RE: Are you Good Enough?

(Just realized that this was sitting in my drafts this whole time)

I think social media plays a large role in the hiring process and even throughout employment in any modern company. Because of the common usage of social media for everyone, it becomes an extension of you that is constantly judged. It demonstrates how you portray yourself as an individual; granted it should be used to determine your professional future, but social media and the internet are platforms where overlap can do more harm than good if you're not careful.

For example, I just recently found a Tumblr account that located social media accounts that posted racist, sexist or any type of discriminating remarks and reported them to the user's employers, resulting in the individual being fired and the company issuing a public apology. Social media can be a positive experienced if it's controlled and monitored frequently, but the crossover between personal and professional can be dangerous if you don't know where the line is.

If you can "conquer" social media, it can be an effective tool for networking and connecting with other business professionals. In a professional sense, I think LinkedIn is going to be the front runner for career networking because the environment creates a strict line between personal and being personable -- helping users to create professional relationships.

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Do you think social media plays a huge part in the hiring process?
How do you feel about the points the author is making in this section of his post?
What sites do you focus on for social media and networking?
Do you see all social media as an avenue for a networking possibility/career opportunity?
How important do you think it is to have a social media presence?
What are your thoughts on the article.... do you feel it is accurate?

RE: When a client has bad taste

How do you feel about these different takes? 
It was interesting to see the different ways designers handle a sticky situation such as bad taste. There were some tactics that I really enjoyed, such as "we...try to shift the focus and the conversation away from personal taste and subjective preferences ("I like circles; I hate blue") and toward more strategic considerations: Does the design work?" and "I would simply try to give them my best recommendation, based on explicit connections to the content of a project," while others ("...pretend that I am a lawyer and you asked me to do something patently illegal that would cause my disbarment and professional shame forever. That is what you are asking me to do.") were a bit abrasive(?) and I felt that the client would not react positively. I don't know, that's just my two cents - we'll see how it works in the real world.

What do you think you can take from these designers? 
As stated above, there were a number of suggestions that I enjoyed and plan to use if I am ever in that situation. Communication is key, therefore making sure that your client understands that you are not only listening, but also internalizing their ideas helps to ease the situation in the event that you must tell them that the direction they choose to go may not be in their best interest.

Do you think that these apply differently during different phases of your career?
I definitely feel that these apply differently based on the phase of your career. As a beginner, you will want to approach the situation differently than you would as a seasoned vet, as the client may try to use your experience against you when they feel they aren't "getting their way." Once again, it's all about communication and exactly how you do so.

When a client has bad taste

Have you ever had to tell a client that they have terrible taste? Here's a really interesting article featuring advice from a few big name designers:

How Top Designers Tell Clients That Their Taste Sucks

How do you feel about these different takes? What do you think you can take from these designers? Do you think that these apply differently during different phases of your career?

Re: Are you good enough?

Do you think social media plays a huge part in the hiring process?
I think it plays a huge part in the hiring process because today many employers will simply research to find information on potential employees. A social media present could make or break you depending on the type of content you have on your page.                            

What sites do you focus on for social media and networking? 
I am very active on Facebook and Instagram. I've gained a lot of clients from Facebook and Instagram by simply word of mouth and uploading a few designs on my pages. I also follow many designers, artist and photographers on Instagram where I look for events to attend. I do have a LinkedIn account but I've been inactive for a few months now. 

Do you see all social media as an avenue for a networking possibility/ career opportunity?
Yes! Today everyone is using some sort of social media presents. I typically see Instagram and Facebook as the biggest opporuntitesfor great networking and possible career opportunities.You are able to communicate with a large audience of all types of people who might be in need of your services. I also 

How important do you think it is to have a social media presence? 
I think it is very important if you would like to meet and interact with people in your field. Especially if they are not local. There are some very interesting people out here and I've met quite a few of them on Instagram. 

What are your thoughts on the article.... do you feel it is accurate? 
The article was definitely a great read! He made some pretty accurate points. The figures he stated on the amount of applicants were pretty scary and has me wondering how I need to improve my job approach. 

re: Resume vs Portfolio

This is a tough decisions, because it is a little like show and tell. A resume tells about your experience, skills, etc and a portfolio shows them. First and foremost though, you need to get called for the interview and some companies see hundreds of resumes at a time, so have a well-crafted resume is most certainly important.
    What is it that is going to make you stand out from the rest? Our goal is to impress the hiring managers and HR personnel. Their goal is to weed out candidates as fast as possible. Using buzzwords without keyword stuffing is one way to catch the readers attention. An Art Director I knew said that he would ask for specific things in the cover letter or not to have a cover letter and apparently people don't follow directions very well. But if they don't specially say that they don't want a cover letter then write one. That is besides the point though.
    The second resume you had posted is fun and cool and it makes sense if you are applying for a design position. Jen brought up a good point about resumes being filtered through a computer and I honestly never thought of that. Its okay to have two different resumes tailored to suit whichever job you are applying for. Its important to include skills and experience specific to the job you are applying for.
    I have been trying to put together a portfolio for almost 9 years and still keep scrapping it and starting over. As I have developed my style has changed a bit and some pieces don't belong there. I don't want the person looking at my portfolio thinking I am all over the place. I want them to have a sense of who I am, what I am capable of and more importantly, what I can do for their company.

Re: Are you good enough?

Do you think social media plays a huge part in the hiring process?

As everyone said, it depends. I think for big companies it can be a way to search for candidates (linkedin) and rule out others (facebook, twitter, Instagram). This is a shame because I think it defeats another useful purpose for social media – to socialize and express opinions. It seems you have to hold back a lot because of how you could be judged by an employer.

How do you feel about the points the author is making in this section of his post?

I’m not surprised, really. It makes sense for companies to use technology like this. In a way, it does level the playing field. Everyone has a chance if they take the time to tailor their resume.

What sites do you focus on for social media and networking?

Personally, I use Facebook. I know people have their reasons for hating it, but it is still my favorite. I don’t know why! I use Twitter a lot for work. On the University of Maryland campus it is the BEST way to know what is going on, and a great way network on behalf of your program/college/school. 

Do you see all social media as an avenue for a networking possibility/ career opportunity?

Right now, no. I work for the University system, and social media is not the place to find a job, from what I’ve observed. But, in the future if I decide to try to get into the private sector, I’ll be ratcheting up that LinkedIn profile.

Re: Are you good enough?

Here's what I'll say:

In regards to the article, I agree with Kim: perhaps big corporations pay a certain kind of attention to your social media presence (measuring engagement, growth, likes, etc.), but those places aren't ultimately where I'm trying to work.

I'm not really interested in working in place that views me as a number.

Sidenote: I'd highly recommend The Circle by Dave Eggers. It's about a twenty-something girl who goes to work for an internet titan (Google-esque and Facebooky). She's intensely evaluated on her social web presence, among other things. It's a good read.

I do think social media can be really useful for networking. Here are my social media opinions:

Facebook: Dead to me, useless, disavowed, equal to Satan.

Twitter:  While it can become somewhat of a "moral mob" during intense current events (like right now), I think Twitter is really great for engaging in meaningful conversations, both about your work and about other interests you have. That's something I feel comfortable being evaluated on by a potential employer, because it's not just about the numbers: it's about the content, too, and relating to others.

Also, with the 140-character limitation, there is an art involved. It's easy to tell who has mastered it.

I've been working really hard to network in Baltimore via Twitter and I feel like I'm privy to the goings-on, in and out of the design world, much more with it than without.

LinkedIn: I use this mostly as an online resume. I do think the endorsements are a nice feature, but it's been hard for me to figure out how to ask for them. Feels awkward.

Instagram: I'd like to use this more professionally. I have an account but it's been inactive for a few months. 

To be honest, though, I have a love-hate relationship with social media of any kind, and I often go on long breaks from all social media sites because it becomes too overwhelming to me. 

Sometimes, I think I'd like to get rid of them forever; it's like we're all talking about and taking pictures of living rather than actually doing it. Seems kind of pointless.

But, ultimately, I think having a web presence can be really beneficial to be a part of relevant and important conversations.