Hi everyone, this is Anne with Graphic Design How To, and today I'm going to tell you 6
things to bring to a graphic design interview.
And I've done about 30 interviews myself where I'm the interviewee.
And I've also interviewed probably 30 to 40 graphic design candidates.
So I've been on both sides of the table.
And the candidates who have impressed me the most have been super prepared, I mean, over
the top prepared.
So I've taken some of the things that I've noticed the candidates doing and applied them
to my own interviews.
And I feel like it's been pretty successful.
Now a lot of these things you might think are unnecessary, but I found that it really
impresses the interviewer and that's why I do a lot of them.
Alright, let's get started.
#1, the first thing you want to bring to every interview is a resume.
I've got my own here, and I usually bring five copies of my resume...just In case there
are five people in the interview.
If there are 10, I still feel like five is enough, maybe they can share something.
So it's good to be prepared, even though they probably already have your resume, it's good
to have it ready to give to people who might not have printed it off before the interview.
#2: References.
I usually bring about five copies of that too.
And I usually have three to five references on the page.
#3, of course, your portfolio.
I have this portfolio case and inside is a printed portfolio...
It might be a little hard to show this.
But all the layouts are really clean and simple.
I don't have a lot of recent work in here, but of course it's a great idea to get recent
work.
Now you don't have to have a printed portfolio.
You can also have a digital portfolio.
But please make sure to bring something to the interview.
So if you need to bring a laptop or an iPad to show your portfolio, do that.
Don't come in empty handed, because the room that you're using might not have a screen
so that you can get online and show people your portfolio.
Another great thing to have are printed pieces in addition to what you've shown in your portfolio.
So here are some examples of what I mean by printed pieces.
I didn't design this catalog, but I have designs – I used to be a Tshirt designer – so
some of the designs in this catalog are mine.
Here's a postcard of a project that I was involved with, a coaster, some printed gift
wrap, and just some little brochures and things that I've made over the years.
So the reason I like to bring this stuff is because people like to hold things in their
hands and look at how everything came together.
Sometimes you can't really convey that in your portfolio itself.
#4: Printed pages from the website.
Before an interview, I usually go out to a company's website, take a few screenshots,
print those out on just letter sized paper, and then go through and highlight parts that
I think are important.
When the interviewer asks, What do you know about our company?
I pull out those pages and say something like, 'Well, when I looked at your website, these
things really stood out to me, I love that your company has these values, because these
are really important to me, too.'
Every time I've done this, the interviewer is always so impressed that I actually took
the time to really read through their website and see what the company is all about.
#5: to five questions written down on a piece of paper.
I don't think I've ever been to an interview where the interviewer didn't ask, 'Do you
have any questions for us?'
So when they ask this, I just pull out that sheet of paper and say, 'Well, let me read
through these and see if there's anything we haven't covered.'
And of course, there are always a couple questions that they haven't covered.
And then I ask those, and this is just another thing to show the interviewer that you're
prepared, and that you're proactive, you took the initiative.
And that is a really great thing for an employee to do at a company!
#6: A really nice professional looking binder or folder to hold all this stuff.
So this is the one that I use.
It's zippered all the way around.
It holds the samples.
And it has a couple pens in it, I always do two pens, just to make sure one doesn't run
out of ink.
And I always take notes on this notebook paper.
I have a couple business cards in there.
And then all the samples that I showed you earlier.
Bonus!
A leave behind.
This is a promotional item - it usually has your branding on it, and it's something to
remind the interviewer of you after the interview.
I've personally never really done these.
And as an interviewer, I don't really expect them, but it's nice when I get them.
The most helpful ones are something that is really useful.
So that is something I want to keep on my desk because I use it all the time.
And every time I use it, I'm reminded of that interviewee who left it for me.
So even if they didn't get the job, they're still fresh in my mind, and maybe they would
get it next time if they applied.
So it doesn't hurt.
Alright, that's my video for this week.
If you liked it, please click on the 'Like' button.
And if you think there's anything that I've left out, please leave that in the comment
section below.
Thank you and I'll see you next week with another graphic design video!!!