I am just curious if anyone straight out of school was able to get a junior design position without actually interning as a student?
I know interning and internships per se have been discussed before on here but I am not sure if this topic has been covered yet.
I have been applying for ID jobs (so far, mostly unsolicited) and my strategy has been to mention in my cover letters that I am seeking “either an internship or junior designer position”. Not sure if that is a good strategy or should I limit myself strictly to attaining an internship and start from the bottom first (which I have no problem with anyhow).
But I am wondering now if maybe few companies or consultancies would take on someone who doesn’t possess internship experience first?
For what its worth using a gmail account makes you look like an amateur. You have this on the 4rth line of your resume so only after a few seconds
I stop reading & move on to the next candidate.
If you are competing against 100s if not 1000s of others at least have a professional e - mail addresss
If you cannot figure how to do this much it sends the indirect message of how incompetent you may be if you are hired.
This is constructive criticism on your resume. Your portfolio looks good !
Interesting that you find my email address unprofessional or amateurish, because gmail is used by a lot of designers, including well known ones that I have written to in communication with them; sometimes hotmail, sometimes yahoo.
I mean, it’s your opinion, I don’t mind. Just saying what I have seen online from talking to designers and the email addresses I have seen. Gmail is free. What other options for email accounts do you suggest?
Now are you referring to my actual name I chose for my email address: chris.santos.id? Or just gmail in general?
I made sure to use my name in my email as I am too smart and professional to use: Giggidygiggidy@gmail.com.
If having a gmail account precludes a designer from a portfolio review, then I’d recommend he/she steers clear of the narrow minded and blinkered, and move on.
I would not worry about using gmail, I have used gmail as my e-mail contact on all of my resumes for the past 8 years and I believe I have a respectable employment history. Discarding a candidate for a gmail address seems ridiculous to me.
As far as landing a Junior Designer job with no internships, it’s definitely possible, just maybe a little more difficult.
An gmail address? Seriously? My resume also has a gmail address. I wouldnt put my corporate email, as I really dont want a prospective employer sending information regarding a new position to my current employer. Also, I know of several consultancies that use gmail and google applications as a standard. For small groups that are strapped for cash, Google’s programs are a very professional and viable alternative to microsoft.
Keeping a blog increase traffic to your website which could create leads for work
Behance puts you up against too many competitors which reminds your target what else is out there.
Try connecting with your locak IDSA chapter
5)Target companies offering your services. Try for some short term freelance so they can feel comfortable working with you.
This presents a postive impression to people who are very busy.
You are pitching in a recession without intern experience so put your best foot forward.
Even when you post here you can put your web link at the bottom of each posting to send traffic to your website
wow. there is NOTHING wrong with having a gmail account.
i have a domain, but only gmail…
yahoo or hotmail…well that might be another story
back to your original question, suggesting an intern position first if you have no experience, it totally cool. makes it easier for companies to bring you on. i know people who have done multiple internships, and it all results in advancement of their career
Sorry thats straight up crazy talk. I might do a double take with an aol email, but not sure wtf an email account has to do with the quality of the application esp. gmail, pretty much the most popular email service out there.
Not a bad strategy to get your foot in the door to apply for entry/internship, but at our firm we really try to keep internships limited to students only. That hardly seems to be the norm however. If you are passionate about working somewhere, saying you are happy to intern for a period is a good way to show your intent.
It doesn’t bother me when I see a gmail account, but when I see someone with their own domain it certainly makes a more positive impression. It feels like the person cares more for some reason. Up to you, do you want to make the most positive impression possible?
If you are using a gmail account, it obviously should be something clear and professional, preferably your name, not RadDezigns82 or WakeyBakey4life or whatever.
The post grad internship seems very popular right now. I have only hired one intern as a post grad and converted him to full time as soon as I could. It worked out both on both sides. I like to reserve the internships for students so they can learn, and make sure we are treating graduates fairly by giving them jobs, but sometimes a great person pops up and you have to get them in the door however you can until you can make it right. I should say, if I were to except a post grad intern, the expectation would be higher, on the level with a graduate (albeit with less experience) than say the expectation I would have on a sophomore or junior year intern.
I will keep plugging away and see which I get first: the internship or the entry level position. Since the expectation is higher on me, I might have to use some of my pre-college non-design related experiences to my advantage and spin them into a positive as well as keep reading up on manufacturing/materials.
As for the domain name/email; I will have to work on that as I have no knowledge of websites or domains. My website was created using Behance Prosite, but I am sure I can figure it out. Just need to do a bit of Googling on the subject.
