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Thread: Interview Questions

  1. #1
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    Interview Questions

    I very recently graduated school and now I'm in the uncomfortable position of looking for full-time employment.

    I am looking for a job doing web design. I have an online portfolio that I am sending to all of my potential recruiters. My question is what, if anything, should I bring to the (first) interview? Just my resume? A laptop with my portfolio loaded up? Design a whole other presentation just for interviews?

    I don't really want to walk in there emplty-handed, but I also don't want to design a bunch of different porfolios showcasing the same work.

    Could some of you hiring people give some advice on what you're expecting?

    thanks!!

  2. #2
    tell me, is this sellable..... OddDog's Avatar
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    your portfolio will do the job.

    and arrive on time .....

  3. #3
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    yes be on time...ideally ten minutes early

    have your portfolio site online

    make sure it will work correctly and look good in the browser the interviewer will be using

    wear a suit

    act professionally and with proper etiquette regardless of the casual environment you might be interviewing in.

    research the company you will be interviewing with and write down questions

    look your interviewers in the eye

    bring some sort of notepad and a writing implement

    take notes during the interview

    most companies looking for web designers are looking for GOOD DESIGN and attention to detail, not whether you can make a javascript pop up window. but of course having the technical skills behind good design is a big plus...

    good luck...


    ps..could we perhaps see your online portfolio?

  4. #4
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    thanks a lot guys!

    I've done many interviews before, but they were always set-up by my school (internships, etc..) so I was always told what I should bring by my advisors.

    I just wasn't sure that if for jobs like this they would have already seen my portfoli, or if I would need to bring something in to show them and talk them through it.


    My portfolio site isn't online yet, I'm still ironing out some wrinkles and taking photos. But I'm aiming for the 1st of the year.

    It'll be online at www.johnnyjuice.com

    thanks!!

  5. #5
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    if you want to be a web designer, you have to have examples of your websites. i'd get your portfolio site up asap...before the interview.

    btw...what are you taking photos of?

  6. #6
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    I also think that creating a small Flash presentation with your portfolio would be good. You would then burn the presentation on a business card CD and hand this to the recruiter when you left. Just another way to make an impact and stand above the rest. A biz card CD will help you so much more than paper resumes. Everyone has a paper resume so this will help him remember who you are.
    "Leading the business of today into the future of tomorrow"

  7. #7
    ¤ ¤ ¤ PAZ ¤ ¤ ¤ nordberg's Avatar
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    with regards to your portfolio...
    i would have your portfolio ready to go on said laptop.
    bring a projector if you have one.
    have a URL for them...an online portfolio is a must these days.
    leave them your work on CD if possible.
    more than anything, your portfolio should be EASILY AVAILABLE to them.

    as monstermash posted, the interview is important as well.
    i posted some tips in this thread:

    Originally posted by nordberg
    one of the biggest mistakes candidates make when i interview them is they use 'we' instead of 'i'. so many people will claim projects and portfolio work as theirs, but when you drill down you realize that they only did the graphics or the testing. make it clear what YOU did. try to avoid using 'we' when describing your previous work.

    do not lie, even the littlest bit. most hiring managers have a zero tolerence policy...i know i do.

    when they ask you if you have any questions, NEVER SAY NO!!! and never start off with a salary question. prepare 10 questions, and jot down 5 during the interview. ask questions about the manager - style, experience, etc. remember, you are interviewing them too. my interviews are always half probing the candidate, half recruitment/selling of the company. i expect candidates to know enough about the company to ask meaningful questions...which brings me to my next bit of advice...

    know everything about the company. ask about the CEO. ask about the annual revenue. ask about future plans. ask about clients. this is huge - when people don't know about our company, or don't ask...i don't call them back.

    even if it's a design job in the trendiest part of town, you dress as formal as you can afford. this means a suit, not a shirt and tie, not pants and a sports jacket...a SUIT! we wear flipflops and shorts here in the office, so you can always spot the candidates when they are on site in their uncomfortable suits.

    do not arrive early. sit in the parking lot, and walk in the door with 1 minute to go. do not arrive late either, but that's a given.

    do not discuss anything from your previous jobs that you shouldn't, and don't do anything illegal. two years ago i interviewed the lead developer for MTV's intranet, and he actually gave me the password to login to it. HUGE RED FLAG - didn't get the job.

    i could go on and on...just be yourself, and let your work speak for you.
    and don't forget, there's a huge element of luck involved with landing any job. you could have a great portfolio, and slam dunk the interview, but some superstar could walk in the door the next day and take the position. so, since you never know, never get disappointed...it's just a job.

    good luck!

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  8. #8
    Senior Member dlowe93's Avatar
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    Originally posted by johnnyjuice
    I just wasn't sure that if for jobs like this they would have already seen my portfoli, or if I would need to bring something in to show them and talk them through it.
    Flatly, if i haven't seen your portfolio already, there's a very slim chance you'll be sitting in front of me in an interview. A laptop is great, but a CD or even pulling up your portfolio site fine as well. I've had a couple of people show me "private" portfolio sites, that have work that they did under NDA or other agreements that prevent them from showing stuff publicly, so it's worth having two sites if you have work like that.

    Other than that, most of what Nordberg has to say is right on. Don't show up late and at the very least look at our website before coming in. There's nothing worse than somebody who has no idea what your company is like or the type of work that you do. All design firms are not created equal, find one you'd think you'd like to work at.

    One thing i have an issue with is the whole suit thing. Maybe it's culturally different here (Portland), but i'm looking for somebody to design, not represent me in court. I'm not suggesting you show up in a tank top, but if i was interviewing a junior designer in a full-on suit, i'd be a little weirded out.

    Still, clothes don't make the designer, just be yourself. Ultimately i'm going to hire, or not hire, the person who i'm interviewing, not his or her portfolio or clothes.

    Good luck,

    d.
    dlowe93

  9. #9
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    wow, thanks for all of the advice guys!

    My portfolio site is in the works, it'll defenitly be online and bug checked before I send out any resumes.
    Along with web design I've done lots of print work, so I'll be taking photos of hard-copies of everything I've done. Also taking stills from motion pieces that I've done.

    I've been doing web design the longest, but I want to show that I'm not just limited to doing web work.


    As far as leaving a CD-Rom behind goes.....would it be acceptable if I just burnt the online portfolio onto a disk, or would you want to see a different product that whats at my url?

  10. #10
    A very senior man mrpauly99's Avatar
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    we've had a million people in recently for interviews. from out point of view its the work that counts, for designers the portfolio obviously is where its at, just make sure all the links work and its easy to navigate. a CD might be nice to have but as long as they can see your work they will be happy

    for developers we do a few little code tests, its amazing how many people have good stuff to show but when you sit them down they dont have a clue where to start. we've found its whats in their heads that counts.

    whatever happens, be on time and be very keen. show interest in the company and what they do and convince them you really want to work there.

    oh and if you wore a suit to an interview here we'd probably point and giggle. but then again were a funky lil company in Britishland

    anyway good luck mate with the interviews and merry xmas

  11. #11
    FK M.D. pheck's Avatar
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    Do not sit in the parking lot and wait until 1 min before? That's rough. So what's a guy supposed to do if he's early? Circle the block until time? You guys post good advice but at the same time I think you're being perhaps a little more scary than you need to be. When I hire I look for some of the same attributes but I also look for confidence and an easy-going personality. I want to look forward to working with this person every day.

  12. #12
    Senior Member dlowe93's Avatar
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    Originally posted by mrpauly99
    oh and if you wore a suit to an interview here we'd probably point and giggle. but then again were a funky lil company in Britishland
    Yeah, we'd probably make fun of you if you wore a suit, but at least we'd still be talking about you after the interview.

    d.
    dlowe93

  13. #13
    Senior Member dlowe93's Avatar
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    Originally posted by pheck
    Do not sit in the parking lot and wait until 1 min before? That's rough. So what's a guy supposed to do if he's early? Circle the block until time? You guys post good advice but at the same time I think you're being perhaps a little more scary than you need to be. When I hire I look for some of the same attributes but I also look for confidence and an easy-going personality. I want to look forward to working with this person every day.
    Come on Phil, we're not that mean.

    Seriously, showing up a little early is not a big deal, but be prepared to sit. I had a dude a while ago who showed up 40 minutes early.

    Sorry, folks got billable work to do. Pull up this month's CA and grab a cup of coffee.

    edit - CA = Communication Arts (http://www.commarts.com/ )

    Still, it's better than being late.

    d.

    ps, Didn't you have a kid a while ago? Belated congrats. How's it going?
    Last edited by dlowe93; 12-27-2004 at 08:15 PM.
    dlowe93

  14. #14
    FK M.D. pheck's Avatar
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    Originally posted by dlowe93
    Come on Phil, we're not that mean.

    Seriously, showing up a little early is not a big deal, but be prepared to sit. I had a dude a while ago who showed up 40 minutes early.

    Sorry, folks got billable work to do. Pull up this month's CA and grab a cup of coffee.

    Still, it's better than being late.

    d.

    ps, Didn't you have a kid a while ago? Belated congrats. How's it going?
    David's not that mean, I know that! Some people can have a power trip over the hiring process though Yeah, 40 " screams "I'm desperate for a job." What's CA? Having just come from your neck of the woods I'm a little embarrased to ask.

    Yeah! Thanks for asking. Aiden is 7 months old now and is a TON of fun... who knew how much fun this dad gig was going to be? Photos and Flash toys are at www.eckerbabies.com if you're interested.

  15. #15
    Senior Member dlowe93's Avatar
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    Originally posted by pheck
    David's not that mean, I know that! Some people can have a power trip over the hiring process though Yeah, 40 " screams "I'm desperate for a job." What's CA? Having just come from your neck of the woods I'm a little embarrased to ask.
    Yeah, he was a little desperate. Don't know why somebody would be desperate to work with me. I'm not very nice.

    What were you doing up this way? House hunting?

    Yeah! Thanks for asking. Aiden is 7 months old now and is a TON of fun... who knew how much fun this dad gig was going to be? Photos and Flash toys are at www.eckerbabies.com if you're interested.
    It is a lot of fun, isn't it? My second is just past nine months, so not much time to hijack threads on Flashkit these days.
    dlowe93

  16. #16
    FK M.D. pheck's Avatar
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    Yes, I too am sorry for the hijack. Nope, we just moved out of the bay area (you're on the west coast, no?). Good to be back in the good ol' midwest. Happy Holidays!

  17. #17
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    I'm currently going through a job search myself. I'm torn between doing web design, and Project Management, since I have about 5 years of doing both.

    Be prepared like everyone stated (dress nice, be on time, etc.). I would also run through some mock interview questions. Monster.com has a few good ones that ask some tough questions and give you some good examples of answers. I would study those and know them well.

    Also, if you are going for design, the thing that will get you the job is your skill. You need to have some very solid examples of your work! If you just got out of school, I can't believe they didn't make you already have an on-line portfolio ready to go with some examples. You need that before you even contact any recruiters or potential employers.

    Good luck!

  18. #18
    Senior Member Planet's Avatar
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    A good portfolio and work experience are both great but besides that, be happy and outgoing. There is nothing worse then a sad stick in the mud.

    I would hire a willing to learn type of person with little experience who was fun to be around way before I hired an experienced know-it-all manic-depressive.

    Dont be a clown, just be real. Personality, personality, personality!!!

    Good Luck!

  19. #19
    Senior Member dlowe93's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Planet
    A good portfolio and work experience are both great but besides that, be happy and outgoing. There is nothing worse then a sad stick in the mud.

    I would hire a willing to learn type of person with little experience who was fun to be around way before I hired an experienced know-it-all manic-depressive.

    Dont be a clown, just be real. Personality, personality, personality!!!
    You know that's a great point, and one that a lot of people don't pick up on. In fact, personality is a huge factor in my hiring process.

    Think about it, i'm going to bring somebody in who i'm going to hang around with for 8-9 hours a day, 200+ days a year. You'd better believe that i'm going to hire somebody i think will mesh with the team and be pleasant to work with.

    We almost never hire anyone directly. I would say 80% of our design team started as contractors or temporary employees prior to us offering a full-time contract. It lets us determine how they will work with the team at large and lets them figure out if they will like working here.

    I think this approach has gone a long way to building the team we have. We have a pretty ego-less design team and have a relatively flat organizational structure. Usually the best ideas get advanced, no matter who they come from, and we have very little of the art director or creative director dictating everything that the creative team does. It's far from perfect, but it seems to work.

    So yes, be yourself, because that's the person that ultimately i need to decide if i want to hire.

    Good luck,

    d.
    dlowe93

  20. #20
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    as for interview techniques...

    MOST FREAKIN IMPORTANT
    Absolutely DO NOT lean forward in your chair.... it makes you look far too much eager beaver. This makes you look like your fresh off the boat FOB (out of school)
    Sit comfortably in the chair, hand gestures should be gentle. The words "we/us" are important if you can reasonably work it into the conversation.

    nod slowly during their idiotic questions (like it's important and your paying attention)(you better be ... this is worth a new car to you ... or that big screen TV)

    If its one of those stupid six layer inquirys ... only answer what you want to ... don't stretch it out ... ever ... most are working off a list of inquirys and won't notice if you skip a disturbing part.

    Be ready for salary expectation questions. You really better know what the position is worth. If you don't know what it's worth ... well your screwed ... if they offer the position in a letter with a salary figure you can easily bump the number up by 5% - 10% annual. FOB is about 5%. Pro's should declare a salary unaceptable (don't say insulting even though it might be) and state their necessary level. Full time is usually 75 - 80% of you contract chargeout depending on the skills you are selling.

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