[nycdunz]

I've been working at my current job for about 3 years now. I am looking to quita nd find another job. It's been awhile, but I've been working for small companies as a graphic designer for almost 6+ years now... I want to make more money, get benefits, etc, so I am seeking for work at a big company. However, I need some advice:

For my resume, should I have my Work History before my Education? Since I've not applying for an entry level position anymore? I was told by my friend this. Not sure what you think. I've always had my resume in this order: Objective, Education, Skills, Achievements, and then Work History last.

Secondly, do I really need a reference sheet, and if so, do I just list three friends who can vouch for me?

Thirdly, after the interview process, should I call them back to followup, or give it a few days before I do?

Fourthly, is a Thank You letter needed in order to land a job at a big company?

Lastly, I'm a graphic designer, so I don't have your 'typical' looking resume. It has sort of a designer look to it, with my personal logo on top. Should I stick to the traditional plain resume look or can I leave it this way? Also as far as salary requirements, what should I say? Should I leave it open for them to decide, or should I give them a range?

Is the best way to search for jobs now online? Or still the old fashioned classifieds in the newspapers? I've heard many good results from people using haf.org, aquent.com. And were able to find jobs quickly. Since there's an agent assigned to help you getting your job. They basically represent you, and deal with pretty much all the negotiations. All you have to do is show up to see the employer.

Thanks in advance. I'm really looking forward to getting a new job, making more money. I'm way underpaid for the past 6 years, maybe thats what you get for working at small companies. It's time for me to really step up. So I would appreciate what others have to say.

[Yose]

I joined up with Aquent this summer and have had some great success with my freelance placements. As far as my resume goes, I put my Objective, Skills, Experience, and Education in that order.

G'luck!

[nycdunz]

yose, so work experience/history comes before education? all these years i had it in the wrong order then...

anyways do you have a job agent assigned to you for aquent? and is it easy to find jobs from them?

[Nivag]

I've always been taught to put work experience before education and when i've been looking through CVs it's been the most common way of layout too.

[art_director]

good questions.

re: resume -- put education at the end as suggested. of the variables that one ranks below all else in this biz.

re: references -- 'available upon request' is your best bet. if they want 'em they'll ask.

re: follow-up -- drop a thank you card (handwritten) with a brief note in the mail the same day you meet with the prospective employers. it should reach them the following day. that makes you look professional, on the ball, and shows you have a grasp of etiquette. send a card to each person you meet with. also, be sure to reference some part of your conversation. for example, if you happen to have a similar outlook on design / type trends or whatever else may come of your talk.

be sure to ask for business cards from everyone you meet with. that will ensure proper spelling of their name(s) and correct mailing address.

VERY IMPORTANT -- go into each and every interview with questions, lots of 'em. you may onky ask a few but be prepared to ask many more just in case. many people make the mistake of not asking any, or very few, questions.

re: salary requirements -- you want them to bring up the cash. they probably won't. your task is to get it out of them. if you're against the wall and they ask your requirements, tell them your current salary but goose it because they'll try and lowball you. guaranteed.

re: resume -- the purpose is to communicate your credentials and experience. if the design gets in the way of that goal you've failed. keep it clean and with a personal twist / look / feel.

there's nothing wrong with looking for a job online. that said, try on your own before you have a service cut into your salary -- which, btw, is essentially what happens with any recruiting service.

have you looked at adweek.com? they have lots of listings that run the gamut. also, try networking. that's ALWAYS your best bet. that way you hear of jobs that never make it to ads / services.

one approach to consider is to look up designers / art directors / cds that do the type of work you aspire to. call them and ask if they'll meet with you and have a look at your book. they may / may not have a job or interest in you but they may in the future and they may know someone else who will.

finally, bring leave behind samples of your book -- multiple copies. try and print them 17" x 11" and bind them in some classy way.

good luck. job hunting sucks.

[BuddingAD]

I would also consider a leave behind digital portfolio. PDF - not powerpoint or the like. Make it open as a presentation and run as an interactive slide show.

That way, at their leisure, the potential employer can kick back and review the work.

I have also had many friends pick up a domain to display their work online.

As for searching, TalentZoo is nice also.

[peeb]

I would say tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Whether education comes before experience should depend on which ones they emphasise in the job posting. Be prepared to substantially re-write your resume to match the job.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by BuddingAD 

I would also consider a leave behind digital portfolio. PDF - not powerpoint or the like. Make it open as a presentation and run as an interactive slide show.

That way, at their leisure, the potential employer can kick back and review the work.

I have also had many friends pick up a domain to display their work online.

As for searching, TalentZoo is nice also.

Having reviewed many portfolios and done my share of hiring art directors and designers I would discourage this approach. Why?

1. More often than not the people in charge of hiring (CDs) do not have time to 'kick back' and review portfolios. Often it's a fast, down and dirty review. Make it easy for them and remove any obstacles. A printed book does just that.

2. On more than one occasion I've been given a DVD / CD with a digital portfolio that simply didn't work in my computer. Every one of those portfolios now sits lovingly in a landfill having never been reviewed. I gave them one chance for their disk to work. When it didn't I wasted no time, threw their resume with disk in the trash and looked to hire someone else.

3. Your portfolio speaks to everything about your work right down to the smallest detail. Onscreen it's often difficult to judge a print ad / design piece because it's not on a printed page. If you think I'm going to zoom in and scroll around to inspect your handling of type or to read body copy, etc. you're dead wrong. I'll walk away thinking too bad that book couldn't be read. Now where is my next meeting?

4. If you've ever worked in an agency / design shop you know portfolios of candidates are often left around people's offices or in communal areas of the shop. When that happens books get opened and looked at by everyone. By compartison, disks do not. Sometimes a busy CD will miss the brilliance of a portfolio only to have a creative staffer point out strong work. That can take your book from the NO pile to the YES pile in an instant. Meanwhile, the disks sit unless they're reels of TV and radio.

5. Slideshows of portfolios suck. That's an important point, let me say it again. Slideshows suck. Often the timing is too slow or too fast. Regardless, I want to review your work at my pace, not yours.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by peeb 

I would say tailor your resume to the job you are applying for. Whether education comes before experience should depend on which ones they emphasise in the job posting. Be prepared to substantially re-write your resume to match the job.

If a prospective employer emphasizes education over your work samples don't walk, run in the other direction. That's a sure sign of a creative department being run by suits rather than creatives. Seldom are such places happy for creative people.

[peeb]

I guess I was thinking more generally than the creative departments. I stand by the advice that you should tailor your resume to the job.

[art_director]

Originally Posted by peeb 

I stand by the advice that you should tailor your resume to the job.

Darn smart advice.

[Andrew Stephens]

Here's my short list of basic requirements for job application letters and CV's After looking at applications for over 10 years (both as a result of placed ads and random mailshots).

1) Use my name when addressing the letter. Dear Art Director etc does not cut it.

2) Spell everything in the letter and CV correctly.

These two points alone will place you in the 5% that I look at pile.

3) No fancy designer CV's. Just the facts. I'm going to look at your work to see if you can design.

Everything else is optional.