Viget Labs - We Build Web Business

I am curious (devil’s advocate)—these seem like the generic rules to follow, some may even call them common sense rules. But, do they apply to creatives as well? I only ask because your business is creative and I assume your looking for remarkable talent; which is in high-demand and short supply.

If someone comes into an interview with jeans and three or four typos on their resume but has a stunning personality, an amazing design portfolio and the development skills to match—are you really going to pass them by because of a few grammar errors?

Seth Godin recently posted on this very topic, What are you hiring for?.

He states…

“If you’re trying to hire someone who presents well to strangers, creates documents without typos, is good at seeking out interesting new opportunities, can think on her feet in an interview and can network with strangers in search of a goal, your current hiring system is probably perfect.

Unfortunately, those skills don’t apply to most jobs.

As a result, we end up hiring people who are good at self-marketing, not at what we need them to do.”
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Good question, Martin.  I wish these really were common sense.  Unfortunately most applicants seem to ignore almost every one.

Quick answer to your specific question: no, of course we wouldn’t pass on someone who is a perfect fit outside of a few typos.  Seth can attest to our team here—we’re a pretty down to earth group and none of us would be flawless in an interview.  We’re not looking for great interviewers, and we do a number of things to get past the standard interview fluff (have I asked you about the elephant?).  For creatives, to be honest, the first filter is 99% about their portfolio (hence the link requirement).

Emily’s reference to typos is more about showing that you care enough about quality to double check your work than it is about needing to be a spelling bee champ.  If you’re terrible at proof-reading, ask someone else to proof it for you (that’s what I do.)

As for jeans and flip-flips, it doesn’t take much digging to figure out that we are very casual in our attire here, but—call me old school—dressing up a bit for an interview never hurts, even for creatives, even if it’s the most dressed up you’ll ever be at work (outside of our annual anniversary dinner.)

Of course, the best way for us to find talented folks to join our team is referrals from other talented folks we know and respect, so ... know anyone who should apply? ;-)

I am a designer with terrible grammar—I just remember what it can be like focusing so hard on your portfolio and skill sets that you forget about “the little things”. I spent more time ensuring my personal site validated than asking mom and dad to proof read the resume. I personally find it frustrating sometimes when “attention to detail” is evaluated by ones ability to write. For me, the real attention to detail is favicons, 404 error pages, and subtle/silly comments in the code. If I view source and you can make me laugh, we are going to get along just fine. 

I know a lot of talented people and have been directing many of them your way and will continue to do so.

I really love your teamviget.com site. I think that really shows how much fun and creativity really happens at Viget. Any place where you can leave work at the end of the day more creative than when you went in is amazing.

I wish I lived closer to your office. I would have already applied for your Senior Designer position.

Oh well :)

Thanks for the great comments! We do look past grammar and spelling errors sometimes, especially when the materials submitted to us are otherwise strong and compelling (see the first 4 bullet points). But there are only so many times I can read emails regarding the job at “VIGIT” until I’m inspired to write a blog post on how to make a good first impression!

@Emily Bloom, HA HA! I can understand your frustration when the typo is with the spelling of your company name. More than grammar, it is just being respectful to at least get the company name right.

I like your point on being distinctive—I demand more from designers on this topic simply because being creative and making an impact is your job!

Just out of curiosity what does Viget Labs think about flash sites? Useful or old news? What are your thoughts when you see a 100% Flash site in a portfolio? I have heard many different opinions on flash sites but was wondering what Viget’s take on it was? Is it always better to create a site with embedded flash or none at all?

For Viget projects, we tend to stay away from full Flash sites, although we have created a few of our own in the past for entertainers or small promos. Generally, we stick to using embedded Flash in our sites where it makes the most sense: animated marketing sequences, animated diagrams, interactive maps, interactive games, media players, sIFR. As you would expect, accessibility and usability, both of which can be given proper attention with Flash, are often two of the first things to go out the window in many Flash sites, and that remains a concern of ours. So yes, we appreciate and implement Flash on a regular basis and depend heavily on Erik, our Flash guy, for intelligently implemented solutions. And yes, we also appreciate a well-done, creative Flash site or portfolio when we come across one. We are impressed with a lot of what we see at The Best Designs. Most recently, Checkland Kindleysides was one that especially caught our eye.

Emily, your post was very helpful when I applied. I hope it will be useful to future candidates. Perhaps a link to your post, and Cindy’s, would be a subtle hint on the Careers page.

Thank you for all the help in applying,
Tony++

Emily - Well Thought and well said. You are an excellant writer. The whole application and interview process can be very intimdating. The best secret is too practice, be yourself and make eye contact.