08-09-2005, 09:03 PM
it's ironic you posted this up Feersty, i just started my first day of work at my design job, and believe me it's been a long road of BS in getting there...
i'm a niche guy like yourself. my concentration is industrial design, with my plan being to go into transportation design (i will in time). however, there are not many industrial design studios around, and the majority are located in CA.
my background, and the fact that i had to move to GA after graduation gave me some big problems, not the least of which was a i had no networking whatsoever down here. i started my job search seriously in january and pretty much ended it as of mid july. here's what i learned in 7 months of searching and sending out my resume over 150 times.....
1) it pays to be local. i had a hell of a time convincing people in GA to pay attention to me in VA.
2) go traditional and buy a sunday paper. the online local paper listings are also gold mines. many companies turn to online big name sites like monster for mass exposure but many very worthy small companies stay low key. i found my job in the local sunday rag.
3) what Evan said....spam the hell out of employment resources. i literally spent 2-3 hours a day going over around 5-6 different websites, looking over new listings and sending my resume/portfolio samples to anyone who had a job i was even remotely qualified for....
4)which brings me to my next point...don't be afraid to take a chance at a job you may not feel qualified for or think is out of your league.....or even different than what you think you are interested in. many companies that want "7-10 years experience" may not get anyone like that, and you might be their best bet
5)when you do interview, make sure you are enthusiastic and have good questions ready so they know you are interested and feel intrigued.
6) don't give up and settle for less when you know you can do better. i did that, and almost wound up in car sales which would have been a job i was not really qualified for at all. some people rock at it but i know it would have been a real downhill battle, so i got out of that real quick and found the job i wanted a month later.
hope that helps buddy, good luck and keep us posted.
i'm a niche guy like yourself. my concentration is industrial design, with my plan being to go into transportation design (i will in time). however, there are not many industrial design studios around, and the majority are located in CA.
my background, and the fact that i had to move to GA after graduation gave me some big problems, not the least of which was a i had no networking whatsoever down here. i started my job search seriously in january and pretty much ended it as of mid july. here's what i learned in 7 months of searching and sending out my resume over 150 times.....
1) it pays to be local. i had a hell of a time convincing people in GA to pay attention to me in VA.
2) go traditional and buy a sunday paper. the online local paper listings are also gold mines. many companies turn to online big name sites like monster for mass exposure but many very worthy small companies stay low key. i found my job in the local sunday rag.
3) what Evan said....spam the hell out of employment resources. i literally spent 2-3 hours a day going over around 5-6 different websites, looking over new listings and sending my resume/portfolio samples to anyone who had a job i was even remotely qualified for....
4)which brings me to my next point...don't be afraid to take a chance at a job you may not feel qualified for or think is out of your league.....or even different than what you think you are interested in. many companies that want "7-10 years experience" may not get anyone like that, and you might be their best bet
5)when you do interview, make sure you are enthusiastic and have good questions ready so they know you are interested and feel intrigued.
6) don't give up and settle for less when you know you can do better. i did that, and almost wound up in car sales which would have been a job i was not really qualified for at all. some people rock at it but i know it would have been a real downhill battle, so i got out of that real quick and found the job i wanted a month later.
hope that helps buddy, good luck and keep us posted.
2010 Civic Si
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT