Would you ever arrive at a company right at the door for a possible interview or informative kind if they had an ad out for a position you wanted. Basically you would go there and say you were in the area. Its a very aggressive move but in this job market you have to try different angles. I never have but I know people in other fields that have and actually landed a job that way. Can it work in ID or CD or is it too risky?
Arriving unscheduled without their knowledge is not ballsy and confident, it is extremely rude. You are the walking equivalent of a pop-up ad. How do you know that the person / people you should be talking to are onsite and available? I don’t think it matters whether or not they have a job opp posted. You don’t know their filter process and status filling that position.
Send a note or portfolio teaser with a letter ahead of time and mention that “I’ll be in the area the 24th and 25th. I’d like to stop by and say hello” then at least I can anticipate your arrival. If you get a ok, stop by or no response, I’d go for it. If you’re told that it’s not a good time, I would pass on it.
Showing up unannounced is one thing, salespeople do it all the time, but I’ve told people that I’m busy, or not able to meet and had them STILL show up and expect me to drop everything and give them a half hour of my time. Really?! I may still chat with you for a few minutes if I can, and that is now a big point against you.
I did it once. Started very very ugly, but they seemed to take pity on me towards the end of the conversation. I was still in school at the time, and having a hard time getting my foot in the door, so I decided to physically do it. The worst part is that once I stepped foot off the elevator, I was in the office. No reception, no hallway, BOOM office. Enter red-faced and shaking. Never did that again. Ever.
But, actually the most awkward moment was waiting for the elevator to come back up…
Doing this will generally get you a positive response. By positive I mean they won’t yell at you for showing up, or kindly say “No Thanks”
Even better, just walk in with your computer and start working and ask where to pick up your check.
Lol. Yeah, walk in sit down at someones desk and start complaining about how slow the E-mail server is today.
Other then that - no way. There are plenty of creative methods people are employing now (taking out google ads in the names of creative directors was one of the more entertaining ones I’ve seen) but as was mentioned popping in unwanted would be down right annoying. And in many places, you’d probably quickly discover that the building is secure which means you couldn’t get into the office without effectively tresspassing.
I could see this being a tactic in the do or die sales world, but in a world where 1 or 2 directors or HR people are responsible for hiring, the chances of catching those people on a good day is rare.
The “I’ll be in the area” email is certainly valid though. Most places that are looking to hire would probably be happy to hear they can get a free face to face rather than having to do a phone interview or pay to fly you out.
This wouldn’t work here, you’d never get past the lobby. We have however given many informational meetings to people whom we know or friends of friends, alumni networking, or people who were just passing through, but contacted ahead to meet. I even had one friend of a friend invite me to dinner and show me his book, and talk about his work (which was excellent). I then invited him to the office later in his visit to meet the team. Cultivate and use your network, people. Be assertive, positive friendly and courteous, and leave behind a beautiful teaser piece with your contact information that is too nice to throw away. Don’t be rude.
If you see a posting for a position, one way to approach the walk-in is simply to show up and ask if you could have an application to fill out. It depends on the size of the company, but I would only try this with a company that has an up front receptionist.
If they hand you one, great, fill it out and hand it back with your resume/cover letter/work samples
If they don’t have them available, great, drop off your resume/cover letter/work samples
You can use this tactic to see if there’s an opportunity to break the ice in person, if the opportunity doesn’t arise, don’t push for the informational, interview, tour, person to talk to, whatever. Say thanks, and leave politely.
This way at least you know your stuff will be delivered in person and not via email and there is a chance that the receptionist will have to call HR to bring you an application and that could be a shot at talking to someone about the position in person.
After graduation I did one walk-in at a place that did not have a position posted, that was terribly awkward, but at least they politely shuffled me out.
There are design jobs where you have to fill out an application?! I haven’t seen an application since high school.
Guess it could work if there was an excess of designpositions in the industry?
But.
Absolutely not, and I would never agree to meet with someone who just showed up. In fact, they’d be on my shitlist for trying it.
BUT, handing a packet to the receptionist addressed to me would be a good way to cut through the usual clutter. Especially if what’s in that packet is unusual, noticeable, and hard to fit into a filing cabinet or stack of papers (but that’s true regardless.)
Here’s another great technique… this guy created Google Ads using the names of the Art Directors he wanted to work for as the keyword. When the Art Directors googled themselves (and who doesn’t?) his ad appeared!
Handing a packet? That would be another reason to get on MY shitlist. These days candidates should be submitting URL’s to their portfolios. A physical trow-away portfolio is resource wasting and shows the candidate is behind the times, and it would actually add to the usual clutter.
I’d love to get a well presented physical portfolio, full of top quality stuff, and put together exactly for me. There are plenty of other ways to conserve resources.
I’ve gotten a few portfolios dropped of at the front desk addressed to me. I think it is pretty classy actually. A nice touch.
That last google ad words thing is awesome cg!
Agreed the Google Ads thing has been added to my list of cool ways to get hired.
I remember hearing a story about someone at Continuum that sent them her resume or contact info on or something by
sending one letter a day for a month or something like that.
I actually went to a firm in Chicago to drop off my resume. I had a pack with samples, resume, cover letter, ect. My plan was to just give it to the front desk, and that was it. Turns out the girl at the front desk was off that day, and the owner saw me and I was able to hand my work right to him. He spent a good hour chatting with me, and even talked over my senior project with me. I was cognizant to not bring up a job though, as i really didnt want to be pushy. It was nice to talk design, and even got some great insights. I saw the guy about a year later randomly and it was nice to be able to spark up a conversation based on our previous meet. You always have to network…
Could you not say the same thing about someone that accumulates the “usual clutter”?
Online folios are great, and they’re also way easy to ignore, what if someone sent you an iPad with their portfolio on it with a note that said, check out my portfolio, enjoy the iPad, would you be annoyed then?
Could you not say the same thing about someone that accumulates the “usual clutter”?
Online folios are great, and they’re also way easy to ignore, what if someone sent you an iPad with their portfolio on it with a note that said, check out my portfolio, enjoy the iPad, would you be annoyed then?
If someone wrote, “enjoy the ipad” I would take it as to keep the ipad for myself. I would then question why someone giving away an ipad needs a job and how many ipads total have they given away.
As for the OP, I don’t see it as burning a bridge. Granted, there is no way I would meet with someone without an appointment. But I fail to see the difference between the designer dropping off a resume/teaser and the mail carrier dropping off a resume/teaser for the designer.