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Interview Tips for Landing a Creative Job

When it comes to the interview, Garriott has some great words of advice, which we’ve taken the liberty of turning into easy-to-remember cliches:

Pick Up What They’re Laying Down: “In an interview, you’ll be able to pick up on what they’re looking for,” Garriott says. "Talk about the stuff you’ve done that’s related to that. You want to make sure they’re comfortable that you can provide the services they

“People will actually lead the interview for you and give direction in what way to go and what you should be talking about,” he adds. "I think interviewing is not so much about spewing on about how great you are but listening to what their needs are.

Your Book Isn’t Judged by Its Cover: “Don’t be too elaborate with your portfolio,” Garriott says. "You should let your work speak to how creative you are, not the packaging. There’s no amount of packaging you can do that’s going to trick them into thinking your work is better than it is.

Communication Is a Two-Way Street: I think it’s important to interview them, too, he says. I think a lot of people go on interviews thinking that they have to impress these people to try to get the job and no matter what, don’t disrupt the apple cart. But at the same time, you want to figure out what you’re getting into. You want to go in with half a dozen good questions that you can try to get answers from that paint a picture of what the job is really like.

Honesty Is the Best Policy: Don’t say you can do things you can’t, Garriott says. In the world of creative work, the cat will get out of the bag quickly, and not only will you lose the job you’re interviewing for, you’ll lose your good reputation.

Be Yourself: I always tell people to dress the way they dress, Garriott says. Don’t overshoot it and be too stuffy. He adds that this lax attitude toward the dress code may be specific to the creative industry and even more particular to Portland’s casual attitude.