Recently, I have had the opportunity to work with many aspiring designers. Seeing the enthusiasm and creativity of the next generation of graphics professionals is always exciting and intriguing. The future is bright. Opportunities abound in both digital and traditional (ex.: display and print) design. Entertainment, gaming, big corporations, small businesses, non-profits, and agencies continue to seek talented creatives.
But what should a designer know, and how can they prepare for success in the marketplace?
That question is often posed. So, I decided to seek the answer by interviewing colleagues who hire and mentor designers. This is the first in a series of insightful interviews.
Insight from Steve Groller
Digital Marketing Director
What qualities do you look for in an applicant?
Steve: Once we review a resume and decide that a person has the necessary skillset for the position, we typically ask about a few things. First and foremost is time management. As an agency, we have a lot of clients, and work demands/deadlines can quickly become overwhelming. If an applicant can provide an example of how they effectively managed their time and completed several competing projects, it’s a major plus. We also often seek out “self-starters,” people that are willing to step outside their comfort zone, raise their hand to help with a project, express a desire to learn about clients they may not interact with day-to-day, get involved in networking or in our community involvement, etc.
In your opinion, what makes a successful interview?
Steve: For me, successful interviews are ones that feel effortless. As an agency, we typically won’t do a very formal interview with a specific set of questions. We lean more towards having a conversation with our applicants, getting a sense of their professional backgrounds, and asking about some of the qualities I mentioned above. If an applicant can communicate confidently and answer our questions completely (and with relevant examples from their experience), we’d consider that a great potential hire.
What is the value of a physical portfolio vs a digital portfolio? Preference?
Steve: As the lead of our agency’s digital marketing team, I would honestly be surprised to see an applicant come in with a physical portfolio. Digital portfolios are always great windows into what the person enjoys doing and the quality of the work they produce. For our department, the applicants definitely aren’t required to have a portfolio, but if they have one, I would say digital makes sense and is preferred.
How does the internet affect your interview/hiring process?
Steve: For one, it’s very easy to search for our applicants on social media. We don’t do it for every person that applies, but we do occasionally look at their profiles to see how they spend their personal time. It can also provide a window into someone’s personality that may not come across in an interview setting. We often prioritize applicants who seem like a good fit for our company’s “culture,” and that’s usually the hardest thing to glean from a sit-down interview. Having a look at their LinkedIn or Facebook accounts can help us with that.
What does your hiring process look like?
Steve: Because of the pandemic, we typically start with resumes and do a first round of screening with the ones that fit our requirements, have the requisite experience, etc. Then, we typically do a phone or Zoom interview that’s with 1 or 2 members of our team. If a candidate moves forward, we then invite them to our office for another in-person interview. During this in-person interview, we have the applicant meet with several members of the team/department they’d be working most closely with. After that point, we re-group and decide who we’d either like to see again for a second interview or, if we don’t feel one is necessary, we extend an offer to the person we feel is the best fit.
What are the five best things job candidates say that impress you during an interview?
Steve: Off the top of my head, here are 5 I can think of:
- Saying something about our agency showing that they’ve researched ahead of time (mentioning a client they’d enjoy working with or referencing some work that we have displayed on our website, for example) is a plus.
- If we didn’t mention it during the course of the interview, I always appreciate it when a candidate asks about the position in terms of why it’s open, if there was someone else in that position previously, why they left, etc.
- Being honest about what they enjoy vs don’t enjoy doing. Our agency offers a lot of mobility based upon both an employee’s skillset and the work they’re most passionate about. We want to set our employees up for long-term success, so knowing that upfront is great to know.
- Like I said before, tying answers to questions to actual examples from a candidate’s experience is something we look for. For students coming right out of college, examples from classes or extra-curricular activities are also fine. We always appreciate detailed answers and when those answers connect to something the candidate has actually done or accomplished.
- Asking us questions. We typically wrap up by asking the candidate if they have questions for us. The more specific the questions, the better. We’re not usually impressed by some of the more cookie-cutter questions like, “Can you describe what a typical work day is like for this position”? A genuine interest in learning more about our team, our clients, or the agency as a whole is always great.
What are the five worst?
- If a candidate talks badly about their current or previous role, it’s usually a red flag. That person may be one who burns bridges or may bring that negativity to our company.
- A candidate that answers questions too briefly. Most of the time, we’re asking open-ended questions. We want examples, anecdotes, and thorough responses. If we are given one-word answers to our questions, it’s not a good thing.
- An unwillingness to ask us any questions. Even if the question is about benefits, sick-time policy, work-from-home opportunities, or even the next steps after the interview is over, we appreciate that a lot more than someone who says they have no questions to ask us.
- Focus too much on shortcomings. As I said, if a person shows a willingness to learn and grow, we may still hire them even if they don’t have the exact amount of experience we’d prefer. To that end, if the candidate focuses on their strengths and recognizes weaknesses as a way to grow and learn, we will still be happy with the discussion.
- It hasn’t ever happened to me personally, but I think our expectation is to not bring up compensation at least until the second interview. We will typically ask candidates for a salary range that they feel is commensurate for the position and gauge that based on what we would offer if we decide to move forward. But bringing it up early on would be another red flag for us.
What platforms/software do you prefer to view portfolios/samples
Steve: Any sort of web-based tool has impressed me. Some applicants have built full-fledged websites to showcase their work (even on platforms like Wix or Squarespace), and that is sufficient for me.