I think the conversation that creates is a good insight to both the prospective employee and the employer on how the design relationship will probably be. Are they receptive? Do they agree (great!), heartily debate (good), or take umbrage (go)? How do you handle that? Do they have a sense of humor about it, and do you?

I agree. Having a conversation with a potential employer about my (and their) design ideas is a good way to assess whether a place would be a fit for me. I met up with Kyle Hildebrant of OVO on Friday to garner some professional advice, and he told me that (at least for his place) studios are looking for someone who is passionate and willing to push further and be more persistent than the next guy. That includes speaking well about what you’ve done, why you want to work for company X, and how you can help them better the company.

I think your comment speaks to that. Thanks Jake! Very insightful.

I think this is a pretty cool observation. I think another aspect of this though is that everyone is “nice enough” at a certain calibre of design (which of course you are), they are professional in demeanor and personal presentation, they have a solid portfolio, etc…

The one thing that I started to noticed in my quest for employment was that, and I think a lot of people get this a little wrong, the sell yourself thing. There is a lot to be said about the “I can do this, I can do that, I did this, I did that” statements, obviously you have to make sure people know you are a serious and well-rounded designer that has the skill set for the job, but I think where I could see the game change was when I would bring an opinion something they did to the office. We are usually stuck in problem solving mode in our jobs like it or not, so one of the best ways to connect I found was to address a problem/situation they have and tell them how you could help with it. If their site sucks, tell them nicely and offer some solutions. If their typography needs help, tell them, and talk about some ideas you have, etc… Of course you can gush too, but a little zesty criticism seems to get fellow designers’ attention.

I think the conversation that creates is a good insight to both the prospective employee and the employer on how the design relationship will probably be. Are they receptive? Do they agree (great!), heartily debate (good), or take umbrage (go)? How do you handle that? Do they have a sense of humor about it, and do you?

Anyways, that’s one person’s experience, it felt less like me asking for a job (which is what I was doing and I hate), and more like I was just jumping into the work. Sorry this is so long.