Selling yourself

Today's class was all about selling myself to an employer. We were split into groups and asked to research different areas that would be useful when going on co-op. Our group researched the importance of networking and how to do it properly. I'm already on lnkdIn but didn't know about half the features and opportunities available to users. there are daily job vacancies posted on it and it's a great way to meet new people. It is important to note that nothing beats face to face networking and meeting people at events. It's harder to forget a personality than a face on your phone.

In this class I learned a lot from the other groups, especially when it came to interview prep and how to conduct yourself in an interview. The key to a good interview is being prepared, being interesting and coming across well as a person. I learned that it's important to have interest outside of college and to promote them in an interview if relevant. I think it's important to dress well and of course be positive, calm and yourself throughout.

The other half of the class was looking at portfolios and how to make yours stand out. I think it's important to have a structured consistent portfolio that isn't overcrowded but also reflects you as a designer (I didn't say it was easy) Getting that balance right is very difficult, the balance between having room on the page and having a page that looks too blank is difficult to achieve however i also think it's important to get critical advice off of our tutors, classmates and even friends because sometimes you can be looking at something for so long it loses it's meaning.