electric angel /design for life

giz a job

it appears to be that time of year when students flock to our door looking for work. so firstly we need to say that we believe small is beautiful and we’ve no immediate plans to enlarge the electric angel team. but… we are nice folks and want to help how we can. so here are our top 10 tips for approaching potential employers, mostly based on the top 10 mistakes that students seem to make with us.

be ready for some hard work. your studies are a walk in the park compared with doing the rounds looking for a job. approach it with enthusiasm and determination – this is the point in your life when you may actually get paid for what you love doing. if you don’t feel that enthusiasm ask yourself if you really do want to work in design.
do your research. firstly find out the name of who you’re writing to or calling on. ‘to whom it may concern’ suggests you’re not the least bit interested and will guarantee your letter goes in the bin. likewise, turning up somewhere and not knowing the name of the designer or creative director just makes you look a bit lost and hopeless. our names are on this website but people still write and ring obviously not having bothered to take a look. secondly find out a bit about the work they do and when you meet ask some intelligent questions about it – it will go down well and prove you’re interested in working for them, not just looking for any old job.
look for advice as well as a job. don’t just put the phone down if you ring and are told there’s no job going – ask if you can come in anyway and have someone take a look your work. you’re out in the real world now and you need as many perspectives as you can get.
always ring first. designers are busy people and the chance of being able to turn up and see someone there are then is pretty remote. but many will make time to take a look at your portfolio and give some advice (us included) if you give them some notice – be prepared to fit in with their plans.
continue to learn. remember what people say about your work and if a pattern emerges make some changes. don’t be afraid to ask if you can go back to the same company and have them take a second look if you’ve made some changes – it shows you’ve been listening to them. if your work gets slated smile and say ‘thank you’, go away, cry, and then get out some paper and a pencil and start again to make it better.
market yourself. you’re a designer – prove it. think about something clever you can put in the mail or drop in at their studio that will make you stand out from the crowd. if you have an interview or chat have something to leave that will remind them of you and your work. if you’re sending/leaving work on a cd – make sure it at least has your name on it!
read the papers, browse the web. the yorkshire post is good for media news in leeds, websites such as bmedia (bradford and area), digital & creative york and leeds media have news stories from their members about what contracts they’ve won. a big contract or a company doing will may mean they’ll be looking for staff.
join a network. networks such as those listed above often have student membership and are valuable for meeting industry professionals. the north yorkshire coast’s network of creatives is creative coast and it’s free to join. always take your portfolio along to events – you never know who might be there and want to take a look!
work for free. ok, this isn’t viable in the long term but if there’s a company you really want to work for or would just value spending some time at then ask them if you can have a placement. they’ll respect that you need to still go for interviews during this time or even be working part-time to fit in with a job that’s paying the rent, but it shows that you’re motivated, you’re picking up valuable experience and who knows – you may even impress them enough to secure something more permanent.
don’t give up. if this is what you really want to do in life then stick at it. it may take time but it will be so worth it.