Guess it had to happen sometime

[Patrick Shannon]

Well, as spring blooms and more people are getting interviews and jobs lately (judging on the posts), my time has come at last...my first interview in nine months, coming this Monday. I'm not too sure about the place yet (gonna drive by it this weekend and check it out), it's called 'Best Printing' (sounds kind of like a business where I already work). But you can't always judge a book by it's cover, and even if the job doesn't turn out to be much after all, I need the interviewing experience anyway.

But I study businesses with a magnifying glass before I go in, and so far, here are some plus and minuses.

THE GOOD.....

Four color printing (I've always wanted to work around that)
Direct-to-Plate (I'm still working on a 1985 Itek camera!)
Close location (Closer than my current job)
Good hours (M-F 8-5, no weekends)
Nice boss (from the new minutes on the phone, she sounded a lot nice than mein fuhrer and female employers have always treated me nicer anyway)

THE BAD.......

Might be Mom and Pop (possibly low pay and little-to-no advancement, which is pointless)
Soccer Mom projects (this depends on what 'kind' of work they do, as well as business location)
Highly generic website (their website appears to be a generic template from some business, I know this because our work has the same thing. For example, the template says they offer 24 hour service, but the place is open 8-5. Besides, more reputable places tend to have customized/self-designed sites of their own)

Like I said, we'll see what happens this Monday afternoon, sometimes you can pleasantly be surprised. I'm also happy because by pattern, all the calls for job interviews seems to come back to back.

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.

[idaho]

If their website is really generic tell them that you can redo it but they'll have to hire you first.

Congrats and good luck!

-Idaho
'You want it when? Ok, no problem. Excuse me while I pull the magic wand out of my ass!'

[MD]

Congrats on the interview Patrick!

I can't imagine too many soccer mom projects coming up with 4 color presses, I would think it would be too costly. As for the Mom and Pop atmosphere I think you just have an a$$hole of a boss. Most of the small business I have encountered seem to be a bit more laid back. The pay is a bit lower but the freedom you get is usually a decent trade off.

Good Luck

You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs on this forum. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bo staff.

[idaho]

I cannot believe that you want to leave 'The Family'. You do realize that if you leave they'll send a hit squad after you because you know too much. I had to enter the witness protection program to get away.

-Idaho
'You want it when? Ok, no problem. Excuse me while I pull the magic wand out of my ass!'

[Patrick Shannon]

'Hey Gino, watch yer back, capice? Or ya gonna get 'iced.' (Wonders how many heads that will fly over)

Mom and pop is really 'too' broad of term, now that I think about it. For example, the last place I interviewed for (which I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted) started out as a self-owned business, and it grew to the point that they handled Fortune 500 clients. It wasn't a large place, but they did have the reputation and business to pay their employees well, add impressive reference to a resume, and job growth and advancement. And by the definition, you could still call it a 'mom and pop.' That's the kind of place I'd like to work for.

What I don't want to work for (again) is some place that takes any old job off the streets to make a buck, and has me designing bingo cards and children's classroom projects for $10 an hour. It's a fine job for the person out of college but I've grown beyond that. All in all, no matter what I get offered, it will all be for naught if I can't help me become a self sufficient adult.

What will be the defining factor is how they react to my portfolio. On past job interviews I been on, the employer usually is uneasy after taking a look at the porfolio if the job is too entry-level/low paying. ('Your portfolio is very impressive, but I worry you'll be bored with us.....')

Anyway, for ONCE I'd like to work around some other designers and learn from them, I'm pretty lonely. Besides, as my career counselor says, I have a job and can be a little more choosy. After all, my career and my future is at stake here.

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.

Post Edited (Patrick Shannon) : 3/10/2005 8:49:03 PM GMT

[Magnus]

Good Luck dude....we need the change!

"Sometimes I do what I want...most of the time, I do what I have to." (Cicero, from "Gladiator")

"There is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path." (Morpheus, from"The Matrix")


"It's not cheating if you win...do what you have to do, but don't sacrifice your own honour in the process." (Taken from my iaido instructor, and modified by me)

"I am serving my time in hell on earth...at the job I am currently employed at." (Magnus, about his job)

[Crimson]

Patrick,

I have been in your shoes all to many time with layoffs and 4 kids to throw in the mix. I am happy working for NAPA (as long as I can quit being late and not get canned). Keep your head and do what's best for you. If you don't have a family yet then definitely take the risk to find something better.

That's my 2 cent,

Crimson

[Patrick Shannon]

I am a young, healthy and free single guy, all I want is enough to afford my own (nice) apartment, be able to pay off my bills (which are actually quite lower than other kids my age who attended four year colleges) and save for a rainy day. What salary range might be insulting to you all might be a world of difference for me, being the midwest and all.

I'll give you all the update this Monday evening.

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.

[Tyger]

good luck to you bro! I hope it works out for you. And yes living the single life is great when you got your own place and a little left over to spoil yourself!

http://img237.exs.cx/img237/6410/sig1sy.jpg

[Patrick Shannon]

Well, the interview is over. Naturally, I aced the interview with flying colors (I'm never nervous), no problems there. Unfortunately, my initial instinct was right as always...it was a job that asked for little design.

Pluses going for the business is that they're 'hardly' the walk-in type of place, they handle other customer's files more than anything. It's location in a business park helps keep the regular joe using MS Word and the old woman wanting bridge cards away too. Definitely not a walk-in place.

But when I went to whip out my portfolio, a big red flag went up when their response was 'oh, we're not really into the whole portfolio thing.....' I insisted anyway, for starters, if they're so heavily into four color process work, then they should at least want to see examples of four color campaigns I've successfully pulled off. Second, judging their responses helps me figure out what kind of people these are and what their business really is. When I interviewed for the last job, a true design job, they would not let me off the hook until I described every element of the design and my thoughts on it. That's the difference there.

Getting back on track, that's I heard those dreaded words I've heard so many other times.....'oh, you certainly know your pre-press, but we're worried you'd be bored with us.....' If you're a designer/artist and you hear that line, it's over Johnny.

They ran me through a quick test, their computers (still using Mac OS 9) locked up after I finished the Quark/bleed/trapping test. The others I blazed across with ease, though it was quitting time and the woman just said she was convinced I knew what I was doing.

Ultimately I either feel very disappointed after an interview, or excited, and this time I don't feel either.....it felt like I just got something done for the day and nothing else. Ultimately, money will talk, but I've interviewed with such places before and their pay has been absolutely laughable on all occasions (never breaking the $10 an hour mark).

But I learned something about myself today, I hear the 'I'm worried you'd be bored with us' line so many times that I think that portfolio is saying that I am more of a person on the creative side, and perhaps that's why I'm so annoyed with my current job (well, amongst other things). The fact of the matter is, a portfolio is important, and if I can't get any design work to display in it from this new job to replace some of the stuff (other than my crown jewels) that I've done at my current job, that is only going to hurt me in the long run when I try and pursue these really great places that designers always want to work for.

Unless they offer an attractive salary that will help turn my life around, there is no point. To work for a design firm that will get me somewhere someday, I would easily take a lower salary (just as long as that's a livable salary, I'm trying to get out on my own here.) The payoff would be great in the long run.

Patrick Shannon

'Dear valued customer, go home and die. Signed, your friendly graphic artist.'

http://www.patrickshannon.com/mwwc_sm.gif
My War With Culture (http://www.mywarwithculture.com)
Political incorrectness reinvented.