It is an odd phenomenon. More or less every business needs the services we provide, to some degree. I think that is why I became interested in web development. We almost take the web for granted. Until you really sit down and think about it, you miss how many areas of our lives it reaches.
Never-the-less, looking for a new job can be exceptionally frustrating, as I assume everyone is aware. It seems especially hard to find the “right fit” in a field as saturated as web and graphic design. Rene found the following on Craigslist recently and it so eloquently resembles all of my job hunting frustrations:
Wanted: Expert Designer to work for Peanuts
Date: 2007-09-22, 1:53PM EDT
You should have expert working knowledge of all design software, like to work long hours, work well under pressure… be an animator, web designer, project manager, technical illustrator, flash guru, cartoonist, police sketch artist, marketing genius … and have a master’s degree from a top design school.
Pay is $6.25 an hour. This is just a contract job with the possibility of full time employment if you do good work. But really we just want to use you to get some design done cheap, until we hire the next sucker.
No Phone Calls!!! Spend an hour drafting a professional cover letter and email it, so we can delete it from our inbox without the courtesy of a response.
Serious inquiries only.
- Location: Craigslist
- Compensation: 6.25/hr. plus a ham sandwich for free lunch Wednesdays!
- Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
- Please, no phone calls about this job!
- Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
Rene and I had a good laugh when we read this posting. It said exactly what we have both been feeling in our recent job search. To be honest, it felt good to know we were not alone in this. I like to believe that I am a well rounded and capable web and graphic designer, but I am also well aware that I am not Superman. I know my strengths as well as my opportunities and this helps me improve in what I do.
Unfortunately, the bar seems to be set quite high and companies are expecting to fill every position with a Superman. Now, maybe it’s just me but in general this is not realistic. Most people are either right brained (i.e. strong with math and programming) or left brained (i.e. strong with artistic visual design). Many are quite capable with both but, in my experience, very few are experts when it comes to both sides because the human brain rarely works that way.
“Kudos to you Mr. Craigslist Poster Person.” Thanks for the laugh and here’s to squeezing my big feet into Superman’s boots. Wish me luck!
