Interviewing for a Graphic Design Job - What Interviewers Are Looking for

What the %#@! are interviewers really looking for in an applicant? If you’re looking for your next job or gig right now, it’s one of the most perplexing questions imaginable. The truth is, there is no magic formula to get inside an interviewer’s head - interviewers, like people, are all different. That said, we recently brought on board a junior designer and I’d like to share with you reasons why some applicants weren’t chosen and others continued through the interview process. As a final caveat, I just want to remind you that this was our criteria and process, so please don’t take it as gospel (every interviewer is different). Instead, use the information below as a guide as you interview for a new job or gig.   

In looking at applicants, we had the following questions in the back of our heads (even though that hadn’t been formally written down):

• Can the applicant do the job?
• Does the applicant want the job?
• Is the applicant a good fit for the team?
• Can the applicant follow directions, listen and communicate effectively?
• Is the applicant likely to leave as soon as they have another opportunity?
• Does the applicant have the right skill set and experience for the position (will they need too much help or will they be bored?)

Some of the reasons candidates were not chosen:

• Poor grammar
• Didn’t follow instructions
• Were way too overconfident (came across pompous or arrogant)
• Didn’t appear all that interested in the position
• Portfolio didn’t match the style we were looking for. Some portfolios featured strange works of art that were at the least unprofessional and would not be appreciated by our clients, at worst, the artwork was kind of scary. 
• Didn’t listen during interview. We could tell they could hear us, but they weren’t listening - they were just waiting for their chance to talk
• Talked about other opportunities during the interview
• Had issues or possible complications with their schedule
• Didn’t have an online portfolio (this immediately disqualified people)
• TMI. Some applicants didn’t know when to turn their mouth off. They provided a little too much information. 
• Arrived late to interview, or said it was "hard finding the place." Note, never tell the interviewer that their business was hard to find. Do NOT complain about the traffic, weather or having to find the business. 
• Seemed way too desperate. Yes, letting interviewers know you want the job is a good approach - looking or sounding desperate is something you need to avoid.

These aspects didn’t disqualify an applicant, but they didn’t help:

• Emailed us at odd hours (this just looked odd)
• Demonstrated and showed passion for skills that were well beyond the scope of the job. For example, fine art, 3d modeling, CAD, sculpture, etc. These are wonderful talents to have, but it made us feel that the applicant might be bored in the position that was offered. It appeared that she/he was only applying for the position because they needed the money - not because they wanted the job. There’s nothing wrong with needing money, but we wanted someone whose artistic talents fit the position. The takeaway here is that if you have talents that go beyond the job you’re applying for, you’ll want to minimize them and focus on the talents that are directly applicable.  

Why we selected who we did

• Seemed honest and upfront
• Had basic skill set, and was willing to learn
• Pleasant personality that would fit in well with the rest of the team
• Humble. Could clearly tell the applicant was not a design diva
• Could clearly tell the applicant wanted the position
• Had a respectable online portfolio that sort of matched what we were looking for. From the applicant’s portfolio we could say, “Yes, we can see that this person can probably do what we’re looking for them to do.”
• Didn’t have a lot of artistic talents outside of what we were looking for. 

I hope these points have provided a little value to you. It's a tough market out there, so if you have any specific questions about your job search, feel free to leave a comment and I'll type out a response. Best wishes,guys. 

 

Comments

[Brandon Moore]

"Didn’t have a lot of artistic talents outside of what we were looking for"

that one is very surprising to me. as someone who has a lot of different artistic interest, id say its the drawing, painting, music, etc that keep me from getting board with my main focus, logo design, and certainly make me better at that main focus. i love what i do during the day, but when i go home at night, i still want to create. just not with the same kind of stuff. its good to grow horizontally and vertically.

[Jeremy Tuber]

This is a great point, Brandon. I am glad you brought it up. Improving your creativity and expanding your horizons is wonderful – sounds like you have a lot of talent! What you (or everyone else looking for a job) want to look out for is appearing overqualified for a job or not the right fit. I’ve experienced both of these situations as both an applicant and a hiring manager. As an applicant, I have been told that I was overqualified for a position I was applying for, and I’ve been told by interviewers, “While you have talent, you’re not really a good fit for what we’re looking for.” In both cases, I didn’t get the job.

Applicants often feel it’s in their best interest to list ALL of their artistic/creative talents. From a hiring manager’s perspective, I would suggest it’s not. For example, let’s say I am looking for someone to come in and design flyers (that’s really about it – nothing else). You interview for the position along with another applicant. The other applicant stresses their incredible skills in web design, and videography, while you come in and stress your skills in designing flyers. All other things equal, you’re in a much better position to get the job because you’re a better fit.

Keep in mind that the goal of a hiring manager is not to hire the best designer or most creative applicant, their goal is to hire the best designer for the position that is being offered. They want to find the applicant that’s going to be the right fit. In addition to weeding out applicants that are under qualified, they also have to weed out those that are overqualified or those that just don’t have the right skill set for the position.

Referring back to the example above, as a hiring manager, I want to know that you have designed flyers, that your focus is designing flyers and that you love designing flyers. While you may have other creative interests, I am only concerned with the ones that will help you do the job I want you to do. And in fact, if I know you’re a famous painter or someone looking to transition into the web design field, I will think twice about hiring you because I’ll be afraid that you won’t stick around long. Hiring people is expensive and time consuming, so hiring managers take extra steps to ensure they hire an applicant they think will be with them for a while. With that said, during your interview, if you stress a passion for all of these other creative outlets beyond what the job entails, the hiring manager will being to wonder if you want the job, or if you’re going to be a good fit for the job.

So what does a multi-talented, creative bird like you supposed to do? First, identify what skills the job is looking for. Next, focus your resume and interview answers on what skills the job is looking for – make sure the interviewer feels that you are a good fit for the job. Yes, this means you can and often should have multiple resumes. Lastly, remember that it’s no problem if you have many creative outlets – that’s great. I would just suggest you ONLY focus on the creative outlets that are applicable to the job that you’re applying for. If the job doesn’t include painting but includes logo design, make sure you stress your logo design talents and not painting. As an applicant, if you can figuratively paint a picture that you want the job, you can do the job and that you are a good fit for the job – there’s a good chance you’ll get the job.