MightyRecruiterHow to Interview Graphic Designers
Graphic designers are tremendous assets to a wide range of businesses, helping them reach consumers through communication mediums such as print, the Internet and even billboards. Graphic designers must be creative, detail-oriented, team players, tech savvy and, of course, top-notch designers. They must also be able to handle rejection well. With so many aspects in mind, it’s worth taking the time for a refresher on how to interview graphic designers. Basically, you want to focus your interview in three key areas: experience, portfolio and skills.
Talk about the Experience a Graphic Designer Brings to the Table
When you are unsure how to interview graphic designers, one thing is for sure: the best way to gauge experience is to compare apples with apples. In other words, first understand what you want your graphic designers to design, and get an idea of their experience with similar companies and designs. The fact is that, in many cases, a graphic designer specializes in a type of client or product such as book jackets. Resumes and cover letters are good starting points to get an impression of a candidate’s experience, and you should ask interview questions that probe even further. Possible questions include:
-Have you designed X products before (For example, advertisements, reports, magazines)
-What types of clients have you designed for (Nonprofits or corporate clients, to name two)
-How large or how small are the previous clients you’ve done work for
-What website design experience do you have
-What programs do you use to aid in your design
-What is your design process like
-How do you stay on top of the latest graphic design technology
Discuss the Graphic Designer’s Portfolio
Whether a job applicant’s portfolio is online, in print, or a mix of both, it is a rich area to explore and a key aspect in how to interview graphic designers. Before an interview, spend some time reviewing the candidate’s portfolio, and choose a few pieces to ask specific questions about. In general, graphic designers present their best work first in a portfolio, with their next-best work finishing off the collection. You should expect to see about six or seven pieces in between. Good springboard questions for discussion that you can get from a portfolio include:
-Which piece is your best Why
-Which piece is your favorite (It is often interesting and insightful to hear the reasons why a favorite piece may not be the best piece.)
-What was your aim with this design
-How long did this piece take
-What was the design process with this piece
-Did you collaborate with other designers on any of these projects
-Which of these pieces are client favorites, and why
-Why did you pick this particular image (or color, or font or other aspect of design)
-Which projects were especially cost-effective
-How do you balance being cost-effective with doing the best job possible
-Which design projects most interest you
Get an Idea of the Applicant’s Skill Set
Skills, no matter the job, come in two categories: hard skills and soft skills. Finding out as much as you can about them is a critical part of how to interview graphic designers. Hard skills include expertise in certain software programs, while soft skills include an applicant’s ability to collaborate. To get a basic understanding of designer candidates’ skill sets, read their resumes. And to find out more, ask questions like the following:
-What software do you use in your daily work
-Which software do you think is most flexible or versatile
-What’s the software you cannot live without
-Which software was hardest for you to master
-Which version of [software name] are you most experienced with
-Which software would you to use to design X product
-What programs do you want to learn
-What are the top mistakes you see in website design
-What is your understanding of our company’s design philosophy
-What do you think of our designs
Go the extra step; give the same design to all candidates. Ask their opinions on the design. What is done well, and what is not To explore soft skills, ask questions that delve into a candidate’s emotional intelligence. For example:
-What do you enjoy about working alone
-What do you enjoy about working with a team
-Which project has been your favorite
-Which project has been your least favorite
-Why did you become a graphic designer
-What do you see as the most important responsibility of a graphic designer
-What have been some of your most notable mistakes Your most notable successes
-What can companies better do to support graphic designers
-How do you handle rejection
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As you make all-star hires and investigate how to interview graphic designers, turn to the resources here at Mighty Recruiter for assistance.