August 2017 Blogs

Keeping a high level of engagement with candidates should always be a priority for employers, and this statement is all the more true of passive candidates. While the reasons for the significance of doing so very much state themselves, it is now more important than ever for a number of reasons. At present, it is believed that around 12 million adults lack basic digital skills, while 5.8 million have never used the internet. When you compare this to the fact that 90% of all jobs require digital skills to some extent and the digital sector’s need for 745,000 new workers by the end of the year, it becomes highly apparent that a conscious effort needs to be made to close this gap. The skills gap, as it is, costs the economy around £63 billion a year in lost income. For this reason and many others, “Digital exclusion has no place in 21st Century Britain,” the Commons Science and Technology Committee states. “The UK leads Europe on tech, but we need to take concerted action to avoid falling behind. We need to make sure tomorrow’s workforce is leaving school or university with the digital skills that employers need.” The recruitment process, therefore, becomes of vital importance. Of course, the responsibility of educating young people on the need for digital skills is not one that falls upon our shoulders. “Clients are becoming more aware of the need for digital operations and an online presence, so realise they need to recruit accordingly,” says Gordon Brown, MD of NineTwenty. Optimising candidate engagement will pay dividends when trying to do so. What’s more, 87% of tech businesses in the UK predict an increase in sales over the next year and thus, 83% of these expect to increase staffing during this period. Candidate engagement, then, is more important than ever. The more demand there is on the market for digitally skilled candidates, the less there will be available to you as an employer. This candidate-driven market can be counteracted by working closely with desirable candidates, ensuring that they are continually engaged and invested in the process at all stages. This is particularly true of passive candidates, i.e. – not actively looking candidates or candidates who are under no pressure to find new roles – as they will be naturally reluctant to leave their current positions or just hold out for something that really grabs them. It is important, then, to show passive candidates that the opportunities that you are able to offer them are better than those provided by their current role, despite how happy and comfortable they may already be with their employment. Where possible, a tight interview process will retain interest – being concise and efficient keeps candidates invested in the process. If this is not possible, as it may not always be, constant communication will help to bridge the gap and quick feedback will encourage more of an investment from the candidate. Playing a more hands-on role with passive candidates in this way is necessary and beneficial for all involved parties – not only will candidates be in the best possible role for them, employers who provide such engagement will be more likely to be able to fulfil their need for skilled (and specifically digitally proficient) staff than those who do not. Client page All blogs

If you're in charge of hiring new marketing, digital and creative talent then chances are you're experiencing the highs and lows of the current candidate-driven market. Some organisations are brilliant at nailing their recruitment process and others do it less well. Here are some of our thoughts based on what we've learnt from the companies who get it right. Set a CV deadline and get the job brief right Speed is the key. We're not saying that you should rush your decisions or hire people who aren't right but keeping your interview process tight will prevent candidates from being taken off the market before you get chance to make them an offer. When setting out to fill a role it's a good idea to set a tight deadline on CV submissions. If you're working with a decent recruiter then it's perfectly reasonable to expect CVs within a matter of days - provided you've spent a bit of time at the beginning to give them a good brief on the job, you've explained how to sell the opportunity, and you've spoken about the skills and experience required. Of course, you need to choose a recruiter who knows the market too! Commit to an interview timeline As well as setting a tight deadline for CVs you will get better results if you set aside time to interview. You should aim to stick to these interview slots. A good recruiter will be able to send you each candidates' availability when submitting CVs which will mean your interview timeline is achieved. The sooner you can get your candidates to first stage interview, the earlier they feel engaged with your employer brand and screening process. The sooner you reach the final interview stage, the more likely you are to be the employer that takes that amazing person out of the job market. Sell your opportunity at interview Nobody can sell a job opportunity better than the person who is hiring. Employers who hire the best talent are employers who get the candidates excited about their role at every step of the process - keeping candidates engaged throughout the process is very important. Whilst it might be your primary objective to get the info you need from the candidate, a successful interview should also result in the candidate leaving the meeting wanting your job over any others that they're considering. Sell the long-term opportunity, tell them about your ace your working environment, talk about how amazing your team is, and highlight all of the great projects that they'll get to work on. If you invest in people long-term then explain this to them. It's also about chemistry - employers look for a good rapport with candidates and vice versa. Provide prompt and detailed feedback A good candidate will put lots of time and effort into preparing for your interview. Providing quick and constructive feedback will again keep candidates engaged with your interview process and help your job opportunity jump to the top of their list - particularly if you think they're 'the one'. Be specific with your feedback; tell them exactly why you think they're a great fit, and if there are weaknesses that you'd like to explore further then it's fine to highlight these, delivering the feedback in a positive way. Be thorough, but keep the process as short as possible Waiting weeks between first and second interviews are likely to mean the candidate is gone and you're back to square one. If possible, make sure that all of the necessary decision makers get together to meet the candidate at that 'final stage interview' so that decisive action can be taken if things go well. An unexpected additional interview stage could mean that the candidate goes elsewhere. Make your best offer and provide good feedback In a candidate-driven market, you can expect your desired employee to have other offers, so it's best to make an offer that is both competitive and fair. We're not suggesting that you pay over-the-odds or disrupt you internal pay scale unnecessarily, however, it's worth being aware of the market rate for salaries as things change from one year to the next. It's a much safer outcome for you if your candidate accepts the offer as soon as it's made, instead of attending other interviews whilst you go back and forth negotiating over a couple of grand or a day's holiday. Not only is it important to make the right offer, but also worth noting that the feedback a candidate receives could be the thing that ultimately sways them towards your offer. If you've identified them as the ideal candidate for the role then it's worth telling them why they’re so special at offer stage. The candidate may have two identical offers, or it may not even boil down to the money for them - a good candidate will often decide on their next move based on where it'll take their career, what they're going to learn along the way, what they're going to be working on, and how welcome they feel at your organisation. Get your feedback right at offer stage and it will make a positive impact on the candidate's decision-making process. We hope this helps you hire some amazing candidates. If you'd like to talk to one of our team in more detail about how we can help then please call the office on 0117 317 8103. Client page All blogs

You've landed the perfect role, congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back, call your friends and family, pop open some Prosecco, eat some cake, or simply lay about basking in your own glory! However you wish to celebrate is up to you, but chances are, sooner or later the nerves of handing in your notice will kick in. As awkward as it may feel, it's a part of life so try not to feel bad about it. Whether you love your job and the people around you, or you loathe the lot of them, you should always aim to leave on good terms and not ruin it for the colleagues you'll leave behind. Here are some tips to help make it as stress-free as possible: Check your contract Know what your notice period is. It may have changed since you first joined. Know how much holiday you have accrued. The unused holiday might mean you can reduce your notice period. Go prepared You will need to write a letter to inform your employer you are handing your notice in as well as doing it verbally. The letter should include the date of which you are giving your notice, your position within the company and it’s always good to thank your employer. Don't make it too fluffy but a thank you does go a long way. Be confident Know what you want to say, take a deep breath and say it. Be direct and to the point. If you come across unsure, you will open yourself up for a counter offer or a lengthy interrogation! Keep your new opportunity in mind. Confirm your end date Identify and confirm your last day at your current employer, as the first thing your new company will want to know is when you can start. Don’t feel bad about doing what’s right for your career Although your manager and the company will probably be sad to see you leave, they won't see it as a personal attack. Chances are your manager will have changed job in the past and will have had to do the same thing. Make sure you leave on good terms First of all, you should want to be a good human, but you may also want a reference from your manager at some point. Reassure your manager you will provide a smooth hand over, and if you are asked why you want to leave, keep it professional; don't drag up any contentious issues. Remember you will probably still be working your notice period with them! As far as they are concerned, you are moving on to further your career. Be sympathetic to your peers You've landed the perfect job, perhaps you get lots of new perks and more money than them – woohoo for you! And maybe you are quite relieved to be leaving behind a few negatives at your current place of work, but it’s disrespectful to go shouting about it to your colleagues. It's not your job to make your peers start questioning their own roles within the company. Leaving on good terms means being respectful to everybody, not just your line manager. Good luck! All blogs. Jobs. Send CV.

Competency interviews, or behavioural interviews, as they are sometimes also known, can sound scary if you have never experienced one before. Tackling them successfully is a dark art that requires some practice, and this post aims to give you the ammunition that you need in order to nail it during an interview, no matter what questions get thrown at you. What is a competency interview question? By telling the interviewer about past experiences and behaviours, you allow them to predict how you might act in similar scenarios if employed by them. ‘Competency interviews’ and ‘behavioural interviews’ can be interpreted as the same thing, but we can look at these two definitions as meaning slightly different things. Competency questions could be interpreted as being questions which relate to specific tasks, skills or expertise – usually outlined in a job spec. We can consider behavioural questions to be those relating to your personality and ‘softer skills’ and these questions will tend to be answered by talking about situations based around people skills. Companies will often base behavioural questions around their brand values and company culture, so if you can find these online or elsewhere, you can begin to picture the sorts of questions that may get asked. The terminology and definitions are not important. The point is, whilst preparing for a competency interview, you should prepare examples that cover off both of these styles of question. How are you assessed in a competency interview? You are judged on the “quality” of the examples you provide. Basically, your story needs to convince the interviewer that you can do the job, and the way that you structure your answers will have a huge bearing on this. It’s widely accepted that the STAR method is a good way to deliver convincing answers. Here’s an example of how it works: A candidate for a marketing executive role might be asked: "Tell me about a time that you solved a problem within a tight timescale." You could structure your response in the following way: Situation - set the scene for your story. "My marketing director and I were due to present on a new product we were launching at an industry conference, but the marketing director was held up by public transport." Task – what was required of you? "It was my responsibility to find an alternative so it didn't reflect badly on the company and we didn't embarrass ourselves." Activity – be specific about what you actually did and what your team-mates did. "I called the event manager to see whether they could change the running order. It took some gentle persuasion but they kindly agreed so we had a bit more time. I wasn’t sure whether the marketing director would make it in time, so I called our product manager and persuaded her to step in to deliver the presentation." The result – how well the situation played out. "The marketing director didn't make the meeting on time but we explained the problem to the audience and the presentation went well. Although the marketing director was late, they did manage to get there in time to answer some of the questions asked by the audience. As a result, the presentation was a success and we had 4 companies bid to buy our product." The structure of the answer helps you tell a clear and concise story, without tailing off or talking too much. Your answer should be engaging for the listener. The result of your actions should always be a positive one. The key is to show that you made a real difference. How do you give the right amount of detail? How much detail you give can have a real bearing on the effectiveness of your answer. You should try to give plenty of substance whilst keeping the listener engaged. By practicing your answers in advance you can strike a good balance. Whilst you won’t know what questions you will be asked, you can hazard a guess by using the job spec – have an example prepared for each of the points mentioned in the job spec. If during the interview you are unsure whether you’ve given enough detail, ask the person interviewing you. An interview is a two-way conversation after all! Likewise, if you think you’re giving too much info, check. What if you can’t think of an example? It’s a tricky one as some interviewers will prefer straight up honesty whereas others might appreciate an answer that isn’t quite spot on but demonstrates a similar competency. You should try to limit the number of questions that you pass on. If you can’t think of your best example, then think of your most recent – people often take for granted the skills they use every day. If you are being asked for these skills in an interview then they must be important! Common competency-based questions. As well as using the job spec as a guide there are some common competencies that you will be asked about time and time again. Know how to answer these and you should breeze through the interview… Teamwork. Responsibility. Communication skills. Decision making. Leadership. Problem-solving. Organisation. Goal orientation. Preparation complete. Now go and boss that interview! You may also find our posts on CV writing and general interview prep useful. All blogs Jobs Send CV

Whether you are a graduate hoping to land for your first job, or an experienced Director interviewing for a board level role, preparation is very important. There’s a broad spectrum of interview styles, which will vary from company to company, and interviewer to interviewer. No matter how formal or informal, this post should give you a good basis for interview prep’. If you know all of this stuff already then sorry if we’re teaching you to suck eggs! The ‘obvious’ stuff Know where you’re going, get there early and arrive in the right mindset for the interview! This sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people get lost on the way to their interviews, arrive late, and arrive flustered because of it. You should aim to get there with plenty of time to feel relaxed, and maybe even flick through your preparation notes before meeting the interviewer. Don’t always rely on your smartphone. Take a printed map with directions. You can usually trust Google Maps to guide you to your destination, but if your phone runs out of battery or you have no signal then a good old fashion print out could save you. Aim to get there 15 minutes early. There is such a thing as too early though; you don’t want to risk making the interviewer feel under pressure to see you before they are ready. If you are too early then go for a stroll around the block to relieve some nerves or grab a coffee. Sometimes things are beyond your control and you just have to accept you’re going to be late. It’s not the end of the world, as long as you’ve brought along the phone numbers of the company you’re meeting and/or your recruiter so that you can let them know you’re running late, or ask for directions. Don’t rely on 3G to allow you to access your emails, have them in your phonebook. If you find yourself waiting in reception for the interviewer to arrive then check out the reading material. More often than not you can pick up some additional insight from the books and magazines on display. Don’t forget to switch your phone off before you go in! Dress appropriately These days suited and booted isn’t always the correct dress code, particularly if you are interviewing for an agency-side role or hoping to join a funky tech start-up. Smarter is often safer, but if a recruiter has arranged your interview then check with them first. You can also get a feel for the company dress code by looking at their LinkedIn profiles or checking out their ‘people’ page online. If not suited and booted, you should always show that you’ve made an effort. The smarter end of smart-casual is usually the safe middle ground. Never ever wear mucky trainers or scruffy jeans! Show that you’ve done your homework If you rock up and try to wing it, you’ll almost certainly be pipped by somebody who bothered to do some proper research. This includes looking at their Social Media channels, where you'll usually find the most up-to-date news and insights. It's fairly common for an interviewer to ask candidates whether they've looked at the company's social channels. It's best not to get caught out, especially if you're interviewing for a marketing role. Employers prefer to hire people who have identified their organisation as a good fit, and in order to convince the interviewer of this, you need to show you have a decent understanding of what they do, who they are and what makes them different from their competitors. Study the company website, in particular, the ‘people’ page, any available case studies, and to get a feel for the brand values and company culture. We’re finding that employers are placing increasing amounts of importance on matching candidates to brand values and company culture, both for agency-side and in-house job opportunities. Be ready to explain how your own behaviour and values align with theirs. Know who’s interviewing you. Not just because you need to know who to ask for when you get there, but because knowing a bit about their past might help you draw similarities during the interview process. It’ll also help build rapport. Their LinkedIn public profile will usually help you with this. Match relevant experience to their specific requirements (competency questions) When people talk about competency questions, it often means a very structured set of questions beginning with giving an example of a time when you had to… However, there’s usually an opportunity to give competency answers without necessarily being asked a competency question. We go into more detail on competency questions in our next post, but it’s essentially a case of answering a specific question (usually relating to a competency outlined in the job description) by talking through a piece of experience from start to finish. The key is to outline the situation or task, followed by the actions or approach that you took in order to solve the problem or complete the task and finish by talking about the outcome or results. Whether you are asked an obvious competency question or its part of a conversational interview, offering up a specific and relevant example from your previous experience can be a lot more powerful than a simple yes, I’ve done some of that before. The job description is probably the best resource to help you prepare in advance. Look at each competency outlined in the spec and think of a relevant example for each. Remember to be clear about what you did and what your team did. Know how to answer the salary question Salary doesn’t always come up at interview, particularly a first stage interview, but it’s handy to be prepared to avoid any awkwardness. An interview is not the time or place to get into a salary negotiation. Earn yourself a job offer, and then tie down salary once you’re in a strong position. One benefit to using a recruiter is that we can manage this for you, leaving you to focus on selling yourself. It’s generally considered bad etiquette to bring up salary during an interview, but sometimes the interviewer will ask. If they do then you should be ready to answer. Feel free to give a figure if you are pressed to do so, but try to avoid making it sound as though money is your main motivation. When giving a figure, its good practice to also emphasise that the role, career progression, brand values, and company culture are also important factors in your decision-making process. It’s generally ok to be vague on money if you feel uncomfortable being asked. You can usually get away with referencing the salary bracket on the job advert or mentioning your current/most recent salary. It’s important to avoid selling yourself short or pricing yourself out. Turn your weaknesses into positives Tell me what your weaknesses are is a fairly common interview question. It can sometimes catch people out so be ready for it. Nobody is perfect, so always provide a weakness when asked. If you can, try to avoid highlighting any weaknesses that may be detrimental to the role, and if you do have a gap in your experience then make sure you follow up by explaining that you have learnt a similar skill in a previous role and that it’s a skill you are excited about developing. If you do tick all of the boxes then be prepared to give softer skills or minor character trait as a weakness. Again, pick something minor that’s easily turned into a positive and isn’t going to scupper your chances of employment. You can always turn a negative into a positive. Sell yourself It may sound obvious, but it can be easy to have a wonderful chat with an interviewer, without actually selling yourself. Try to avoid this common mistake. There’s a fine line to tread, but if you find you are not being asked direct questions about your experience, you should be forthcoming with information and examples relating to the topics you are discussing with the interviewer. It’s good to talk about the things you enjoy about your current or previous roles. Interviewers like positive people who love doing the stuff that they may employ you to do, so it’s a pretty important point to make. Go above and beyond. You can take work examples, a portfolio, cupcakes (gauge your audience first though!) or whatever you think is appropriate that will separate you from other candidates. Ask engaging questions Asking engaging questions, at the right time is very important. Chances are you’ll be asked whether you have any questions at the end of the interview, so make sure you have something intelligent up your sleeve. Never ask about salary or the working hours. Do ask questions about the work, progression, the company culture, challenges you may face in the role, and anything else that shows you’ve given it some proper thought and are genuinely interested in joining the company. Digging around and uncovering this info may even give you an opportunity to reconfirm your interest in the role, or to talk about experiences you didn’t realise were relevant. Be positive at all times Never criticise current or past employers, even if you had a terrible experience. We get a lot of different feedback from interviewers and its surprising how many people have a great interview up until the point where they speak negatively about previous roles, usually in response to being asked why they left a previous role. Eye contact, good posture, a smile, and a sense of enthusiasm go a long way. Leave the interview on a high Smile and thank the interviewer, telling them you enjoyed meeting them and that you are excited about the role. If you feel it’s appropriate, a quick email to reinforce your interest can sometimes help too. Best of luck! :) All blogs Jobs Send CV

We’ve put together a series of short blog posts to help our candidates stand out during a recruitment process and land the perfect job. We hope you find them useful. We’d like to begin with CV writing, and let’s assume that you already have a CV written in a format similar to the one below. These sections may appear in a different order and still work perfectly well, but we’ve chosen a common layout here: Opening paragraph - ‘introduction’, ‘summary’ or ‘personal profile’. It’s a summary of your key skills, relevant to the job you are applying for and should grab the reader’s attention – more on this in a moment. Key Achievements – specific examples or mini case studies summarising a select few relevant skills and experience, in slightly more detail. This may include some key facts and stats too. Employment history – dates, job titles, employer details in reverse chronology with a description of your role and key competencies and/or key achievements. Education and qualifications section (this can appear at the start, middle or end of the CV depending on what you deem the higher priority content in your CV). Hobbies and interests – an opportunity to get your personality across and show that you’re an interesting person. References – ‘upon request’ is fine, and contact details. Get your most relevant attributes across succinctly and as early in your CV as possible The first thing to consider is that the person reading your CV probably has a stack of CVs and not a lot of time to read them. You should aim to grab their attention in the first few lines of your CV. Refer back to the job ad or job spec for the role that you are applying for and aim to summarise all of the key competencies required (or as many as you can fulfil) in the first few lines. That way the hiring manager will want to read on. In the sectors we cover, this usually means demonstrating experience of specific areas of the marketing mix. For example, branding, website builds, OOH, DM, PR, events – you need to be explicit early on in your CV. Depending on the role, the same can be said about strategy, project management, stakeholder management and team management (including details team size), and perhaps budget size, too. Industry sector experience can sometimes be important to a hiring manager, so it’s worth showing the breadth of expertise, or highlighting relevant expertise in a given sector if that’s what you specialise in. Think about what the job ad requires and tailor accordingly. Softer skills like ‘working well as part of a team or on your own’ and ‘good attention to detail’ are perfectly valid attributes but they can seem a little generic and probably aren’t at the top of the hiring manager’s list when shortlisting. Include them if you wish, but don’t let them overshadow the more valuable experience listed above. Don’t be overly formal (but remain professional) If you work in the marketing, creative or digital sector then you’re probably aware that on the whole, you’re dealing with a friendlier, less stuffy employer base than in certain other industries. For most of our clients, personality and cultural fit are very high up on their wish list. Writing in the third person generally doesn’t sound very personable, and it’s ok for your tone to be a little more conversational these days. Hiring managers (generally) appreciate a sprinkling of personality in a CV. As always there is a line though – keep it professional! Don’t cross the ‘selling yourself’ line and fall into ‘up yourself’ territory Using strong and positive adjectives to describe yourself is fine, but many candidates make the mistake of overdoing it. Describing yourself as ‘exceptional’, ‘outstanding’ and a ‘true expert’ between just two full stops is probably overdoing it. It might also set you up for a fall at interview. Make sure you find the right balance. In a sector so driven by technology and with changing consumer behaviour and needs, chances are there is always going to be something for you to learn, so show you have your feet on the ground. ‘Expert’ implies you know everything and there’s always something to learn. Be concise Your CV should elaborate on the detail given in the opening paragraph, but without any unnecessary waffle. Remember it’s important to tailor your CV to the job requirements, so what’s relevant to one role might be completely irrelevant to the next. There’s no need to dilute your relevant experience with other stuff that could be toned down. Whilst we generally disagree that a CV should be no longer than 2 pages, only exceed the page count if what you have to say is of value. Applying for a job in a sector you’ve not yet worked in - show it’s a conscious decision You can increase your chances of getting an interview for a role in a new industry sector by simply mentioning it in your opening paragraph. By demonstrating it’s a conscious decision to move sectors and to state that you have a particular interest in that sector, is probably going to be music to a hiring manager’s ears. It also negates the assumption that you might be applying for hundreds of roles in any old sector without really thinking about your career. Stats are good If you’re in marketing or digital then chances are stats are part and parcel of your day job. Your key achievements or employment history will become much more tangible to the reader if you include facts and figures, budget info, team size, and anything else that adds context to your CV. This is the nitty-gritty that can be written succinctly and will give the hiring manager the extra info needed to get you into the interview calendar. Photo or no photo If photos aren’t your thing then it’s perfectly acceptable not to include one. However, including a photo can help your CV stick in a person’s mind, and it can add a human touch to a fairly black and white document – think about Facebook and LinkedIn, the stats show that people are far less likely to connect with you if you don’t have a photo (an appropriate one). This isn’t as crucial with a CV, but it’s still a valid point. That said, a holiday selfie, a poorly cropped photo of you with your mates, or a snap of you holding a glass of wine on a Friday night are not very professional choices and could do more harm than good. Likewise, a stern-looking picture of you in your best interview clothing may have the same effect – you need to appear friendly as well as professional. Smile! Format your CV to make it clearer It may sound awful, but a good CV should be easy to skim read and upon skim reading the hiring manager should be hooked and want to read every word. Formatting can help with this as much as the content itself. A CV that looks like a giant block of text is daunting to read. It’s impossible to skim read too. Think about spacing and use a mixture of punchy paragraphs and bullets. If you use graphics elements or infographics then ask yourself whether it makes the information in your CV easier to access. If not then don’t do it. Putting keywords and phrases in bold can make it easier for the reader to skim the right info from your CV, but like many things, there is a delicate balance between overkill and being helpful. And going back to the 2-page CV myth, it’s better to have a well-spaced, easy to read CV which spills onto a third page, than it is to cram three columns of densely packed text into a tiny space using a ridiculous font size! We hope this helps you secure an interview for the job of your dreams! Click here for our next post on interview prep'. All Blogs Jobs Send CV

Having spent 5 months recruiting for a senior creative designer for one of our top brand/design agency clients, we’d like to share some insights straight from the client to help our creative candidates do themselves justice and get that dream job. If you’re a designer and it’s your mission to join one of the country's top studios then your portfolio needs to have the wow factor. Here are some useful tips to help you get their attention. Your portfolio is going to do most of the talking, so your CV can be simple (but beautiful), though you shouldn’t neglect small and important details such as these: If you include your own brand identity then make sure it looks as slick as the rest of the brands in your portfolio. A portfolio brimming with big brand work accompanied by a CV with a glaringly ill-fitting personal brand identity will often land you in the ‘no’ pile. Typography is really important! Most creative CVs are one-pagers. There is no hard and fast rule, but concise is often best. On the other hand, make sure your CV tells the reader what they need to hear, like the software you’ve used and how proficient you are, where you’ve worked and when you worked there, whether you were designing, art directing, presenting ideas to clients, mentoring junior members of the team – those sorts of things. Don’t forget to show personality – what do you do outside of work? Who (or what) inspires you and why? Infographics can be a great way of portraying information more clearly, but more often than not we see CVs where infographics have the opposite effect (that’s not to say they can’t work though). Text is fine and infographics are only appropriate if they add value. Simple is often more beautiful. Your CV should look clean and uncluttered, and any additional design elements should serve a purpose or portray an idea. Once your CV is polished, the bigger task is the portfolio. We’re talking about breaking into the best of the best here, so you need to really go all out. Take your time to make it perfect. Generally speaking, it’s good to have a mixture of branding and campaign work if you’ve got it, but if a job advert focuses on a specific area, give the client what they want. Clients expect flawless execution, so only include your best work! A poorly designed campaign for Coca Cola is not going to grab as much of the right attention as a beautifully executed business card for a start-up. Big ideas that transcend specific mediums are probably essential. I could quote this from a number of different clients! Your portfolio needs to show BIG IDEAS, however it's worth knowing that Creative Directors and Design Directors will usually appreciate that your bigger brand clients won’t have always allowed the more daring of ideas get implements, so if you have big brand work that doesn’t quite tick off this all-important competency, it's perfectly acceptable to include the stuff that the client didn’t go with. You can even include really awesome ideas that you came up with at Uni or in your own time. Scamps are your friend even if they're hand drawn on scraps of paper and scanned in (if presented beautifully). Scamps and sketches are often considered a great way to see how a creative person thinks, it's where big ideas first get fleshed out. Do include scamps and sketches where appropriate. If you don’t keep these, start doing so! You WILL need them. Don’t dilute the ‘wow’. Quality is better than quantity. Yes, variety is good – digital, packaging, exhibition stand, infographics, brand identity work are generally all great things to include in your portfolio. If you’ve done it all then it’s good to show an example of each (or better still, the concept that transcends them all and a glimpse of the execution across each). But, you only really need to choose your best 4 or 5 examples. 6 maybe at a push. If you had three brilliant examples and 3 good examples, only show the 3 brilliant ones and maybe 1 of the good ones if you really have to. Don’t write too much. You should have one example or client case study per page, accompanied by a line or two lines explaining what YOU did on the design – was it entirely your work or did you contribute as part of a team? Be honest. If you’ve got the raw talent, and this post helps you upgrade your portfolio from good to awesome, then why not check out our creative job vacancies to find your dream job. All blogs Jobs Send CV