Should We Hire You?

 

 – By Dave Cooperstein, senior creative designer

 

Back in October of 2013, I attended the TEA’s annual SATE (Storytelling, Architecture, Technology, Experience) Conference at the Savannah College of Art and Design. You can read a fantastic recap of the event by Clara Rice at InPark Magazine.

On the last day of the conference, either by mistake or by gross oversight, I ended up on a stage full of Attraction Industry luminaries, giving advice to SCAD students attending the conference. The major question to those of us on stage, whom had been in the business for a combined 400+ years, was “what do you look for when you are seeking to hire someone for a job at your firm?”

First, let me say that, in the last 15 years, I’ve attended a lot of career fairs, read a lot of resumes, and flipped through countless pages of architecture, art and design portfolios. I’ve seen my fair share of elevations, plans, and computer renderings. And what I said on that stage, what I told all those young, eager faces in the crowd, and what I still believe to this day, is basically contradictory to everything their professors have said about putting portfolios together and showcasing their work. But, if you want to convince us (and by “us”, I mean just about anyone in the Attractions Industry) to hire you, here are some things that I think you should keep in mind:

Show me all the “other stuff.” 

I only need to see one elevation to know that you can draw an elevation. And just about every design student today can produce a very nice computer rendering. Showing me page after page of plans, elevations and computer renderings of finished projects doesn’t tell me what I need to know about HOW YOU THINK. Where are the early notebook sketches, rough paintings, sketch models, and thoughts scribbled on a notepad? Where’s the poem that you wrote at 2:00 in the morning, after you had that crazy dream, which inspired your design? Where’s the story that you told to your old web cam so you wouldn’t forget it?

Those types of products of the design process tell me a lot about how you think and how you solve problems. Don’t be afraid to show them, especially since you’re planning to include plenty of finished artwork already.

Given the above, I’d love to see at least one project from beginning to end.

Again, it’s about understanding your design process and how you attack it. I want to know how you think. I want to see how you express those thoughts. Not just what it looks like when you’re finished. In fact, I’d rather see seven pages, or seven minutes of video, or seven screenshots about one project from beginning to end, than 17 pages of elevation after elevation, site plan after site plan, with little explanation about from where they came.

There is NO ‘typical’ for the industry. 

Every project is different. Every project requires different ways to communicate the design solution. So don’t worry about some kind of industry ‘standard’ or ‘benchmark.’ You need to create work that speaks to YOUR design sensibilities, and produce tools that communicate your design in a clear and beautiful way.

I’d love to see more variety in the pieces in your portfolio. 

We look for talented people with a WIDE range of skills. There’s far more value in hiring you if we know that we can put you on a project as an illustrator, but also use you to art direct an animated fly-through, and then put you on a team that is evaluating a company’s brand, and maybe have you design a ride vehicle from scratch. Showcasing the range of your skills, talents and interests is how you are going to sell your value to our company.

Which also means that I want to see those unexpected things that make you unique.

What skills do you possess that I might never have consider having on staff, but might find incredibly valuable? Do you know how to make chocolate? Are you also a professional actor? Are you a world-class sand sculptor? Maybe you’re a hard-core Do-It-Yourself-er. I want to know those things, and I’d like to see the fruits of those labors on your resume, and showcased in your portfolio. That’s the stuff I’m probably going to remember about you.

So, as you get set to meet us at career fairs (and, please, read Lindsey’s post on Attending Career Fairs) and send us your resumes and portfolios, don’t think that elevations and plans are going to set you apart. Because, while I know the people on that stage at SATE can draw elevations and plans, I’m sure that’s not how we tell stories. And I know, pretty much for a fact, that’s not the part of our jobs that we love the most.