wouldn't harm anyone would it? We’ve started making bets in the office if an applicant will show up or not. WHAT IS GOING ON!?! Hell, we’ve been ghosted by someone who was suppose to come in to the office for an interview, 15mins in, I called and asked where they were. They replied with ‘it slipped my mind, oops’ um, what?
The can I WFH: Asking a prospective employer whether you can work from home is absolutely fine. But to make it an absolute mandate in your job hunt is self-destructive. Some companies are cool with this because it works for their business. Let me explain. Good design, especially in a team is a collaborative endeavour. You learn from your fellow designers. You see and experience new things. If a company just has you making brochures, then sure you can do that from home. & nothing wrong with that if that's your jam. But if a design studio is into apparel design, product design etc. WFH is a recipe for stagnation. I've witnessed this first hand. Think of all the growth and opportunity you’re missing out on.
The big company paradox: Over the past 2 years we’ve hired people from large corporations. And normally you would assume ‘wow, that's a big name, This designer must be strong with the force.’ and that is true to a degree. More often than not, they’re very good at one thing but only one thing. Because they’ve been a tiny cog in a giant machine they've only done one task over and over again. & a design studio needs dynamism. The ability to adapt and wear different design hats. Anyway, we never judge a book by its cover, big or small.
The Diva: Here's a story, this actually happened. We found a very talented designer who applied to our opening. We arranged a google meet interview, they showed up (wooo celebrations) & the arrogance could have been sold by the kilo! They compared themselves to Da Vinci amongst other very douchie cues. I mean, my guy, if you want people to hire you, not being a prick is a great idea. & when asked if they would complete a small assignment, they paused and replied with ‘Can I let you know if I want to do the assignment?’ wow. So sigma. sure man. You do you. We’re here to serve oh great master! In my early 20’s I was an entitled lil punk too & thought the world owed me something. I’ll never forget what a wise colleague told me then, he said “Everyone is replaceable” he’s right and I’ll never forget that.
The maverick: ok. So you apply for a job. & it would make sense to read up about a place that would pay you your salary and you’re going to spend 10 hrs a day there. Right? Right? NOPE! You’ll be surprised at the number of people who show up for an interview and they have no idea what the business does! So then why did you apply? Is there a game show called ‘spin the job offer’ that we don't know about? Like to live dangerously eh? Live dangerously somewhere else then.
The work life balance, on steroids: Hey I get it. You should totally work to live and not live to work. Back in the day, I learnt that the hard way when I used to sleep under my desk and not go home for days. Thats no way to live. But “I need to leave every day at 6 o’clock sharp and Thursdays don’t work for me” are some scary demands for a fresher. Don’t be that person.
The Flightmaster: ok so, if you’ve jumped 6 jobs in the past 2 years. That's just not a good look man. Red flag. Yes, very contradictory to the current trend.
The photographer: This one is petty and doesn't really matter, but hey man, when in blog-rome. Photography is a legitimate hobby. And there are folks who are genuinely fantastic at it! 80% of the CV’s we get have photography listed as a skill. But if you borrowed an SLR for a day in grad school it DOESN'T QUALIFY AS A HOBBY! You don't see people write michelin star chef if they learn to cook Maggi do you?
The corel drawer: No.
