We’ve recently been through the process of hiring a new graphic artist and this post is a commentary on that process.

We placed a carefully worded advert on a recruitment website. We were looking for someone with experience in print and web design as well as some experience coding websites. I asked for portfolios and examples of capability.

Over a two week period, I received about 30 applications. Here’s what I found:

Close to fifty per cent were in Word format. These applicants made no effort to demonstrate their ability to create a pdf file. Very few applications showed any form of design creativity. Yes, there is a school of thought that a resume doesn’t need to show any form of creativity, but from my perspective, an application with absolutely no styling doesn’t display your creative ability, and that’s what I’m looking for when I’m making my first cut.

Your initial impression is made by the look of the document you submit.

The majority did not provide evidence of work that matched my key selection criteria. In other words, they told me what software they were able to use instead of showing me what they could do with that software. To me, that’s like having a carpenter telling me he can use a saw and a hammer instead of showing me what he can do with them. I expect you to be able to use industry-standard software…

Those that did show me examples didn’t show me what I wanted. I saw sketches, cartoon character renditions, student-grade exam graphics, and very basic, badly-coded websites. Far too many websites used as examples were either template-based or totally non-commercial. There was very little demonstration of real world examples and experience.

Few applicants took the trouble to visit our website to find who they were writing to, or to look at our portfolio, even though our company name was on the advertisement.

Several applicants lived overseas or at such a distance from our office that commuting would be totally impractical. If you live 150 km from our office, how do you expect to manage a daily commute to Archerfield and be fresh and invigorated when you arrive at work?

Many were freelancers no doubt seeking shelter for economic reasons. I suspect that if I hire a freelancer; they’re likely to continue freelancing after hours. Why would I want to risk you coming to work tired and drained because you had been working late on a private job that could have been done here under our banner? Moreover, if your private client sees that you’re working for someone else, how do they feel if they can’t reach you during the day to discuss their project?

Yet when asked about how they intend to continue their private client relationships, not one interviewee has ever asked if they can bring the client into our business and take advantage of the team’s input or the protection afforded by our (expensive) liability and indemnity cover?

I suspect that freelancers expect an employer to allow them to have their cake and eat it too. I have no issue with you doing your mate’s wedding stationery, or your mum’s home based business graphics at home, but not chargeable work. How do I know you won’t say to one of our clients “Listen, let me do this for you at home, I’ll only charge you half their fee.” That’s both unreasonable and professionally unethical.

I know that it’s difficult to get experience in any field, and that gaining experience isn’t easy. Nevertheless, if I want to hire a graduate with little or no experience, I’ll say that in my advert.

The bottom line is this: Don’t tell me what you can do, show me what you’ve done. I’m looking for capability and potential. If you have those, I’ll gladly train you to be better tomorrow than you are today.