Artist Job Applications : Round 2

As I find myself in the hiring seat once more, and my inbox flooded with applications, I can’t help but think of a few more “Do’s and Don’ts” when it comes to applying for artist positions. I’m only just now realizing that I’m writing this on the anniversary of my first post on this topic from May 2017. Today I’ll be covering more of my recommendations and thoughts from the seat of a hiring manager.

• Do what you can to make your application stand out!

Artist positions are highly competitive, and if the jost posting is in the right place, the hiring manager is most likely inundated with e-mails. After the first night of our latest job posting, I woke up to 40+ applications in my inbox. While the hiring process can be exciting, it is not exciting to filter through all of those e-mails. Therefor you should be careful of anything that might make your application harder to digest. Specifically on that front, I have a few more suggestions…

• Make sure your portfolio link is obvious

More often than not, I have to really search for a portfolio link. The longer it takes for me to find the link, the more likely I am to give up the search and move on. Do not bury it in text within your cover letter, if it’s within your cover letter let it be on his own line break… so if someone is skimming for it, it’s easily recognizable. Also I wouldn’t recommend sending more than two URL links, unless specifically requested. I would normally expect a link to a demo reel (or specific piece of art that links up well with the application) and your website portfolio… beyond that, as a hiring manager, I don’t want to be skipping across the internet to multiple locations.

You should also double check your URLs, I had more than one application with broken links.

• Your website should feed me information, not make me search for it.

When I land on your website, having a collage of a bunch of different videos and links… doesn’t really work for me. When I land there I should easily understand where I’m intended to go and present to me the main piece you’d like me to see. Ideally I would first see your latest work or demo reel, before scrolling into the depths of your portfolio. Keeping in mind that the hiring manager likely has a ton of these websites to go through, the more of a puzzle your website is… the more likely they’ll give up on it and move on.

• When your portfolio link is in you resume, please have it open a new window.

Often resumes are looked at in the previewer within outlook. Specifically I use the browser version of outlook, and it’s super annoying if when I click a portfolio link it takes over my e-mail client. I then have to back, right click, open in new window… etc. Ideally as you create your PDF, you set the link to open in new window.

• Allow me to see timeline controls on your demo reel

A few times I encountered demo reels that didn’t show the timeline controls, but only allowed me to play and pause the reel. Really you should allow people to scrub the timeline of your reel, so they can specifically inspect pieces of your artwork.
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• Don’t include your rate in your cover letter…

I know I mentioned this last time as well, but MAN yea do not include your salary expectations within the first correspondence. That’s something to be discussed and negotiated after at least the first interview.

• Write a cover letter.

Write a cover letter, even if it’s filled with fluff… it’s good to have SOMETHING there. Honestly cover letters are probably only read if your portfolio has seemed worthwhile for the position. So I would still recommend trying to make sure your portfolio link is obvious, and can direct the hiring manager immediately. I had a few applications that just didn’t have a cover letter, which really shows that you’re not putting in the effort… even if we all know it’s a copy and paste from previous letters you’ve written. I had one cover letter that was just :

“10+ years working as Illustrator and animator, I do it all the day!”

Please do what you can to make your cover letter more informative and a tad more professional.

• Music in your reel should facilitate the art and not dominate it.

Music is an obvious and good addition to your demo reel. Yet I found a few demo reels using music that was just more popular and “hip” to use…and honestly distracting away from the artwork itself. I would lean away from music with lyrics or too similar to a movie franchise. I don’t care how epic you think the Inception soundtrack is, when it’s in your reel I’ll be thinking about that movie and not you.   

• Keep your reel updated.

If your reel is 5+ years old, it likely won’t be taken seriously.

Alright I think that’ll end today’s rant! Hopefully this was helpful to some of you who are looking to apply at new positions. I may write another post soon from the position of the hiring manager, and some tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way. In any case thanks again for reading!
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