Its spring, right?  Last week 80 degrees, now its 50 degrees.  Wuh!  At least its interesting.  And its finally getting pretty here in Chitown.  The ground is covered in pink and yellow dusting of fallen blooms from the trees.  The woodpeckers are working their heads off.  And baby carriages have blossomed everywhere.  Its crazy.  Where’d all these things come from suddenly?

Been interviewing with a start-up company I really like and believe in what they are doing.  Three interviews so far – Operating Manager, Deputy Operating Manager, and General Manager.  Very business-minded people with a fantastic product.  I wonder how their business culture will blend with the employee culture they will be working with?  They are all very excited about the opportunity of what is in front of them, and speak in terms of “widgets”.  I find that very interesting, since I a bit more immersed in the culture of the employees they will be working with.  Each type of “widget” will have its own culture within the environs of working with and creating that widget.  Not too say there won’t be similarities between cultures of similar widget types.   But the subtleties of behavior within those cultures – understanding how respect and communicate grow and can be nourished within it – that’s the trick, isn’t it.  I suppose that’s one of my specialties.  It’s an honor to be considered for the position.  Its always tricky to find somewhere that is inline with your own personal principles.  So many times people ask you to set those aside to make a paycheck.  But when you truly believe in what you’re doing, the work shines.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket just yet!  After meeting with my friend, John Salt, we got into a discussion about job hunting.  he graciously accepted my resumes (yup, I sent him 3 – 2 graphic and one CV) and he came back with a really great critique. If you’ve been foloowing this blog, you know I’ve been working on getting past the 10 second rule with the ol resume.  Making it interesting looking so it pops out at the eye.  Being more creative with presentation.  John dropped some knowledge on me as a hiring manager.  He stressed that it needs to be obvious what it is I do.  Almost iconographic.  Like all those little bullet points that pop items out at to the eyes of HR managers, or how you know who’s business card it is even if its on the floor 10′ away, if its well designed.  The same should apply to a resume.  If it fell on the floor, anyone looking at it should know who’s it is and what it is I do.  He also mentioned putting in dates, not specifics, but years.  This sort of goes against other advice, like what Jeanne and Mark Simon say in their book, Your Resume Sucks.  They say how sometimes dates can make you seem dated if you are older, or if you are a freelancer, it can make it appear there are gaps.  John and I brainstormed that there is a way to use dates to help with the narrative of the design.  And how is the design narrative to me and what I do?  So, once again I sat down and designed a resume that is narrative in design, yet iconographic and still simple to switch text in and out per position applied for.  What do you think?  Successful?  Comments?  Criticisms?  I am also working on an experiencial resume, of sorts.  The world of job applications has moved beyond mailing in paper resumes for positions, and marketing and design is moving beyond standard practices, as well.  So, why just send a digital version of what people used to mail?  Why not tempt them?  Tease them into being curious about you?  I mean ,I know I do some really creative stuff, so why not step up my application game.  Heck, maybe “game” is the keyword here.  Why can’t it be fun?  Why can’t it be fun for me and my potential employer?  Let’s face it, when someone has fun with a product, a “widget”, they develop a loyalty to that product.  There are happy memories associated with it.  Strong memories are lasting memories, good or bad.  The experience should be beyond digital.  Beyond tactile.  Scent.  Sounds.  Interaction.  And then tie in some sort of other product support?  A tie-in product within the market I am targeting?  Watch out!