Designapalooza – Part Three
November 26, 2007
Table of contents:
- Get a job
- Chat up your co-workers
- Don’t screw anyone
- Snoop around
- Donate your two cents to a worthy cause: your future
Get a job
This may sound stupid but if you have the chance to land a job where your dream-job exists, take it. Sure you may be the mail room jockey now, but being within a company has two distinct advantages:
- Companies tend to hire inside first. Sounds silly, but most companies will hire internally before they hire externally. There are a lot of reasons to this to which I can only start to speculate. I know that there’s less paperwork, and you’re already familiar with the company so that means less time spent on training. All that aside, it helps secure employee loyalty and help to provide an environment where one can actually move up in the ranks.
- Utilizing what are obviously stunning characteristics that you possess, such as charisma and charm, you can chum up with those who are in or are near or influence your dream position. I don’t condone playing office politics and being friends with people only to steal their job, but I know people do that and I know it works. Personally I like the idea of just asking questions and providing input where it’s available. Eventually people take notice of you and start asking you before you have to chip in. It’s not as fast as shmoozing, but it works.
Ask not what you can do for your company, but ask what your company can do for you
Wherever you work, and whatever you do, see what your company can do to help you do to further yourself. You would be shocked at some of the programs that exist. I found out that my company will pay for school courses, so long as I get over 80% in the course. Not the best of deals, but it’s still something that is offered to me. If nothing is currently being offered, be the trend setter and ask and/or propose your idea. If you’re going to do this be prepared to answer a slew of questions. What’s it going to do for you? What’s it going to do for the company? How much? How long? etc. . If you think you need it, write up a report on how this will assist in your contribution to the company and what the company stands to gain from it. Throw in some pie charts if you know they like them.
The point I’m trying to get at is that many companies will assist in educating you in some way. Usually there are strings attached, such as a mark requirement, or a time-lapse protocol. As always, make sure you read the fine print before signing anything. Companies usually want to help their employees but not without expecting something in return, so be wary.
Make sure to talk to the appropriate people when trying to get ahead. Sometimes asking your manager could end up getting you nowhere. If you’re company has an HR department, start there. They usually have the what’s what when it comes to employee offered arrangements.
What I’m saying is that no matter what company you are in, they are usually willing to assist their employees if they think it will benefit the company in the end. Try and figure out the best win/win for this, and you should be good as gold
Chat up your co-workers
Though office romance may be frowned upon in the office, friendship usually isn’t. If people like you, they’re usually more willing to answer your questions or indulge your curiosity (or nosiness, whichever you prefer). On top of that, you never know when you’ll need someone to back your character or could provide you with information which could help you move forward. Make sure to note though that people tend to share only what they are willing to give away.
Having made that point, make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot with your new-found chummy-ness. Being everyones friend can make you a happier person, but management may frown upon your constant socializing so try and keep it in check. Beyond that, You should make sure that you only tell people what you can afford to. If you’re friends with someone, and you know they have the same career goal as you do, you have to be careful with what you share with them. Sure RSS feeds are fine, even a neat program or tutorial you found is great. Telling them about a job opening you just heard about and are applying for… well that could have adverse effects to your career growth.
Don’t screw anyone
Again, office romance may be frowned upon, but screwing your co-workers (figuratively), though making you fly through the ranks, will leave you very alone and ripe with the smell of burnt bridges. People hold grudges for far longer than they will admit to, and if you screw someone to get ahead, they jump on any chance to return the shaft. I’m assuming the worst of people here and many may not actually be trying to actively sabotage you. I’m merely stating what could happen and to take heed.
On top of people actually trying to “get” you, you also ruin a very good resource. When you screw people over, you close the door on any information or tidbits they would have otherwise been willing to pass onto you.The more people you screw, the harder it will become for you to pull any favors. Education works a lot better when you have many options in which to pull your resources. If you’re down to three contacts, you had better hope they know everything.
Snoop around
Don’t use credit cards to open locks. This isn’t 1953, and that never worked that well to begin with. It’s also not what I meant. What I mean is to simply keep your eyes and your ears open. If you’re concentrating so hard on how to get the boss on your side you may miss that memo that was posted on the cork board you walk past every morning. Pay attention to your workplace, and what’s going on around you. Make a habit of checking your internal job postings, if you can. Check online job posting sites to see if your company is looking for anything you could go for. This will also allow you to see what it is they look for in an employee, which in turn can use to stark advantage in adjusting your resumé to be more appealing.
Donate your two cents to a worthy cause: your future
If you are trying to get into an area, sometimes being helpful can go a long way. I have made it my personal goal to get in on any design conversations whenever I feel I can contribute. Maybe I’m nothing more then another pair of eyes, but at least I’m helping out. Even better when you can contribute something that is taken into consideration and/or use. When I can’t contribute, I’m still listening to what they say and the observations made. If you cannot contribute to the discussion, let others contribute to your mental file-folder. I’ve learned a lot simply by listening and watching. This has allowed the commentary that I do contribute to be both more in tune with what my company wants, and shows that I’m at least slightly knowledgeable in the area.
On that note do not, for the love of God, do not comment all the time. It gets annoying and your “I only wanted to help!” argument will get you nowhere. You have to make sure to pick your battles wisely and spaced-appropriately apart.
This is the third part of an ongoing series depicting my process to becoming a graphic designer. The next article will cover tools and how to use them. Not people in this case.
Categories: Design Self-Improvement Technology
Tagged under: Art, Designapalooza, Graphic Designer, Learning, Part 3, School, Technology