Advice for Advertising, Graphic Design and Interactive Design Students Looking for a Job

... from the AIGA Design Conference in Dallas.

This is the most important and most popular break-out session of the conference and for good reason. It is a tough job market otut there and there is a lot of competition, especially when you're competing against students AND professionals. Doesn't make finding a job a good prospect, let alone a really good job. But I'm about to give you a lot of great tips and techniques you can use to help find a job and get you motivated in the process.

Right now I liken you to salmon spawning; some of you are going to make it, some of you won't. You are going to need talent, confidence, and a motivated attitude to find a job. There is a lot of competition out there. To be successful, you must find or create opportunities.

First off, if you haven't started yet, bust your butt in school and start getting competitive. I believe (cause I've seen it for 10 years now) that where you stand in school directly relates to the job you are going to get. Not once have I seen someone get a job straight out of school that they didn't deserve, and a lot of you are going to be sending your books to many of the same people. You must have a portfolio that shows you are able to creatively and effectively solve problems and an attitude that shows you are willing to work really hard.

1. THE JOB HUNT

Job-hunting is going to be a continual process because job-hopping is common in our industry , and for a good reason. It keeps you fresh with new experiences and creative influences, so you need to get good at it. Let us begin by recognizing opportunities:

  1. Team up! One of the most underutilized strategies is to align your self with an art director, copywriter or designer and market yourselves as a team. This will expand your marketing services offerings, strengthen your professional appearance and will help legitimize you to prospective clients, whether advertising agencies or small businesses. Added benefit ... you can charge more.
  2. Network, Network, Network. Whether in online, at a party, in business situations, even extended family and friends, never stop promoting yourself. Design your own business cards. Show them what you can do in a 2.5 X 3 inch space. Hand them out to everybody you know.
  3. Be creative in your use of connections. Family, friends, friends of friends, people you know who own their own businesses. Everybody needs some form of advertising and design. Find them
  4. Think for other people as to how they can help you. Don't expect them to help you, even if you ask for it. Follow their six degrees of separation. Who do they know that could use your talents, etc?
  5. Keep your eye out for, and create, new opportunities.
  6. Look through magazines and newspapers and pull out bad ads and bad design. Call the company and sell your services.
  7. Cold call with intent (Sell your student work or find a client that needs help. Re-design something for them, tell them you have something to show them and be able to argue the benefits.
  8. Ask family and friends with small businesses or who work at companies if they need your advertising, design or marketing services. There is a lot of work out there, especially if you are good and affordable. Identify their problems and show how you plan to fix them. Think strategically.
  9. Don't limit yourself to just ad agencies and design firms. Think client side, too. Find a product or service you enjoy or know a lot about and contact them directly. See if they have an internal design or marketing department. If not, who is their agency of record or see if they'll let you do some project work.
  10. Get involved and get recognized NOW! Write articles, shoot photography, volunteer your time and services to and industry organization. These are the organizations that your potential employers attend and support.
    1. AIGA http://www.aiga.com
      1. DFW/AIGA http://www.dfw.aiga.com
    2. Dallas Society of Visual Communications - DSVC http://www.dsvc.org
    3. Dallas Fort Worth Interactive Marketing Association - DFWIMA http://www.dfwima.org
    4. The Dallas Ad League
    5. ILLUSTRATORS SOCIETY
  11. Use search engines to creatively search the web and creative industry publications for leads. Follow links. Search under different terms. Sign up for all the freelance and fulltime job directories you can find like Hotjobs, Monster, Careerbuilder and remember, any organization looking for an AE, CD, Business development, writer, designer, art director, marketing manager, advertising director, etc. will have a need for your skill sets. Job sites and resources to begin with:
    • Guru.com
    • iFreelance.com
    • AdGuys.com
    • Creative Group
    • AdWeek
    • BrandWeek
    • Creativity Magazine
    • Archive
    • The one show
    • Print
    • CA
    • Creativeloafing.com
    • Local ad clubs in all cities
    • Atlanta Graphic Arts Guild
    • Craigslist.org
    • Talentzoo.com
    • Creativehotlist.com
    • Creativecentral.com
    • Findcreative.com
    • Marketingtool.com
  12. Search for jobs overseas and don't be afraid to move. I have friends who have worked in London, Amsterdam, Singapore and loved it. Don't overlook it.
  13. Don't be afraid to go to a GOOD shop in a second tier market like Phoenix, Tulsa, OKC, New Orleans, Lafayette, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Portland, etc. This may not be a town you want to stay in for life, but for a 1-2 year stint they are great for experience, can be inexpensive to live in, and give you different perspectives. There may not be as many creative professionals in these towns as Dallas, Chicago, NYC, LA, etc, but they do find each other.
  14. Continue to work and build your "real" portfolio no matter what!

2. MARKETING and PRESENTATION OF YOUR ONLINE PORTFOLIO

  1. NO FLASH INTROS ON YOUR website! Ad pros are very busy. Don't make me sit through a presentation I didn't ask for. Make it an option in your portfolio. That gives you one more piece in your book and I'll be more apt to appreciate it.
  2. Make the navigation clean, simple, and don't surround your portfolio pieces with distracting design. I don't mean your individual pieces have to be "clean", just the presentation of them. I like to see a brief description/history of the client, the problem, and the solution.
  3. Send very short, concise emails to both the HR department and the Creative Director about who you are and what you want. Give me a reason why I should visit your site. You can write a generic email that you cut and paste, but personalize the heading if you know their first name. HTML and Flash emails are fine if they work and aren't too big or too long.
  4. Even though we're living in a digital age, I still appreciate getting something in the mail , even if it is just a postcard. You would be amazed, even in this day and age, what you can stick an address label on and mail! Be creative! Lobsters, Zip-lock baggies, etc. HR Example
  5. Concept is king! The reason I was the first writer to win the Dick Sloan Award (typically photographers, illustrators, Art Director's) was not because I had the tightest book, but because my concepts and solutions were stronger than everybody else's.

3. THE INTERVIEW

  • Get a web site. I don't even consider talent unless they can put up a simple online portfolio.
  • NO FLASH INTROS on your web site! Ad professionals are very busy. Don't make me sit through a presentation I didn't ask for. Make it an option in your portfolio. That gives you one more piece in your book and I'll be more apt to appreciate it.
  • Make the navigation clean, simple, and don't surround your portfolio pieces with distracting design. I don't mean your individual pieces have to be "clean", just the presentation of them. I like to see a brief description/history of the client, the problem, and the solution.
  • Send very short, concise emails to both the HR department and the Creative Director about who you are and what you want. Give me a reason why I should visit your site. You can write a generic email that you cut and paste, but personalize the heading if you know their first name. HTML and Flash emails are fine if they work and aren't too big or too long.
  • Even though we're living in a digital age, I still appreciate getting something in the mail, even if it is just a postcard. You would be amazed, even in this day and age, what you can stick an address label on and mail! Be creative! Lobsters, Zip-lock baggies, etc.
  • Concept is king! The reason I was the first writer to win the Dick Sloan Award (typically photographers, illustrators, art director's) was not because I had the slickest book, but because my concepts and solutions were stronger than everybody else's.

4. THE JOB

  • Don't stop seeking growth just because you've graduated school. This is only the beginning.
  • Carry a notebook with you at all times. Ideas do not limit themselves to when you are sitting at the computer. It also shows others you love what you do and are always thinking about creative solutions.
  • Unless you are a fine artist or are doing fine art, 'thinking outside the box is B.S.' To me, "the box" is the Advertising Creative Brief and it is your job to remain within the marketing strategy, working your way out from the center and deep into its corners and crevices. There is where you will find original ideas. That is how you will create effective advertising. Explained another way. Think of the Advertising Creative Brief as a set of railroad tracks. You can go as far as you want as long as you stay on track. Your chances of getting great work produced increase if you can defend it through the Advertising Creative Brief.
  • The client cares more about solving problems than they care about slick production. To them, it is all about the bottom line, so your aesthetic thinking should have a strategic foundation.
  • Be a team player. If the politics get too bad, move on. Look for good leadership. If you aren't getting it, move on.
  • The client will let you do what you want as long as they like it.
  • If the client has a family member who has heard of design or can draw something that resembles a stick figure, they will probably get involved.
  • Creative freedom sucks. It sucks time and it sucks money. Always get an Advertising Creative Brief so you know where the parameters lie.
  • The best way to defend your creative is to do the research first. Research, research, research. Know your product and target market inside and out. Find that one nugget of information that leads to a simple, yet effective solution.
  • Time is not money; time is life, an extremely more precious commodity.
  • Keep it real and remember that living your life is priority number one.

5. OUTSIDE OF WORK

In order for your design to evolve, you have to evolve. Open yourself up to new ideas and new experiences. Life is not a dress rehearsal. You only get one shot. Aim for the middle. I suggest some of the following social gatherings that will expand your perspectives.

  • Burningman
  • Carnival in Rio De Janerio
  • The Rainbow Gathering
  • The Houston Art Car Parade
  • Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
  • Shiner Beer Festival
  • International Music Festival in Lafayette
  • Dallas International Music Festival
  • New Orleans Jazz Festival
  • Chicago Jazz Festival
  • Dallas Blues Festival
  • TDCTJHTBIPC
  • The Park City Film Festival
  • The Houston Show
  • The Houston Film Festival
  • The Dallas Show
  • Deep Ellum Film Festival
  • TOPS
  • Creative Summit
  • All AIGA conferences
  • All local creative and industry events
  • All advertising / design award shows
WordGuy, Freelance Copywriter, is an Internet Marketing Consultant specializing in web site copywriting, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) copywriting and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategies. WordGuy became the foundation for TagTeam Advertising and Web Site Design, a Dallas advertising agency with extensive strategic partnerships to include F2 Communications, a Dallas graphic and web site design firm, INCITE! Public Relations and Promotions, a Dallas public relations firm and PR firm in Dallas that develops public relations, event promotion, employment recruitment and employment retention strategies for small to mid-sized growth companies; and Agency Marketing, a Dallas marketing consultant that develops marketing strategies, marketing research, media planning, media buying, audio production, video editing, and voice-overs. These Dallas Marketing Firms are subsidiaries of BMFAgency.com.