Did something change in the last 5 years or so in job requirements for designers. Lately, I frequently see in job ads phrases like: must be nice, no kooks, no d bags, no evil people.
I thought this goes without saying but is there a propensity for these types to respond to designer ads, so therefore employers have to explicitly list this as a requirement? Wow, I wonder what hiring managers have been getting in the work pool for designers.
bah
For the most part it is people over 45/50 and the “no kooks, evil people” allow them to not hire gray hairs with out running afoul the laws for age discrimination.
Do you mean that the 45+ designer crowd is seen as “kooky” by the younger hiring managers?
I’ve never seen any wording like that in a legit job posting. Where are you looking, Craigslist?
I also don’t know anything about the wording to keep out the “old people”. For the most part, age is irrelevant and usually the position level coordinates with the age of the person who would apply.(ie. not going to see many 40 year olds going for a Jr. Designer job and not many 20 year olds applying for a Creative Director role).
R
Not making this stuff up.
here’s one right on core
Here’s some of the ad’s text:
“…You are:
A super talented interactive designer. You are not a douche bag, difficult person or evil. You love design and have demonstrated success with multiple builds and interactive projects that rock the Internet…”
I will try to find the other I saw today.
hmm… i guess just trying to be hipster funny.
R
Here’s another one on Core,
Here’s some of the text:
“You know your stuff. You’re nice. You’re not a kook.”
I see firms that write these ads and post them on core have a nice regard for designers.
I’m not making this stuff up.
maybe there is a lot of crazies in Connecticut? Dunno, never been there.
R
The two companies that you reference, as exemplified by quick quotes from the surfaces of their web pages, use goofiness and corporate irreverence as the company voice. I would not take it personally. The person applying for the job should be aware of what they are getting into.
That people are inherently good.
That O.J. did it.
That it takes a whole lot of effort to make something seem effortless.
That there is no point whatsoever to salt-free potato chips.
That Elvis is alive. Thankyouverymuch.
In luck.
That sometimes luck needs a little push.
That Krispy Kreme doughnuts rule.
Humongo: We create digital wonderness, and then we make it huge. Humongo. Say it with your arms up in the air, because it’s big like that.
I see the same stuff constantly on local web design firm and ad agency postings. It makes the place less stuffy and more relate able with (young? maybe.) talented designers who don’t want to work for a corporate board. Most of these places have beer in the fridge every day, and ping pong tournaments on alternating Fridays.
If this is the kind of work environment you’re after, go for it!
(as for young… most of the people running these companies are in their late 40s and 50s from what I’ve seen.)
just trying to better understand how the workplace has changed in terms of culture. i guess google internet culture spilling over - “no evil”
Just well established hip overcompensation of the cosmopolitanically challenged.
ha, ha… yep - I guess its all good, maybe better to see that sort of stuff up front in the ad, because you know what the culture will be just by reading the ad and like you said understand what you’re getting into if you want to follow through.
It’s really the startup/hip web interaction culture that’s surfacing. I’ve talked to several companies with lighthearted attitudes, (although not light enough to have ‘no douche bags’ in their postings), and they’re really very smart and bright people (and young, unlike what NURB has experienced). Nothing wrong with it, as nxakt may lead you to believe.
I’m not familiar with any of the above firms, but personally, I believe workplaces that can have a lighthearted attitude will have happy workers. Isn’t the point of life to be happy? (Although I actually wouldn’t apply to either of those positions because they did list out ‘kooks’ and ‘douchebags’ in their postings.)
Don’t mistake me, welcome all you young, hip, talented, lighthearted, people to the business world. The new startup/interaction web interaction generations uber-hipness is just a little insufferable sometimes, as though the self-confidence is ahead of the game, and has been bolstered by web auto-aggrandizement.
Talk vs walk. This is an example of talk.
and don’t forget to take your naps, and have your blankie close by
Like stated young hearted and fun attitude can be a great environment to be in, but one has to be careful that it;s not taken too far… “douchbag” is a little too loose for my taste.
Growing up in the sixties the phrase was, “don’t trust anyone over thirty”.
Now it’s don’t trust anyone under forty … … .