For most graduates, completing a creative master’s degree program is followed by the time of looking for a job. The first job interview in the creative industry is not long in coming for many. If you have studied design, art, architecture, graphic or fashion design, the world of creative people is actually at your feet … Or is it?
Especially in creative professions, a university degree is often less important than, for example, in companies in the financial and banking sector, in engineering or scientific research. Creative professions require flexibility, curiosity and spontaneity. After all, creative people have to react to impulses and trends, think in an interdisciplinary way and be able to adapt quickly.
That’s why a job interview in the creative industry is usually a little different. You can find out what you should expect as a creative mind during the interview and how you can prepare well in the following points.
Good preparation is a must
Anyone who, as an applicant for a creative profession, thinks that he can prove his spontaneity and impulsiveness in a job interview in the creative industry by not preparing for the company and the demands of the job is very much mistaken. Because poor preparation can possibly be charmingly covered up at the beginning of the conversation, but can give the impression of arrogance, disinterest and arrogance in the further course.
As for any job interview, the following also applies to a job interview in the creative industry:
- Find out about the company, its values, its services or products.
- Study the job ad you’ve applied for thoroughly before the interview and be prepared for questions about specific requirements from the ad.
- Take another look at your submitted CV and think about which points might be of particular interest to someone who doesn’t know you.
If you’ve never had an interview before, it can be helpful to rehearse a conversation with a trusted person. In a direct conversation, you quickly come across possible aspects that you may not have considered in the theoretical preparation. In addition, such a trial interview can help to practice a pleasant start to the conversation. The conversation partner can also offer feedback via the body language taught. Crossed arms, for example, are a no-go in a job interview.
The right clothes for the job interview
“The first impression counts” is not an empty phrase. If you are introducing yourself for a creative profession, you should also think about the choice of the right clothing. For the applicant, a job interview in the creative industry does not mean conjuring up the craziest look from the wardrobe that would trigger real storms of enthusiasm among friends. And of course, a confirmand-style suit can look a bit out of place and overdressed for an application as a motion designer or graphic designer.
There is no one dress code for a job interview. On the one hand, it is important that the clothes look clean and well-groomed. On the other hand, the feel-good factor also plays a role. Anyone who disguises themselves, tugs and tugs at their shirt during the conversation or has to pull in their stomach quickly seems insecure and distracted. The right clothes are the ones you don’t think about at all during the conversation.
The job interview in the creative industry
The preparation is done, the wardrobe is in place, the appointment has come and the excitement is rising. By the way, punctuality is not only a virtue, but an absolute must at the job interview! A small consolation for applicants with exam anxiety: A job interview is not an oral exam! In most cases, the queasy feeling in the stomach evaporates with the first handshake and an innocuous start to the conversation.
No matter where you have applied, politeness is the be-all and end-all. You don’t have to have studied etiquette, but there are a few small rules to follow.
- If you have been waiting for your conversation partner in a lobby, you stand up to greet them.
- If there are several people involved in the interview, you first shake hands with the highest-ranking person. If the hierarchy is not clear, the following applies: First the older interlocutors, then the younger, female persons before male ones.
- In the conversation room, you wait until you are assigned a seat.
- Sit upright but relaxed, and you can smile from time to time.
And here we go…
The conversation starter
Entering a job interview in the creative industry is harmless and serves to relieve stress? Yes. Already. However, there are HR managers who put an applicant to the test with the first few innocuous questions.
- Did you find your way here well?
- Did you find a parking space right away?
- You came by train and still on time?
- Isn’t the weather terrible today?
Of course, these are innocuous topics. However, don’t get carried away by philosophizing about a botched route planning, the time-consuming search for a parking space, the delayed train or your rain-soaked shoes. No matter what might have annoyed you on the way to the interview, be positive and try to leave a relaxed and friendly impression.
Questions about your CV and yourself
HR managers also prepare for a job interview. Many keep an eye on the applicant’s CV during the interview. Therefore, questions about one’s own CV should not be answered with lists that are already known. Internships, personal experiences, hobbies that fit the job and your own projects are not only conversational during a job interview in the creative industry, but can also show how versatile, interested and actually creative you are without saying it directly.
What is a brainteaser?
Brain teasers are a real pleasure – especially for HR managers. A brainteaser can be a brain teaser, a trick question, or a logic question. On the one hand, it serves to lure the applicant out of his reserve. On the other hand, it is a popular means of testing the applicant’s actual spontaneity, flexibility and creativity during interviews in the creative industry.
- “How many Smarties fit in a Smart?”,
- “How hard is New York?”,
- “What five things can you do with this paper clip?”,
- “What did you learn last week?”
- “How many dogs live in Germany?”
All these questions cannot be answered ad hoc. For some brainteasers, a piece of paper and a pen help. Others only serve to assess the applicant’s logical, creative or even abstract thinking ability. It is correspondingly difficult to prepare. However, it is helpful to read typical brain teasers on the Internet and answer them for yourself in order to prepare yourself for the type of such questions. If you know a few classic brain teasers, you will quickly discover a pattern and can abstract the HR manager’s question more quickly and apply it to what you know.
The End of the Conversation
Often, the end of a job interview is introduced by encouraging the applicant to ask open-ended questions. Here it makes sense to have a handful of questions up your sleeve that relate to the company and the future job. And of course, at the end of the conversation, you can also ask when you can expect a decision. Last but not least, there is a farewell with another handshake and thanks for the invitation to the interview to all participants.
Summary
A job interview in the creative industry can be planned to some extent. However, you should be prepared for the fact that HR decision-makers want to test you and your creativity. Whatever question your counterpart may ask, keeping calm is half the battle.
If you answer questions with a clear head, structured and flexible, you are on the right track. Because in the end, the sympathy between the conversation partners also counts. A spontaneous and possibly surprising answer can also be far more important for HR managers than a mathematically logical treatise or the reception of study content.