Creative Job Applications: You’re doing it wrong!

If you are wondering why you keep getting rejections or not even getting an interview despite being experienced and capable, read on to see what the people who read your application really want. 

(FYI: I do the job postings, resume and portfolio review, interviews and hiring in my current position and did the same in my last job.  This is in addition to working full time. I desperately want good designers to work with me but they are hard to find.)

Portfolio:

· Think presentation, presentation, presentation. The faster I can see your work the better. If you are lucky, I have two uninterrupted minutes to review your work.  Up to two hundred people can apply for some positions so find a way to make your work stand out by being the most efficient layout I receive.  Your ability to condense what I really need to see will earn my respect and be remembered. 

· Give brief descriptions of the pieces you have chosen. If you’re a junior, your creative director’s input needs to be listed.  Did you take the photograph?  Did you conceptualize the layout?  Did you repurpose something that was already designed (hint: this is called collaboration)  If you did everything from concept through finish, then that’s great and I need to know it without waiting for the interview to ask you.

· Pay for a real website!  You’re a professional so this is what you do for a living and it is a necessity.  Behance pro sites are inexpensive and professional looking; where they are not my favorite, I would still rather see one of those than nothing at all. Adobe Muse is also really good and super easy for anyone who has ever used inDesign.

· If you have a long url create a vanity one, there are a ton of resources on how to do this.

· If you’re applying for a senior position do not show your school work unless it is genuinely incredible.  Chances are it is not, although if you really love a piece consider doing an updated revision.   

· Be cautious with dated material. A poster from 1999 isn’t relevant anymore; just take the date off if the work is still great.

· Don’t show anything political, religious, or drug affiliated unless you designed for a non-profit.  You don’t know what the person reviewing your work thinks of those topics and you do not want to risk alienating someone with differing views.  Those are topics for your personal life, not your professional one, learn the difference. 

Years of experience are irrelevant to me; let your portfolio speak for itself.  If you have ten years’ experience it will show in the quality of your work.  I would rather hire a strong five years than a mediocre ten.

 Resume:

· Clickable links are a must in any web designer’s resume.  Don’t make me waste time clicking more than twice to get to your portfolio or I will get annoyed before I start my review. 

· Give me your portfolio or the clickable link to it. Don’t make me ask for it because I won’t.

· Traditional resume layouts are good for a reason. Don’t make me re-learn a new way to read information.  But…

· Design your resume. Word resumes lose formatting over most upload systems.  It shouldn’t be crazy but should be obviously organized and well thought out.

· Use InDesign, not Photoshop for your resume design.  If you say you can use InDesign I expect it to show.  This is a pass/fail test.

· Resumes can be more than one page if you have the experience to need the space.

· Stop telling me your objective. You’re applying for a position, I know what you want. Most of you write fluff anyways. 

Contact:

· Record a voicemail!  I don’t want to leave a message for 555-555-5555 in hopes that it’s the right person, make it personal and professional. 

· Have a grown up e-mail address.  I don’t want “HeartsandPonies12@XYZ.com” or “Death2Government@AngryTeens.com” to work for me. 

· Keep your resume updated with the correct email and phone number for me to reach you.  Make sure you regularly check that email address including the spam box. 

Impressions:

·  Your cell phone company’s music while I wait for my call to connect is horrible and makes me want to hang up before we talk.

· Don’t apply for both Jr. and Sr. positions. You are either one or the other.  It sounds like you do not understand what is required of either position when you apply for both.

· If you majored in math but are doing design, please briefly clarify why.  And, have an incredible portfolio to show that it’s more than a hobby.

Hope this helps get you the interview your desire.