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Navigate the Job Search Process: Explore Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

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Advancing your career doesn’t happen in one day. But professionals in a variety of fields can improve their skills and knowledge by participating in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Through CPD, opportunities abound in a variety of channels. Learners set objectives for themselves (e.g. specific skills to be learned or practiced) and afterward participate in self-reflection of the progress they’ve made.

Advancement in your industry might require a myriad of skills. Some are concrete and visible actions, while others are more subjective. CPD offers opportunities to hone these skills whether they require more physical or mental capabilities.

maze-navigating-job-search

Soft and Hard Skills
It is no doubt easier to measure hard skills (physical tasks) over soft skills (e.g. time-management, creativity, etc.). But job performance improves with both kinds. The desire to broaden your horizons illustrates workplace adaptability. And the very notion of wanting to participate in CPD is itself an indication of workplace and skill growth potential.

Sharing is Caring
Volunteering might be an excellent CPD option for someone wishing to change careers. Donating your time can get you in the right places at the right times. Additionally, you could also be the individual offering up the CPD to others. Showing others the ropes is a great way to stay fresh yourself.

Go for the Freebies
Online learning has taken off the last few years. This means that professional development can be had off and online. Check out YouTube and udemy for free (and paid) courses in numerous fields and subjects.

Legit CPD
Independently-guided CPD might not quite be intensive enough for some learners. To help with this, formal CPD is offered through organizations, associations, and companies. Offering staff these opportunities gives employees a chance to build deeper professional-to-professional relationships and interactions.

All learning might be the same to some people. But formal CPD takes the usual rote approach to a new impactful level. The information gleaned from these interactions is immediately at a higher more usable level. Learners can see the information in action.

Did You Read that Somewhere?
Absorb the literature within your chosen field. Such information is often written by those right in the thick of the industry themselves. Consider publications, articles, trade journals, and news. Stay up to date with new business practices, innovative technologies, and the right skills to learn to put you at the top of the applicant pile.

Don’t Forget to Reflect
CPD is not just about absorbing a few bits of information from professionals. For CPD to truly be effective, the learner must be active throughout the entire process. Reflection is critical to successfully improving your skill and knowledge base. Use the exercise to grow, both career-wise, emotionally, mentally, and educationally.

Enhance Your Career with CPD
Use CPD to gain an edge in your field. Find a mentor, enroll in an online course (independently or through official channels), read, volunteer, research, and more to improve your knowledge base and skill set. Organize it yourself or seek out professional opportunities. Either way, become an active learner in your future endeavors. Reflect on the knowledge gained and use it to take you where you want to go.

Enhance Your Career with the Right Community of Professionals
Contact an experienced recruiter at 800.338.4327. Simplify and expedite your job search or posting process the moment you need it with Creative Talent Management.

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9 Questions to Expect During Your Next Interview

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handshake-job-interviewThe job search process can be very unfulfilling. Unless you score the position, it can seem like you are just going through the motions, day after day, with nothing to show for it. But each time you get the chance to interview, it raises the stakes. But getting an interview and acing the interview are two completely different scenarios. That is why you need to show up prepared.

Here are 9 questions you can expect to be asked during an interview as well as some tips for how to impress the hiring manager.

1) Tell me about your creative process.

Creative and design positions require unique perspectives. Hiring managers want to know what kind of designer you are, how you design, and where you get your inspiration. It is during this time that you can explain your design process and how long you spend on research, storyboarding, etc.

2) What do you do if you get in a creative rut?

Expect this question because it explains what happens if the creativity well runs dry? Do you give up and cave? Do you reassess the purpose of the design to see if you started at the wrong end? Maybe you change only certain aspects of it and rework just those. Your answer will also explain whether you can take feedback and how you work when you are in stressful environments.

3) In your previous design experience, what have been your roles?

With this question, you can explain your responsibilities, whether you just did the concluding phases, developed projects from scratch, or just strategized the end product? Have you worked face-to-face with clients, or just by yourself?

4) Practice situation.

The hiring manager might have you work through a practice situation to get an idea of how you approach a new idea. You should include how you might create your first draft. Then add in how you would go about targeting the right audience. Would you work with the client (and how)? How would feedback be received and how would you go about adjusting your design? You should be able to explain your process and why you would choose to do things this way.

5) Explain a time when your work was not well received by a client.

The hiring manager wants to know how you react to criticism. You need to be able to explain how you reacted. How did you go about finding what the client wanted to change? Answering this question will help illuminate your ability to address both design and results.

6) How do you stay organized?

Everyone organizes differently. One person’s chaos is another’s sense of order. Hiring managers might ask this question to gauge how you manage working on a variety of projects all at once. People on your team depend on you to finish your part of the project. So, you need to be able to share with others what they can expect during your design process.

7) How do you begin a project?

This question speaks to how you as a designer take what the client wants and bring it to life. Client work is all about results. You need to be able to explain or share the questions you ask clients in order to feel out exactly what the project entails.

8) Share a project you are really proud of.

This question will let you share what you consider to be your finest work. This is your chance to share your passions and the kind of design programs or styles you thrive on when using.

9) How do you work on a team?

Collaboration is a fact of life in a company. You don’t need to love everyone you work with, but you do need to be able to work with them and produce a successful product. This is a chance for you to explain how you work and share responsibilities with your team, bounce ideas back and forth, and take over when deadlines are near.

Connect with Us

Now that you have the ammo to ace those interview questions, contact us and check out our job openings. We will help you find the perfect fit and help you score that interview. Call us today at 800.338.4327 or email us at info@talmanagency.com.

The job search process can be very unfulfilling. Unless you score the position, it can seem like you are just going through the motions, day after day, with nothing to show for it. But each time you get the chance to interview, it raises the stakes. But getting an interview and acing the interview are two completely different scenarios. That is why you need to show up prepared.

Here are 9 questions you can expect to be asked during an interview as well as some tips for how to impress the hiring manager.

1) Tell me about your creative process.

Creative and design positions require unique perspectives. Hiring managers want to know what kind of designer you are, how you design, and where you get your inspiration. It is during this time that you can explain your design process and how long you spend on research, storyboarding, etc.

2) What do you do if you get in a creative rut?

Expect this question because it explains what happens if the creativity well runs dry? Do you give up and cave? Do you reassess the purpose of the design to see if you started at the wrong end? Maybe you change only certain aspects of it and rework just those. Your answer will also explain whether you can take feedback and how you work when you are in stressful environments.

3) In your previous design experience, what have been your roles?

With this question, you can explain your responsibilities, whether you just did the concluding phases, developed projects from scratch, or just strategized the end product? Have you worked face-to-face with clients, or just by yourself?

4) Practice situation.

The hiring manager might have you work through a practice situation to get an idea of how you approach a new idea. You should include how you might create your first draft. Then add in how you would go about targeting the right audience. Would you work with the client (and how)? How would feedback be received and how would you go about adjusting your design? You should be able to explain your process and why you would choose to do things this way.

5) Explain a time when your work was not well received by a client.

The hiring manager wants to know how you react to criticism. You need to be able to explain how you reacted. How did you go about finding what the client wanted to change? Answering this question will help illuminate your ability to address both design and results.

6) How do you stay organized?

Everyone organizes differently. One person’s chaos is another’s sense of order. Hiring managers might ask this question to gauge how you manage working on a variety of projects all at once. People on your team depend on you to finish your part of the project. So, you need to be able to share with others what they can expect during your design process.

7) How do you begin a project?

This question speaks to how you as a designer take what the client wants and bring it to life. Client work is all about results. You need to be able to explain or share the questions you ask clients in order to feel out exactly what the project entails.

8) Share a project you are really proud of.

This question will let you share what you consider to be your finest work. This is your chance to share your passions and the kind of design programs or styles you thrive on when using.

9) How do you work on a team?

Collaboration is a fact of life in a company. You don’t need to love everyone you work with, but you do need to be able to work with them and produce a successful product. This is a chance for you to explain how you work and share responsibilities with your team, bounce ideas back and forth, and take over when deadlines are near.

Connect with Us

Now that you have the ammo to ace those interview questions, contact us and check out our job openings. We will help you find the perfect fit and help you score that interview. Call us today at 800.338.4327 or email us at info@talmanagency.com.

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Make Your Portfolio Stand Out from the Crowd

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interview with design portfolioThe design industry is ever growing. But with this growth comes competition from other creatives who want the jobs just as much as you do. How can you make your experience and creativity stand out in the crowd of portfolios? Consider these tips to help snag that job before someone else does.

1. Choose Wisely
You may have a lot of great work in your portfolio, but sharing too much of it will only be like white noise. Additionally, throwing everything all together won’t be selective or personalized enough to the jobs you are applying for. Generally, you want to choose pieces of work that are an expression of your best self, your best talent, and clearly illustrate your level of experience.

Variety is the spice of life. You also want to offer prospective companies examples of a range of your talent—what you have worked on, software, and creative desires. Try to include projects that not only illustrate the kind of skills you possess, but also your experience and your growth potential.

Always customize your portfolio. Depending on the type of position you are applying for, the work you include in your portfolio should reflect as closely as you can, the work you would be doing in the desired job.

2. Improve Your Surroundings
Portfolios need not always be official work you were paid for. Use your design skills on an existing small brand and see where it takes you. Without client constraints, you might be amazed as to the creativity that can flourish. Undertaking your own branding and marketing project for your portfolio shows to a prospective company your ability to address more than just the visual aspects of design.

3. Follow Your Passion
When you are applying for a creative position, you obviously want to show that you are adaptable and can work in a variety of mediums. But following this method too closely might result in you being hired to do creative work that just doesn’t excite you. So, in your portfolio, include projects illustrating the kind of work you feel more passionate about or in the direction you wish to move in your field. It is a fine line to walk on, showing potential employers that you can adapt but also showing them where your best skills lie.

4. Tell a Story with Your Portfolio
The end result is not the only important aspect of design. Include your design process with your projects. This tells the employer how you approach the creative process and your thought strategies. Employers want to know how your workflow will blend with the current creative strategy employed within the company.

You could also even include references from clients concerning various projects you have done. This illustrates your ability to communicate with clients and to blend their visions with your own.

5. Mediums and Platforms
Make sure that your creative designs get properly presented in their original platform or medium. This means that phone app designs should be presented as an image on an actual phone. Digital designs could be shown via a quick video. If you utilized brochures, make sure that the final product is presented in this way. Showing a variety of platforms shows ability to learn and ability to adapt.

6. Sell Yourself
No one is going to sell “you,” but YOU. You must use your portfolio to tell your story. Explain your projects in a clear and concise manner, including professional background information as well as your experience. Explain your creative and technical skills and how you acquired these. Your potential employer wants to learn about you and the passion you can bring to various projects. Create that perfect portfolio today and let your creativity and design shine through.

Let Your Portfolio Be the One
Now that you know the secret to making your portfolio stand out, create it today as you apply for one of our many talent offerings available through Creative Talent Management. Your next opportunity is closer than you think. We are your source for expert talent managers. Get started today by calling one of our experienced recruiters at 800.338.4327.

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Kickstart Your Creative Career

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creative, designThe creative professional world is an intriguing industry. But finding that prime writer, web, and graphic designer opening can be difficult. Rather than give up your dream, use the tips below to help you get started in showcasing your mad skills.

Free Isn’t a Dirty Word
If you don’t really have a lot of experience or projects to show potential employers, consider taking on pro bono work. It might go against your grain to have to offer up your services gratis, but these opportunities become instant artifacts to add to your portfolio. Many non-profits or other local organizations often have a variety of designs or copy needed. Do a good deed for them, receive a return favor of more experience.
You can even contact these businesses or organizations yourself and pitch some creative suggestions to them. they are likely to be more open since you are offering the work for free. Here are some potential creative idea boosters: newsletters, photos, videos, PR, website design, and website management, to name a few.

Know the Lingo
If you don’t seamlessly incorporate industry lingo into work discussions, you might not be truly ready to join the field. And it doesn’t matter whether you went to school and officially studied design, etc. or taught it all to yourself. Within the lingo, you need to be aware of software programs commonly utilized, so you are prepared to work with a variety of them if the company you are interested in employs a different one than you normally use.

And for other creative jobs, such as writing, make yourself aware of the different kinds of writing that you might apply for (e.g. styles, standards, digital, print, marketing, industry-specific, etc.).

Show What You Know
Creating a portfolio is another critical step to entering the creative professional world. It is through a portfolio that you can back up your experience and prove to potential employers that you can really do the things you say you can do. In this age of the internet, creating this portfolio in digital form makes showcasing it that much easier (for you and employer), and that much more organized. When you submit your cover letter and resume, consider also supplying a link to your digital portfolio. There are several online options available: Coroflot and Behance are two such sites.

Brand Yourself
As someone who desires to be the creative force behind a company, you should consider first working on a brand that is much closer to home: YOURS. Developing a personal brand can help you figure out where you really want to go in your creative career. It can help you focus your design or writing skills and help you develop and hone them. so, how can “brand” yourself? It involves your social media persona, online profiles, resume, and more. It means tailoring these to a consistent design or direction.

And to take your brand to the next level, take advantage of the power of social media. When you build a consistent personal brand online, you can use it to network or be discovered (through LinkedIn for example). Share the work you have done with others in your industry and utilize various available resources that you are more likely to come across when you become more involved with your industry via social media outlets.

Tap into the Right Network
Whether you are seeking full-time, freelance, or contract work, your next opportunity is closer than you think. Tap into the right network to connect with the key decision makers in the hiring process. Find your creative outlet with Creative Talent Management. Our expert talent managers have firsthand knowledge of the fashion, beauty and advertising industries, and understand exactly how to match you to a position and company. Get started today by calling one of our experienced recruiters at 800.338.4327.

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