Graphic design interview questions can be surprisingly similar to interview questions asked in other industries. This is because--as professions--in business there are few variables. We must all deal with deadlines, colleagues, clients, and stressful situations.

Here are a few that you should be prepared for:

Every year or so I revisit this list—with good reason. SimplyHired, was once my favorite search resource to share. In addition to algorithm-selected postings the site now features header and sidebar advertisements (disguised to look like jobs) and an unending amount of Temporary Contract positions—posted by anyone from phishers, to grandmas, to some guy looking for website redesign.



These resources have been effective for many jobseekers this year:

• Idealist.org
• NonprofitJobs.org
• HERCJobs.org | HigherEdJobs.com
• America’s Job Bank (an oldie but goodie)
• LinkedIn
• Indeed
• www2.guidestar.org/
• AIGA
• USAJobs.gov

Of course, if you’re interested in a particular industry, check out the professional organizations’ websites. The same goes for a particular company. Be sure to bookmark it and visit early and often!

Retailing for 24,150 yen (about $235), the glasses will go on sale at the end of this month. Check out the Website...

Stock Images can be expensive, those of us in the non-profit sector, education, and rapidly-shrinking in house design departments are well aware.  Here are some sites that can give you the free images that you need to really make your designs pop!

Public Domain images and materials are ‘publicly available’ and not covered by intellectual property or copyrights. Today, graphic a design and digital media is abundant, so there is a high demand for images for use in print, web, and multimedia.

Here are are four public domain sites to pin and save. Enjoy:

http://publicdomainpictures.net

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://photos-public-domain.com

http://www.sxc.hu

Earlier this week, a recent graduate asked me to review her resume. It was well-laid-out and used typography quite effectively. I loved her clean, cool color palette. So, I didn't really have much to do by way of crit.

Here's a draft of my 2-column resume. Click image to see full sized.

The only real issue for me was the length of her resume. The 4-5 years of professional experience that she listed was spread across 10 positions and took up the majority of 2 pages. She showcased internships and volunteer posts in the same category as her professional experience. Were I reviewing her application for a job, I would expect to see a more seasoned designer; just going on the amount of text.

I suggested that she omit some non-relevant content and that she make her body copy fit in a single-page format. Here are a few examples of some two column resumes that allow designers to present themselves succinctly.

On a more personal level, I made the decision to have a one pager for my resume but kept my CV a multi-page document. Besides personal preference, there are other reasons to consider a single-page, 2-column resume format: 1. you only design the first page, 2. reviewers only need to keep track of one page, 3. you get to showcase your ability to prioritize and layout several chunks of content in the single page, 4. you skip the necessity to create a complimentary layout for subsequent pages (this is something I had to do for my CV... as I generally create 3 viable design solutions, this was a time-consuming process for me).

Design by bobgun

Layout by jessiLenz

This week is actually a bear. I've had meetings and appointments early and for the next two days there will be 8-hour trainings. The icing promises to be a few more meetings on Friday followed by a brainstorming session with a student; who knows how that will turn out.

My free time is occupied with a fun web project, that will encompass social branding as well as the redesign of two sites. This client is a dynamic accountant--you heard me--who needs an online refresh. I've just got some preliminary before and afters. There will be more about the process as this project nears it's end. For now, here are a couple quick pics:

This is the starting point...

Inspirational Quotes are relevant in both work-life and life-life:

1. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication Leonardo Da Vinci 2. Less is more - Mies van der Rohe 3.   Design is a response to a specific problem. You are given a problem to solve, and then you let the problem itself tell you what your solution is. - Chip Kidd  4. The real issue is not talent as an independent element, but talent in relationship to will, desire and persistence. Milton Glaser 5.    “GOOD DESIGN IS OBVIOUS. GREAT DESIGN IS TRANSPARENT.”JOE SPARANO   6. God is in the details. - Mies van der Rohe  7. If we do our jobs right, and get a little lucky… great art can be great business. Chip Kidd 8. If you have no intuitive sense of design, then call yourself an “information architect” and only use Helvetica. - David Carson9.   Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works. Steve Jobs 10.  I love what I do. Simone Jenifer Christian

I wanted to share with you a series of graphic design quotes that have stuck with me through my design education and throughout my career. My list got to about ten quotes before it got sidetracked.

I came upon a quote from one of my favorite designers, Chip Kidd. According to the autobiographical Cheese Monkeys—a book that inspired me in school, he sort of fell into the study in school. Since school Kidd has worked as a designer for Knopf, Random house and other publishers. He continues to inspire me.

My first instinct was to make myself one of these for my cash and cards. My second instinct was to share this beautiful minimalist design with you. Nothing Fancy, minimalist wallets, are created from a single piece of leather by London-based designer Chieh Ting Huang. Check them out:

My company recently advertised for a graphic designer and I was tasked with vetting resumes, application, and portfolios.

Several of the applicants applied with the requested documents, but one very talented designer applied using her Curriculum Vitae (CV)—a long, highly stylized document that would have worked best in application for an academic position rather than the non-profit sector. Since her portfolio was excellent, and I really wanted her to have a shot at the job, I ended up contacting the designer and having her resubmit a more succinct resume for the posting.

What’s the Difference Between a CV and a Resume:
 The main difference between a CV and a resume is the intended audience.

A CV speaks primarily to an academic audience. It documents both academic and intellectual accomplishments.

A resume is usually read by hiring managers in non-academic organizations or companies, and ideally should be tailored for this audience. These managers can review hundreds of applications for a single position; each being reviewed for fifteen seconds or less. Therefore resumes must be clear, concise, and make an immediate impression.

That said, both of these personal marketing pieces must provide a persuasive account of your specific skills and experiences as they relate to the specific job. When applying for a specific position, pay close attention to which document they require--and apply with the correct one.

Comparing Both Documents:

	Curriculum Vitae	Resume
Audience	Academics in your field	General audience of employers who hire for a wide variety of positions
Goal	Presents a full academic history — that includes teaching, research, awards, and service.	To demonstrate that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed within the position you are seeking
Length	One or more pages--however long it takes	One to two pages
Focus	Demonstrates academic achievements, scholarly potential, and any research undertaken.	Represents professional experience, extracurricular and volunteer work, and skills gained from these
Essential Information	Education, publications, presentations, teaching experience, honors and awards, and grants	Skill and experience gained as related to the job sought

adapted from CV or Resume? from University of Illinois

This takes quite a bit more gumption than I currently have. This dude is no joke.
Ouchie!

... And How to Avoid Them

You’ve picked the pieces to showcase in-person and in your online portfolio. Links to your portfolio now live on all of your identity pieces and you’re all set to get your new awesome job. So, how come employers aren’t champin’ at the bit to contact you after seeing your mad design skills?

It could be that you’ve made one or more of the following mistakes on your portfolio site.

1. POOR TYPOGRAPHY IS A TURN OFF
Typography is one of the main pillars of graphic design. As someone in the market for a design job you’re expected to have a good grasp of typography best practices. Without these, even the least qualified art director will overlook you and your site.

THE FIX: Once you’ve created your site and included all columns of type, step away from it for a few hours. When you come back, review a wordy column of type and see if it needs any tweaks in the leading or tracking; do the headlines command attention or do they blend with your paragraphs? Finally be sure to keep line-length to below 80 characters—to enhance readability.