Question:
I'm a recent graduate on that wonderful quest called a job hunt. I got a
reply from one firm I applied to telling me that they'd received over 450
applications for the position I sought. I feel a *little* daunted.
My question is this...I'm thinking about doing this proactively instead of
answering ads. Would an Art director be annoyed by receiving cold-call self
promotional material?
I'm not sure what to do, there are so many people vying for attention...
Answer:
-As someone who's hired and fired my share of people over the years, I never
minded when someone took the initiative to send me a nice letter and
samples. As long as you're not a jerk about it, I don't see why anyone
would mind....just make sure of a few things:
1. Send the letter and samples to a PERSON -- not just "Art Director".
Find out their name.
2. Make sure you proofread the letter so it's not full of typos and
grammatical errors.
3. Send a SASE if you want your samples returned.
4. Do a little research on the company first. See where you'd fit into the
scheme of things -- see what kind of work they do and how you ccould be an
asset.
5. If you get an interview, be sure to send a follow-up thank you letter,
regardless if a poor misguided soul tells you it's bad manners. Saying
"thank you" is never bad manners.
- thing is, I've done an internship already and I have freelance
experience...I was a busy young lady during school. The experience would be
welcome but I can't financially afford to do an unpaid work term. So I'd
like to aim that one notch higher and be a paid designer. This isn't
arrogance, if it was a paid position I'd be on top of it. Most internships
I've heard of though, compensate you with college/university credits. I
don't need any more of those
