Profesional Career Interview Project 1

 

Communication 1010-023 Su12 - Communicating at Work - Instructor: Raymond Bingham

Professional Career Interview Project 1 - by Ben Heighton

            My initial contact was through a friend who works at XMission and gathered the necessary contact information for me to contact my interviewee, Tim Pehrson. I contacted him via e-mail and we had arranged to meet on a Wednesday afternoon. Tim later realized this was the day they were doing beta testing on their new website, something he was a huge part of. He asked if we could reschedule and I agreed. So we later rescheduled for a Friday that was more open for both of us. Tim was incredibly accommodating to work with my schedule.

            At first my intentions for the interview was to gain some insight into a specific job title, I later changed my format to career research in the general field of graphics design. In preparation for the interview I gathered some information about the company as well as researching various topics that pertain to the field of graphics design. Topics that I chose to cover varied quite a bit. From day to day demands, types of training, skills and education required for the field. I also asked questions about finding jobs and opportunities for advancement. As well as various other topics such as managing work-flow, communicating with clients and the challenges and rewards of working in this type of work. I wanted to get a wide array of topics in order to gain a better understanding of this type of work in a professional environment.

            I dressed professionally for the meeting and upon arriving at XMission realized the atmosphere was much more relaxed than most professional environments. I felt slightly over-dressed but still comfortable.  Tim was very friendly and approachable when I met him and this made me feel at ease during the process. When the interview began there was some small talk that took place and this actually led me into my questions in reverse order than I had planned to handle the interview. The topics seemed to flow smoothly from one to the other despite having planned on approaching the interview in a different way.  However this did lead to some confusion in my note taking. I tried to allow for some flexibility in the interview as this seemed to allow for a more fluid and communicative conversation. I learned a lot from Tim and gained a new appreciation and perspective about the design industry as a whole as well as the individual job tasks. I do believe that I will have future contact with him. He is a very knowledgeable individual with lots of experience and I believe could be a very valuable networking asset.

            I learned a lot during this process, not only about the graphics design industry but about myself as well. I didn’t have nearly as much apprehension about approaching the situation as I had earlier anticipated. I felt that my interview style was good but my skills definitely need some improvement, specifically in regards to controlling the interview more carefully. I also learned a lot about the general interview process as in most cases in the past I was the one being interviewed and not the interviewer. This insight will allow for me to better handle interviews in the future.  I have already had another opportunity since then, with an interview from the other side of the desk, so to speak. I feel that I have already shown improvement in handling and controlling the process. I already have another interview of this style scheduled and hope to improve even more.

Career Interview Questions

1.  On a typical day in this position, what do you do?

There is no typical day.

2.  What training or education is required for this type of work?

The best way to learn is on your own. Creating for yourself and developing your skills that way. College is also an option that can teach a lot of useful skills but is largely unnecessary for gaining the understanding of good design.  This may vary from person to person because people learn in different ways.

3.  What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?

Being able to handle clients and keep them focused on the project goals is the most important skill to have. Having a good understanding of psychology can be a very valuable asset in doing this. Communication is the key to making everything coincide.

4.  What part of this job do you find most satisfying?

Seeing the design in use and functioning. Positive feedback is a perk.

5.  What part of this job do you find most challenging?

Dealing with different people and personalities is the most challenging. This is where an understanding of psychology and communication becomes extremely important.

6.  How did you get your job?

The job was offered based on skills and experience as well as interview experience and justification of worth.

7.  What opportunities for advancement are there in this field?

Advancements generally occur by presentation of one’s design capabilities. There generally isn’t a whole lot of advancement occurring in smaller companies due to the lack of need for more designers.

  8.    What entry level jobs are best for learning as much as possible?

Just doing the design for yourself is the best way you can gain the experience to get the entry level positions. After this you can learn more in the graphics design industry and later move to higher paying positions.

9.  What are some salary ranges for various levels in this field?

Salary levels differ from region to region, and also from industry to industry. Entry level positions in Utah tend to be between twenty and thirty thousand a year, with higher level positions ranging between forty and eighty thousand a year. In comparison to the same jobs in California the entry level salaries are closer to sixty thousand a year and higher levels at eighty to a hundred thousand a year.

10. How long have you been working in this field?

Twenty Years in the design industry. Tim began his experience in design working with gaming companies. Tim began developing websites for XMission’s customers many years ago and then moved back to gaming design. He did gaming design for a few years working for several companies, all of which would eventually get bought up by larger gaming companies. He later left the gaming industry and got back into designing websites and other promotional material. He only recently returned to XMission as their Creative Manager.

11. What made you interested in pursuing this career?

Designing games is what first interested Tim in pursuing a career in design. He wanted to create all of the design aspects of a game, to really develop it into a finished product. He did gaming design for a few years during the 80s, working for several companies, all of which would eventually get bought up by larger gaming companies. He later left the gaming industry and moved onto other design. This was an ongoing trend for some time. Success for the owners of the companies was to build a company and sell it, whereas success from the designers working for the companies was about finishing a game and seeing it in use and completing the project. This rarely happened due to companies being bought and sold with various projects being scrapped along the way.

12. How much time do you spend on average communicating with other departments?

Tim spends about an hour a week in general communicating with other departments. This is usually through systems such as instant messaging and through e-mail. There are some longer processes that take place in meetings on occasion.

13. In what ways do you manage your work flow in order to meet deadlines?

Time estimates based on project size or urgency. There is some short term demand that occurs that can be easily dealt with right away. Time estimates depends on the budget and size of the project. Time constraints are something that can limit the creativity and the quality of the end design. But creative design for your client also functions as effective advertising for the designer.

14. Xmission is a web hosting company.  Does this type of company demand different design techniques or skill sets than other types of companies you’ve worked for in similar positions?

Working at XMission as the Creative Director the focus of design is shifted towards branding. So from the standpoint of the designer, the company is the customer. This requires less research and more on keeping designs consistent with the image of the company. Working for smaller companies requires more research and more communication with the customer. Often times needing to ask various questions to gather information from the customer to find out exactly what it is they want from the design. Working within specific industries would allow for some standardization in designs and functionality for websites within that industry.

15. Are you the mind behind the current Xmission website design? How much input or collaboration was involved with coming up with the design and implementing the programming for the design?

The end design of the company website is the creation of a collaborative effort with many individuals in the companies. Most closely would be the programmers to help build the site but also with the product managers giving huge amounts of input and providing much of the content.  The creative process usually followed is to create the design, implement it with programming and then fine tune the design into a completed website.

16. Do you design websites or other promotional materials for your customers? How do you determine pricing for these kinds of projects?

This isn’t something that XMission does as a company any longer. But in Tim’s previous experience doing this he would do designs for companies. Pricing is determined on essentially what the client wants. Often times clients have a limited budget and this would affect the price and the size of the project. Tim also noted that companies would often request a design but would not choose to have a web maintenance contract as part of the price.

Reflective Writing Prompts

•         What were your thoughts as you learned about the assignment?

 

I was apprehensive towards this project. Interviewing for jobs is one of the most degrading experiences I have ever endured in my life.

 

•         How did you overcome any anxiety associated with contacting a total stranger?

 

I overcame my anxiety in generally the same way I deal with all anxiety, eventually you just have to deal with it and put on a straight face.

 

•         What networking resources did you use or how would a good network have aided in setting up this interview?

 

In order to set up this interview I turned to a friend whom I have worked on some projects with and am working with as a designer for his record label/promotional company. He approached the interviewee and asked if I could contact him in regards to setting up an interview. He passed along the contact information so that I could ask Tim personally.

 

•         Why did you choose this particular person, position, and /or occupation to interview?

 

I chose Tim as the type of work he is involved with is similar to what I may end up doing some day.

 

•         Be specific regarding the pre-interview research you conducted – how did the information gathered shape the questions you prepared to ask?

I did some basic research on the graphics design industry in regards to standards regarding pay-scales and the basic functions of a designer. Most of my questions were based on the history of how one gets from a starting level in the industry to a much higher-player in the system.

 

•         Based on what you learned from your interviewee how has it changed your attitude toward your educational career pursuit? Be specific.

Building a relationship with other professionals and creating networks with them can be very important asset in locating jobs and opportunities. This is something I have not previously used as a job search resource.

 

•         What life/career lessons did you learn from this assignment?

 

Even though you may spend so much time developing a set of skills that are essentially geared towards a specific purpose another opportunity may present itself and these skills can be adapted to the new situation and allow you to move in another direction.

 

•         How will you apply the lessons learned to your future career pursuits or advancements?

 

Being on the other side of the interview has allowed me an insight into the process that will help me in approaching future interviews and career research.

 

•         Based on your experience from this assignment why are well developed interviewing and networking skills important to your future?

 

Communication is effectively the most important aspect in getting and maintaining a job. Having built a network will allow one to be privy to more opportunities. Having developed interview skills gives you an advantage over other potential applicants for the position and allows you to show yourself in a better light. I do have an issue with this current system of hiring from companies. This effectively allows for people with great interviewing skills but lack much of the creative thinking and problem solving skills that could be vital for the job to be performed well, to get the job over more skilled individuals.

 

•         How has other college courses helped with this assignment or how will this experience help you with other college courses?

 

I am also currently taking Art 1150 which has much of the same requirements as this class. This interview helped me with another interview and allowed for me to control that interview much more carefully.

 

•         If given the opportunity, what counsel or advice would you offer to someone regarding career interviews and/or developing networks?

It’s a trap.