Just wanted some quick feedback
I will be graduating in May with a degree in I.D from Georgia Tech
I have been job hunting/applying for a few months now.
I have come across several Jobs of interest in my area (the few), but they are entry level positions with a min experience level of 3 years. I was just curious from others did you all look for Paid Internships fresh out of school or Entry level design positions. I know that you usually learn more with an internship, but most are also 3-6 months in length
If you are limiting yourself to a geographic region, your chances definitely go down. One thing I would do if I was graduating now would be to do a massive road trip and set up informational interviews with places everywhere I stopped. Hopefully you have had some professional internships to beef up your experience level.
I have done one summer internship in graphic and exhibit design, right now I work at a retail clothing store. Atlanta is very limited in ID and have been looking elsewhere, but finding entry level positions have been few and far between
Yo I’m interested to hear more about your idea of informational interviews. What exactly would that entail? How would you go about it? As a student I’ve always thought it would be great to see the places where I aspire to work and ask questions and so forth, but I figured firms are far too busy to have students coming in and asking for information.
Informational interviews aren’t actually that hard to get, at least they weren’t in 2006. You won’t have a 100% success rate getting them, but you’ll get a few if you try. I did a couple while I was still in school my senior year and also after I graduated. I believe I just sent them an email with a follow up call if necessary. They’re a great way to see what’s out there, hear firsthand what they’re looking for, as well as get interview experience, at least in the presenting your work part (they probably won’t spend the time to grill you if there’s no position at stake). And they’re likely to offer helpful feedback. I approached it as a student\recent graduate trying to explore & learn vs. someone just trying to weasel their way in the door. I think it’s obvious that you’ll eventually want a job, and it would be reasonable to politely ask about future openings at the end, so try not to come off as begging for one.
Just be genuine and open to what they have to say, and whatever you do make sure you are polite & professional.
essentially offer to buy someone coffee… people will spend an hour for coffee, and in the end, most of them will even buy. Essentially it is a casual discussion / portfolio review giving you a better idea of what an employer is looking for, and building a relationship. It is usually easier to target senior designers because directors might be busy, but a senior can’t give you the straight talk about what it is like to work there, and might be able to recommend who to talk to up the chain if he or she thinks it might be a good fit.
Also, a lot of places who are not hiring now will keep you in mind if something opens up, or recommend you to a friend at another company. I do both all the time when I identify someone who is really good, needs a job, and I don’t have anything for them.