You’ve crafted the perfect resume, cover letter and portfolio, all of which scream “creative,” hopefully without inadvertently irritating your potential employers.
But how do you know whether you might trigger a pet peeve or whether you forgot some crucial detail?
We tapped four creative agencies on your behalf and asked them for the critical must-haves and thou-shalt-nots for would-be designers and creative developers. Here are words of wisdom from execs at AKQA, JESS3, Code & Theory and Mekanism — heed them well, and add your own tips in the comments section.
5 Mistakes to Avoid from JESS3
Jesse Thomas founded creative agency JESS3. His firm has done g reat work for tons of tech brands such as Google, Facebook and Wikipedia; JESS3′s also worked for mainstream consumer brands, including Nike. He gives us a quick run-down of five things not to do when applying for a job.
- Don’t misspell anything. “This is the cardinal sin of sending a resume to anyone,” Thomas says. “Run spell check, and if you really can’t spell with spell check a click away, then you should perhaps go back to school.”
- Always include a cover letter. “You should write a very personal and direct note that explains the key things you want explained … This is the test of your professional tone,” he says.
- Use a professional email address that is some variation of your actual name, and make sure your name is listed in your email account — got it, cre8tivedude97@hotmail.com? “Obviously we all have had emails and chat names that we wouldn’t want others o utside of our social...
