UHC internship

Completely forgot to blog the biggest news...

I have been offered an internship at UHC, my dream studio, in Manchester. Its is awesome. They wanted me to do 3 days a week starting from w/c 21st May, however as submission is looming I had to comprimise by doing just Wednesday 23rd. After submission I will be there on Thursday 31st and then hopefully after than 3 days a week until around the 20th June.

I am helping out with a project they have at the moment called DressCode 2012.

Email contacts

Clients, designers and printers I have been in contact with via my professional email over the last year of the course...

Business cards!!!

So excited about these, love them!

Updated website

Rolled out the redesign to my website... Niiiiiiiiiice

Samples

Asked Ian for some samples and also a sample of the azure blue/pristing white duplex stock I may be using. Recieved samples from IST and definately printing with them! I love the slight emboss created by the foilinhg.  I have fallen in love with the stock and foil used on the OAK card and will see if I can use this stock on my business cards instead of the blue as it looks wishy washy compare to the others.

EOYS prpposal 1

IST quotes

Colour picking and another redesign!

The typeface I was using was causing some concern to some students, as it is a web font. Therefore I have changed the font to DIN which is a really nice one. I know that I want to use a colour on my business cards and throughout my branding. I think a whole colour on the home page of my website and also a block of colour as my image on twitter rather than my logo. These block colour tend to work nicely to tie a brand together. I am thinking a nice pastel blue like the azure blue GFSmith paper I found.

Feedback

I have been recieveing quite alot of productive feedback recently. I did hope to be more professional in my PPD presentation, however I felt awful and think I did ok. I find that I work better without many notes and know what I am saying anyway. the slides guide me through. I always miss out important bits though which is annoying! I hope to come accros more confident in my work from now on as people have said I am good at design, I need to believe in myself more... as I people have been telling me all my life!

One of my clients have said that one person pitching for his brief was very professional in his emails and I can work on that. I try and be more personal and 'real' rather than professional. But maybe I need to add some character into prefessionalism.

Stuff to build on!

Pantone spot colour

Business card redesign

Been looking at my business card and logo and i'm really not happy with it. People have commented on the typeface chosen and the colour of the stock. I Have done a redesign and have gone from this to this!

IMAGES

Colorplan smoth

Been thinking of my business cards and am definately going to get them printed on a high quality stock. Been looking into GFSmith papers and decided upon Colorplan Smooth.

Covering letter

Source: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/jobs/features/66/Covering%2520letters%2520-%2520Writing%2520a%2520good%2520CV%2520cover%2520letter.html

A good CV cover letter will accompany your CV and is an excellent opportunity to highlight the particular skills that you have, which are relevant to the job you are applying for.  A good CV cover letter should introduce you and if applying for a specific job, ensure that you put any reference details and the source of the advertisement in the subject line.

As with your CV a good cover letter will be fairly brief and to the point and will outline why you are interested in the organisation and what skills you have which are relevant to the role.

You should always ensure that your letter is properly addressed with the full name and title of the hiring manager (you may need to call up to get this information) and your details too, whether you are sending the letter by email or in the post.

Most recruitment advertisements will ask candidates for their salary expectations.  A good way of tackling this is by saying that you are looking for a salary which will reflect your skills and experience.

Finish your cover letter on a positive by saying how much you would value a meeting with them to talk about your skills and experience in more detail and make sure that you put your contact details there too!

And last but not least, spell check it! Remember, attention to detail is key and will give you stand out.

It would be a nice touch to follow up your letter with a courtesy call to the hiring manager to check whether your cover letter and CV have been received.  This will remind the hiring manager of who you are and will also reassure you that your application has been received.

Benefits of a recruiter

Source: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/jobs/features/69/Benefits%2520of%2520using%2520a%2520recruitment%2520consultancy.html

Wasn't very keen on going through a recruitment agency, but maybe this is the way to do it...

Recruitment Consultancies are an excellent way of matching both client and candidate.  They can be an "extra voice" for the candidate and can make introductions to clients where they have established business relationships.  Most recruitment consultancies will insist upon meeting their candidates, which is beneficial for the applicant to find out exactly what their career aspirations are and to offer some handy tips and advice.

It is time-saving for the client too - no more short listing through 80 or 90 applications where only half a dozen may come close to hitting the mark!  

A good recruitment consultancy should be considered as an extension of the client's HR department, championing the reasons for joining the organisation as they are often the first point of contact when it comes to discussing a specific role with a prospective candidate.

Creating a good CV

Source: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/jobs/features/67/Creating%2520a%2520good%2520CV.html

What do potential employers look for from a candidate?

Try to think about this objectively from an employer's point of view and tailor your CV to suit each job you apply for.  The layout is the main thing that will make an employer want to read on or be scared off by a wall of text.  Clearly detail your employer, your title and duties. 

Use relevant key words from the job spec to make your skills stand out.  A prospective employer will always look at what you can bring to their team/ company.  If you have worked with clients directly add a list of clients and their industries to your CV, it will help build a picture of the level of clientele you can handle.     


What should a CV contain?

Your CV is what agencies and employers alike will use as a basis for whether or not they want to invest time and effort in exploring your skills further.  

• A good template for a CV is to start with your contact details.  Obvious I know, but essential.  Detail your telephone no. and email.  If you aren't happy providing your full address name the town or city you live in instead.
• Next a brief profile about you and your key strengths, which direction you see your career taking and how that would benefit a prospective employer.  
• Follow on with your education most recent first e.g. Masters or Degree with grade obtained, down to high school qualifications.
• Then your chance to shine with your employment history, again starting with your most recent first as this will allow them to see your current level of expertise.  It is vital your experience is laid out clearly highlighting your skills and duties without too much "waffling".  Don't be scared to sell yourself by adding any awards you may have won, key achievements or contributions that have lead to a positive outcome for the company.  
• Your additional skills should follow detailing your computer literacy, programs you are competent with, any foreign languages you speak and to what level and any other information that will add value to a prospective employer's organisation.
• Lastly add your hobbies and interests.  This helps build a picture about your personality and can also be a good talking point at interviews if you share common interests.

What to avoid in a CV

Don't:

• Include a photograph - This may be a negative rather than a positive, best to let your skills be judged on their own merit.
• Get too personal, employers don't need to know about your dog being sick on holiday!
• Overdo it with fancy fonts, and colours.
• Waffle needlessly, stick to the point.
• Make mistakes.  ALWAYS spell check your CV, if you're not too hot with grammar get a second opinion before sending it off.

How to stand out  

Use bullet points to list your skills, duties and achievements.  This breaks up the text and allows easier reading.  Your CV is a sales tool so list features and benefits of your skills and experience.  


Tailoring your CV

CV's are very general as you want to try and maximise all your skills.  It is a good idea when applying for a particular role to "tweak" your CV highlighting your relevant skills for the role.  Expand on a project that centred on a relevant industry or detail more clients you worked with that would be similar in your prospective role.  Any other information that can be seen as a link between what you have done and what you will be able to offer a future employer is worth adding. 

Freelance Designer

Could be an avenue I could go down after uni if I don't manage to get a employed job...

Graphic Designer

Maybe a bit to high for me, but worth applying for.

Freelance Direct Mail Designer

Freelance is something I wanted to avoid but could be a good opportunity.

Graphic Designer

My only concern is that I do not want to work 'in-house' again as I think it will limit my opportunities in the long run. A position in a design studio would appeal to me much more.

Junior Art Director

Haven't seen many of these jobs advertised before and could be a good angle to get into the design industry. I would like to know more about this position...