Nissan Concept
Hello again,
Life's been pretty crazy the last couple of months. I am happy to announce after packing up and moving home for 6 months in pursuit of a full time job, I found a new home being the graphic designer for Arbor Financial Credit Union in Kalamazoo, MI.
I've been working with Arbor since early February and I absolutely love where I work and the people I get to work with. However I do remember when I first started looking, job hunting was very tough and nerve racking, which is how this mock up came into play.
A company (which will remain anonymous) had reached out to me after I applied, and they wanted to test my skills by giving me three design challenges. This was the second one, which involved taking one of their client websites and "giving it a face lift. No rules, no limitations." So I dived in and created a mock up which I was super jazzed about by the end of the day. I thought I did a great job and I was secretly thinking I would get an interview for sure.
Long story short, I never heard from this company again.
I was surprised to say the least and quite discouraged. I personally was really proud of this design and honestly thought it would stand out amongst the others who applied.It was humbling to say the least. But I think what hurt the most was not even getting a response, even if they weren't going to move forward with me. Looking back on it, I can see why this design might have been too over the top for them, but I was just so confused how a company could spend time and effort to initially reach out to me only to disappear after follow ups. All that does is reflect on the company poorly. And over the next few months, they wouldn't be be the only ones to never respond to me (even after in person interviews.)
To anyone who is job hunting right now or might be getting ready to look for their first full time job, it's shitty. sometimes you're going to feel like shit.
You might feel like you just crushed your most recent interview, only to find out someone else just meshed a little better with the group. Or you may never hear back if you got the job or not, despite following up twice or three times. It can easily shatter your confidence, but ONLY if you let it.
No matter what, you can't doubt yourself or your abilities. You've worked too hard and come too far to give up, and now it's time to show everyone why you deserve the job. Don't let minor set backs get in the way of achieving your full potential. So learn from any mistakes you make, realize you can ALWAYS improve, and crush the next opportunity that comes along. If you're determined enough, eventually you'll find a place that values everything you bring to the table, and that's the company you really want to work for.
That's it for the novel :) If you've made it this far, you might as well like this shot. And if you're currently job hunting, good luck and stay confident. I'm rooting for ya!