Take the Open Door
In last week’s article we presented various tips and advice on how to prepare for a job as a graphic designer.

There were three things that were identified as being important for qualifying for a graphic design job—education through a qualified graphic design school, a good portfolio of your work and a variety of work/intern job experience.

In part two of How to Get Noticed When Applying for Graphic Design Jobs, we’ll go over some practical advice on how to handle a job interview.

Simple Rules for Your Job Interview
Hiring managers see many individuals for job interviews. After a time applicants start to all look the same. This is not a good thing if you are one of the many who are applying for that specific graphic design position.

Here are a few tips on how to stand out and prepare for your job interview:

* Do Something Memorable - Since there are a good number of people applying for the same position you are applying for, it is a good idea to do something that will make your interview memorable for the hiring manager. At the conclusion of your interview you can give the interviewer your business card or something that you designed, a pen or pencil with some graphics you created for the barrels for instance, as an attention getter.
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* Groom Properly - This should be a given but not everyone takes this advice to heart. When you show up for a job interview be certain to dress properly. Each firm will have its own style or dress code but take the safe route and don’t dress too informally. When in doubt, dress neatly.
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* Be Prepared - In virtually every interview you will be asked the question, “Why do you want to work for this company?” The reason that you do not want to give is, “I need to find a job.” What you can do is to emphasize what you can do for the company–how you would be an asset to the overall operation, how you can contribute, and what you want to accomplish while working there.
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* Be Yourself - An old-school comedian once said, “If you can fake sincerity, you’ve got it made.” Although the statement was made cynically, the truth of the matter is that being sincere and being yourself is better than trying to be overly confident or aggressive. Many job interviewers are highly tuned to the situation that job applicants often “embellish” upon their accomplishments. Be straightforward about your abilities and talent. If you have limited work experience emphasize what you have learned while going to graphic design college.
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* Communicate Freely - Be sure to answer all questions in a thorough and concise manner. If there are periods of silence during the interview while you struggle to answer questions, this is a red flag to the interviewer that you may not be able to work in a team situation where lots of communication between co-workers is needed.

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Next Time
In the conclusion to this series we’ll delve into what sort of mindset you should have while seeking employment such as how to handle discouragement and maintain a positive attitude. Until next time, take care.

Need an Extra Boost?
Whether you are a professional graphic designer seeking to hone your skills or someone who wants to learn more about the ins and outs of Adobe’s InDesign, the 2010 InDesign Seminar Tour is coming to a location near you to help.

Students who are attending graphic design school may find the tips and techniques in this series very helpful in understanding and using this page-layout program.

Graphic designers can gain knowledge in how to boost their productivity by incorporating Photoshop, Illustrator, and Word files to create complex page designs.

Where, and When
These one day events will be held at various locations throughout North America. Click on each of the dates/locations near your area for further details.

March 9, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA
March 23, 2010 - Boston, MA
April 6, 2010 - Milwaukee, WI
April 20, 2010 - Saddle Brook, NJ
May 4, 2010 - Philadelphia, PA
May 18, 2010 - Toronto, Canada
June 8, 2010 - Dallas, TX
June 22, 2010 - Minneapolis, MN
August 10, 2010 - San Francisco, CA
September 21, 2010 - Chicago, IL
October 13, 2010 - Washington D.C.
November 9, 2010 - New York City, NY

Seminar Details
Each seminar session will cover the topics of:

* 10 Tricks Every InDesign User Needs to Know
* Text and Graphics
* Layout Techniques
* InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator: Put ‘Em Together
* Troubleshooting
* 20 Free Scripts, Plug-ins, and Resources You Must Have
* Problem? Solution

The InDesign seminars will be taught by various leading graphics professionals in the industry.

Advanced registration fee for each location is $129. The fee will increase to $149 after the advanced registration deadline. Check your specific listing for the registration schedule.
For a chance at a free pass to the seminar of your choice, click here.

Students in graphic design college and graphic designers can get the information and training they want in this fast-paced one-day seminar.

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The Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA) is a graphic design competition and computer application competition that seeks the best and the brightest student talent in the fields of graphic design, illustration, photography, animation, digital film, computer art, and computer applications.

If you are currently enrolled as a full-time student you are eligible to enter this contest for a chance to win cash prizes and Adobe software products.
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Entry Categories
There are three major categories in this contest with several linked subcategories:

Interactive Media

* Browser-Based Design
* Non-Browser Based Design
* Application Development
* Mobile Design
* Installation Design

Video and Motion

* Animation
* Live Action
* Motion Graphics

Traditional Media

* Illustration
* Packaging
* Photography
* Print Communication

Full detailed descriptions for these classes can be found by clicking here.

Contest Guidelines

• The contest is open to individuals 18 years or older that are enrolled as full-time students. (See full contest rules for restrictions)
• Submitted entries may be reclassified from one category to another at the judges discretion.
• Entries must be the original work of the submitter.
• Deadline for entries is June 4, 2010.
• Submitted entries must be created with at least 50% or more with Adobe tools in Adobe software formats.

The complete rules and guidelines for this graphic design contest can be obtained by clicking here.
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Judging
Adobe states on its website:

“The entries, whether submitted by an individual or a group, shall be judged together in each category on a points system, based on originality, effectiveness in meeting the communication objective, and contestant(s) skills in applying Adobe products as specified in their entry forms.”

The Awards
A $3000 cash prize will be awarded to the winners in addition to various Adobe software program packages such as Adobe design suites, web design applications, and other Adobe products.

Other Information
The deadline for this contest is June 4, 2010. Complete details and entry instructions can be found by clicking here.

More Survival Tactics for Graphic Design Students
In our last article we pinpointed two important things to help you survive graphic design school — time management and not to constantly compare yourself with your fellow classmates. This time around, we’ll delve into some pro-active issues for you to try.

Find a Buddy or Two
Graphic design majors have quite a bit on their plates — they must learn and assimilate a variety of design methods, hone their graphic design skills, work on class projects, and tackle the academics related to art history, trends, and design. All of this can become overwhelming if you don’t have a few friends to support you.

Graphic design majors encounter unique challenges and situations that non-liberal arts majors do not normally come across. Graphic design students must constantly rely on their creativity, artistic talents, and design skills to be successful in their classes. This heavy reliance on imagination and originality can sometimes be quite draining.

Establishing a few close friendships in graphic design school can bolster morale and self-confidence through the sharing of common experiences, to bounce ideas off one another, and to generate a support system that all can benefit from in your group.

The creative process can sometimes be a lonely one, but if you support others, they’ll also support you as well.

Get Involved in Classwork
It is easy to become passive in class. Most of our past educational experiences have placed us in situations where we listen quietly while the teacher presents the material. But in graphic design school, the situation changes because the things you learn are creative in nature and cannot be passively internalized. In other words, you must do and not just listen.

The art projects and assignments that are given to you help form the basis of what you need to learn in order to qualify for jobs in graphic design, media, or other related fields.

Some students just do enough to get by but in doing so they miss out on the crucial elements of discipline and process of producing professional quality work. Try not to look at your art projects as busy work, but see them as building blocks for your artistic and design skills.

Ask Questions in Class
Your professor is there to teach you, but also take advantage of the process of asking questions in class to clarify or expand upon a particular topic.

If something is not clear to you, chances are that you are not the only one in class that doesn’t’ understand.

Try to schedule an appointment with your instructor in topics that you need extra help in. You are paying for your education and getting the help you need is not outside the boundaries of school protocol.

Next Time…
As your graduation from your graphic design school approaches, your thoughts will be centered on looking for a job in graphic design, web design, illustration, photography, or one of the other media arts. In the next article we’ll look into the typical work environment and qualifications that a typical job in graphic design requires.

The List Goes On
We continue our list of Top Characteristics of Creative Designers according to the opinions of those within the industry.

Not everyone has all of these traits, but we can all learn from the list to understand what design companies look for in their staff.

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Here are the rest of the traits that design firms would like to see in potential hires:

• Care about clients. If a design job is nothing more than a product to the graphic artist, it takes on an impersonal feeling and disconnect from the client. A recognition and understanding that the final creation is for people helps to provide added impetus to do a better job.

• Be able to multitask & juggle projects. In the perfect world, a graphic designer should be able to concentrate on one job without distractions or additional duties not directly related to project at hand. But this rarely, if ever, happens. Being able to intently focus is a good thing, but the ability to multitask is virtually indispensable for successful designers.

• Be deadline oriented. Imagine a graphic design firm where everyone could turn in their work whenever they felt like it. This would not only be a formula for instant failure for the business, it communicates a lack of professionalism. Design firms are driven by deadlines, and so should you.

• Find ways to “break through the clutter. In a design job, there are lots of things to do, but not everything has to be done. The ability to sift through the unnecessary or less important tasks is often the difference between meeting deadlines and missing them. A good designer knows what needs to be done and what needs to be put on the back burner.

• Keep an open mind about things. If the art world maintained that realism was the only way to paint, Picasso, Monet, Dali and many other artists could not have created their unique styles of work. Design is also like this–there is more than one way to approach a solution.

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Desirable Traits and the Real Job World
The attributes that professional designers feel should be inherent in people who work in the industry is varied but can be broken down into these categories: teamwork, professionalism, communication, and work ethics.

Graphic design schools educate graphic arts students on how to design, create, compose, and use various tools for illustration, graphic design, or other fields in design work. But the traits that set a successful graphic designer from a mediocre one sometimes boils down to the personal characteristics of the individual.

Design firms need to hire qualified people for their art departments, but as was stated in the Top Characteristics of Creative Designers articles, employers are looking beyond talent and towards potential hires that have many of the traits that make a designer truly successful.

The Basics So Far
In our last few articles we’ve covered topics related to properly preparing for graphic design job interviews and ideas for designing creative resumes.

In this new series we’ll explore what sorts of traits successful professionals in design or creative positions commonly possess. . .
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What the Employers Say They Want
The original information was researched by Preston Lee, an award winning graphic designer, who queried design professionals from different firms.

He asked them what sort of traits they believed are inherent in people who work in jobs that required creativity.

The following list of attributes isn’t exhaustive by any means but may be useful in determining whether you have “the right stuff” to work for a design or media firm.

The List
What is interesting to note is that of all the traits that were mentioned as valuable for a career in design, very little was said about actual talent.

The responses were generally about personal character, good attitude, and good communication skills.

Of course talent is a factor, but this seems to be a given and employers are looking for that extra “something” from potential hires in addition to talent alone. We’ll list the top responses here with a short comment for each trait.

• Be motivated and eager to learn. Design methods and software are constantly changing, so a graphic designer who continues to learn becomes a valuable team member to the company.

• Be curious about the industry. This could also be rephrased, “Be interested in your work.” A fresh perspective of where the industry is heading shows employers that you are involved and engaged in your work.

• Get a good education. Preparing yourself for a career in graphic design, illustration, or one of the many related fields in the arts means getting the best education that is available to you. Graphic design schools and graphic design colleges can help you to receive the graphic design education you need to qualify for jobs in the industry. Most entry level jobs require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

• Be authentic. It is sometimes hard to admit a lack of knowledge when searching for a solution to a design problem. But pretending to know everything isn’t the way to go either. Just be yourself. Employers want people that can fit into their organizations.

• Network constantly. Or in other words, communicate! Errors in design concepts can sometimes be attributable to nothing more than just a misunderstanding of project guidelines or the assumption that the other party knows what is expected. Design companies need people who can effectively communicate.

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Next Time…
We’ll list some more traits that graphic design employers seek in their new hires.

We’ll also discuss some of the things that you can do to increase your chances of becoming hired with a design company, or other firm dealing with the visual arts.