Tips for jobseekers.

Rizen Creative is hiring (an AE and production designer). Every time I go through the hiring process – at once an invigorating and frustrating experience – I learn lots am reminded that common sense ain't all that common.With so many on the job hunt, I thought it time to share some of my thinking. Some trivial. Some not so much.

I’m also going to think about tips for job fillers, but I thought it important to share this right away…

#1 Don’t waste your time applying for positions you are clearly not qualified for. Bone up your skills and get some experience anyway you can, then let’s talk.

#2 If you choose to ignore #1, don’t go the traditional resume route. Stand out from the field by demonstrating specific skills and how they can help my clients.

#3 If you choose to follow #2 (or even if you don’t), please don’t be annoying. It doesn’t earn you any points. Interruption marketing doesn’t work for companies and it won’t work for you.

#4 Spell my name right.

#5 Know what we do. Know our work. Know how you can contribute.

#6 Show your passion. Don’t worry about making an ass of yourself.

#7 Study your craft. Know its history and how we got where we are today. Curious people are usually smart people and smart people are the ones we look to hire.

#8 Follow-up. In an economy, we’re seeing a lot of resumes. Most of them crap. There’s a chance yours could get lost in the shuffle.

#9 Follow us on Twitter. You’ll know us and we’ll like you.

#10 Make your resume relevant. If you worked at Chuck E Cheese in college (like I did) and you’re going to share it on your resume, you’d better be able to explain why we should care.

#11 Don’t use buzzwords. I don’t really care if you synergistically leveraged your company’s heart share ROI. Hell, half of the time, I don’t even know what the hell your talking about.

#12 Make your resume look decent. Nice even. Aesthetics matter. In this business more than most.

#13 Be referred. We take recommendations from colleagues and vendors very seriously.

#14 Don’t oversell.

#15 Smile. People like people who smile.

#16 Ask questions. Good, thoughtful questions: about our approach, philosophies, what we want.

#17 Tell stories. Don't list facts.

#18 Never lie. This happens all the time and it is usually obvious. Not only will it kill your chances, it won't be easy to live down.

#19 Treat industry vendors right. We value their opinion.

#20 Show less, but better work. If you are a graphic designer, we don't need to see everything. After two or three samples, we know a lot about you. Often by simply what you chose to show.

#21 Be on time, but not too early. Late is poor form, too early is kinda weird.

#22 Don't be afraid. Relax. Be yourself. You're great. Let it show through.

Comments

[David Linke]

Your list of things for Job Seekers to complete leads me to a question.

If you have Industry Vendors referring fantastic CANDIDATES that have shown amazing examples of their exceptional work, why are you seeking APPLICANTS for a position?

The people you want to hire, the "smart" people, will most likely not want to be treated as an APPLICANT.

Your list seems to be directed to APPLICANTS and not CANDIDATES for your role.

Your list is a fantastic screening of you the employer, any candidate that submits an expression of interest at least gets a great insight to human dealings within your organisation. What a great service to any potential employee in your business!

[Jeff Reynolds]

You make some fair points, David. Thanks for the comments. Let me share my initial thoughts:

1) Vendors know a lot of people, but not everybody. About 50% of the people we interview seem to come from referrals from vendors or others in the industry. But we always want to be sure we cast a wide enough net to meet those who don't.

2) Your distinction being candidates and applicants is interesting...I'm going to think on it...but it feels like semantics to me. Applicants should have an opportunity to become candidates, no?

3) Not sure anyone wants to be treated like an applicant. I worry more about treating folks like human beings.

4) One of my major goals of this post is to provide more info of us as an employer. Everyone has the right to agree or disagree with what I'm saying. I'm jut trying to be honest and open about my feelings on the matter.

[David Linke]

@Jeff,

My first comment was not intended to show any disrespect, I apologise if it has come across that way. I think your list has some exceptional points, as an ex-recruiter I like many components of the list. The main message that I took from your list was that as a CANDIDATE for a role in the future I will include some of your points in my questioning of any potential employer.

Applicant vs Candidate - semantics? No, I do not think so.

An APPLICANT is someone that is sending out job applications and takes what happens in the job searching process as "what is needed to land the position".

A CANDIDATE is someone that chooses the employer! A Candidate has the necessary skills, has the necessary talent and has the desire to work with the owner(s) of that business for a period of time. They then choose who they work for, for a set period of time, whether that is a fixed term contract or a long-term employment. But the relationship is one of mutual respect and acknowledgement of mutual obligation and outcomes.

My comments come from a long time in the business world. I have lived through a recession previously, many have not experienced this yet! I have seen many mistakes employers make in treating employees poorly when they hold the power, then complain bitterly that they can not fill positions in the good times!

I have been reading your blog for awhile now and your post prompted me to comment.

Good luck in the recruitment process, I hope you find 5 CANDIDATES that you then have a tough time landing as the person for you. :)

[Jeff Reynolds]

@David No worries and no offense taken. I really appreciate your thoughts.

I agree with much of what you're saying. The main problem with job hunting/recruiting is that we're not "digging our well before we're thirsty." Instead, we're reactive and it becomes a sales pitch (on both sides) instead of a dialogue that result in a mutually beneficial relationship.