• Cover Letter• Selection Criteria• Resumé / Curriculum Vitae• Portfolio

Cover Letter

• Your name, address and contact details at top right• You are applying for which position, that you found out about where, and on what date• Very brief summary of your qualifications, skills and experience which make you the right person for the job• Call-to-action “I look forward to the opportunity to present my portfolio to you in the near future”

Cover Letter (cont.)

• Is targeted / tailored for the HR Department• The aim is simply to get onto the shortlist of applicants• Keep it concise, clear and formal• Hit all the key terms mentioned in the job listing or advertisement, as the person reading them probably has no understanding of the jargon of the industry• Less than 1 A4 page

Selection Criteria

• 1st sentence: Restate criterion in your own terms, broadly outlining how you meet that criterion• 2nd paragraph: Specific example of you displaying the particular skill or attribute• 3rd paragraph: Specific example of successful outcome to which you contributed

Selection Criteria (cont.)

• Is targeted / tailored for the Art Director (or senior Designer role)• The aim is to provide evidence that you know what they are looking for, and that you have successfully done it before• ⅓ of an A4 page (or less) per answer

Resumé / Curriculum Vitae• Again contact details! • Education / Qualifications (only relevant ones)• Employment History (only relevant roles)• (Awards, Association Memberships)• Referees! Get the contact details of three people who will vouch for you (get their consent first)

Resumé / Curriculum Vitae (cont.)

• Is targeted / tailored for the HR Department and the Art Director (or senior Designer role)• The aim is simply to get the referees to provide a glowing recommendation, confirming that you are who you say you are, and you’ve done what you say you’ve done• Those phone numbers are critical!• Up to 1 A4 page

Portfolio Design (as a whole):• Make it easy for the viewer • Details matter• Inform/educate, surprise, delight the viewer• Create a story - beginning, middle, end• Climax! Your best wow-inducing work• 10 pieces

Portfolio Design (individual pieces):• Needs no explanation of clients’ aims • Work shows your conceptual thinking• Include storyboards/roughs/stills for: motion graphics, video, web, interactive • Doesn’t matter if it’s not solely your own work – detail the role you played in it

Interview Do’s:• Dress up, make yourself presentable – they’re sizing you up for client meetings• Show your passion and enthusiasm – demonstrate it through anecdotes, namedrop!• They don’t want to train you, that’s what Uni was for – put your proficiencies on display• Take criticism with grace, but be willing to justify your designs• Be calm, take a moment to think before you answer any questions

Interview Don’ts:• Forget to bring a printed portfolio• Portfolio in a plastic bag, a novelty oversized A3+ or overflowing/bulging portfolio • No questions for the interviewer/s• Giant ego, bad attitude

Classic Job Interviews:• Monty Python:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP0sqRMzkwo

• Trainspotting (*language, drug use):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsxYfYCbVC0

Internet Identity• You need to market yourself on the web: - to be part of the wider design community - to advertise your skills around the clock - to display a broader range of your work - to open yourself up to the widest possible audience and most importantly a geographically scattered audience

Online Personas• Separate your professional and private lives• Keep one Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Path, Google Plus etc. for your real-life or close friends and family – maintain separate accounts for you as the designer/photographer and employee• By all means cross-post from your professional persona to your personal – but never the other way around!

Types of Designer Internet Identity• Portfolio - Exhibits your best work• Design Curation / Tastemaking - Displays your style and discernment • Tutorials, Tips, Tricks - Showcases your development and experience (and generosity)

Internet Marketing Strategy• Which approach(es) are you going to take?• How will your approach communicate and reinforce your professional online persona?• Which technologies are you going to use?• Which communities are you going to participate in/contribute to?• How will your personal branding best be applied to the web?• How will you achieve consistency – visually and tonally?

Graphic Design skills you will use• Colour Theory• Typography• Composition• Information/Visual Hierarchy• Copywriting (and Microcopy)• Advertising• Marketing• Attention to Detail