I’ve been hunting for a full-time job since November. And I keep getting really really close…but I absolutely can’t seal the deal. To the extent that I’m at least zero for five on the job hunt. And maybe, as of this morning, zero for six.
First of all, I have an awesome resume package. It’s a 12 page 9×9 piece printed on cardstock with my resume and a teaser portfolio. Every place I have applied has complimented me on it. Granted, this piece costs about $60 to produce, and I just don’t have the budget to produce any more of them. I’ve gone through at least 10 so far. Do the math.
I *always* follow up after the interview to let them know I’m still interested in the job. That includes a thank-you note and sometimes a phone call.
Here’s the rundown of all the places I’ve applied so far:
First Place:
I’d done a fair amount of freelance work for them before. I know them fairly well. There were two positions open. I basically came in third place – losing out to someone I hired at my previous job and someone who has a rep for being a tad lazy.
Needless to say, this put me in a serious funk for about a week, where I was very much re-evaluating whether or not I was a competent designer. Fortunately, I’m waaay past that now. My ego has returned to about 3/4 of the size it was. And yes, I’m competent. I’m way over my funk.
Second Place:
I sent them my resume for an Art Director position. I was told by the local Head Honcho that he was impressed enough with my resume, that he forwarded it to the Creative Director. Never heard from them again.
Third Place:
I wasn’t as heartbroken about not getting this job…since it was a Windows-based shop. But still, after being called in for a second interview and being told they’d narrowed it down to four candidates, I was a bit displeased that the job didn’t pan out. I even took their ‘Design Test’, which, according to the three people I showed my work to, was pretty strong. It involved spending about 4-5 hours creating a couple of logos. I went above and beyond and showed potential applications of the logos, as well as the evolution of making the logos. Apparently, that was 4-5 hours pretty much wasted. Not a good thing when you’re freelancing.
(I even had an extra Mac that I was going to sell them.)
Fouth Place:
The second place that never called me back for the Art Director position had an opening for a graphic designer position. I applied. I hit it off with the Art Director. I never heard from them again.
Fifth Place:
They know me – my old office was right next door to them. They were impressed with my work, but hadn’t yet made up their minds about whether or not they were going to actually hire another designer. Yeah.
Sixth Place:
This was for a graphic designer position – not an Art Director position. After meeting with them, I quickly realized I had more experience than the Art Director. As you can see on my resume, I’ve got a pretty good amount of publication experience – both in design and production. This place is producing a quarterly 160+ page publication…without a dummy. Something I told them I could help them implement.
I was told I’d hear back ‘first thing Monday morning.’
And it’s 11am on Monday morning. Not. A. Peep.
Now, I’ve got enough freelance work to sustain me for another couple of months(weeks). But that’s getting pretty grueling – (especially with one client who owes me $5,000 and refuses to return any of my phone calls.) And there’s that recession that seems to be hovering over us…kinda makes me think my freelance is about to dry up.
So – what the hell do I need to do to get a job? At this point, I’m very tempted to take some entry-level position just for some steady income. But it seems that I’m overqualified for half of the jobs and underqualified for the other half.
This is the most soul-crushing experience.
