Losing your Job

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Ahn'Qiraj Raider
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I feel like a dick emailing friends who I haven't talked to in months.

HEY I NEED A JOB... WHATS UP?
I wouldn't worry about that one bit. Being in a hiring-manager position for a business, one of the most stressful things is filling job openings. You might feel like a pain in the ass, when really you are someone's solution and making their day.

It may sound obvious or corny, but showing a strong desire for a job, with a "can-do" attitude will get you the position many time over people with equal or better resume's.

We got your back bro.
 
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hodj

Vox Populi Jihadi
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Calling me a graphic designer is a stretch. I have zero formal training, and have honed my craft on memes and Pantheon lulz.

It's a hobby at best.

London Ontario Canada - Two hours outside Toronto

That hobby experience is sufficient.

Someone who does something like that for a hobby is often better educated in the subject/trained than someone with real training.

The key is demonstrating your ability with your portfolio.
 
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TrollfaceDeux

Pronouns: zie/zhem/zer
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My department had a big reduction in force this month and I was caught in the wave. I haven't been unemployed for 17 years, not exactly sure what I should be doing just now :p

Got a house, a car payment, kids, and two week left at this job.

Any advice appreciated

bro.
 
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Palum

what Suineg set it to
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Connections is best way. But if not:

I would keep applying to places you don't really care about landing (or you know you can reapply/update electronically and still get a potential in) until you get resume and portfolio in order. And you should do that ASAP. I have no problem giving feedback if you want to PM (strip personal info) resume. Take any interviews to get back in the game even if you don't think you'll take the job. Write notes of good and bad shit you said after each.

Also you're going to want to do a scan of job positions, find maybe thirty(ish?) you like. Find qualifications/requirements/etc. on each listing and select the top ones. Incorporate the way they are stated (phrasing, acronyms, word choice, etc.) into your resume (passes shitty parsers) by using power words (passes good parsers) and write sentences that describe detailed responsibilities and successes (passes reading).

Shitty
Skills: MS Office - Advanced Excel.

Good
Advanced use of MS Office, including Excel to build BI dashboards.

Usable
Created and maintained Excel BI dashboards for use by company executives.

Evocative and descriptive
Close advisor and trusted analyst responsible for creation and maintenance of all live-data Excel BI dashboards for CEO and COO.

I know not relevant to your job probably but just trying to give simple example. Hopefully this helps a bit.
 
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OU Ariakas

Diet Dr. Pepper Enjoyer
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17 years doing training material creation sounds like a wet dream hire for the big 5 consulting firms. Every project I worked at Accenture had a team that created rollout material to prep the clients employees for coming changes. Look for job postings in their HR and Collaboration consulting groups.
 

lurkingdirk

AssHat Taint
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Speaking of portfolios

I need to get my portfolio ready.

It's tricky when everything you've made is branded with the client's name and full of private information. Lots of editing will be done.

Japanese style blurring should do the trick.
 

hodj

Vox Populi Jihadi
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Anyone recommend a good free online portfolio site?

If you're doing audio/visual, just make a new Youtube account, put up all your videos as private, and then you can share them in your resume.

If you're doing coding, github obviously. Its like 7 bucks a month if you don't want your projects open to the public.

Art? Try deviant art maybe?
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
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A little of each tbh.

How's squarespace?

You know, that place always advertising on this American Life
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
<Silver Donator>
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Speaking of portfolios

I need to get my portfolio ready.

It's tricky when everything you've made is branded with the client's name and full of private information. Lots of editing will be done.

Question about this

Do you think my soon-to-be old company could make me take down images of courses I've created, even if I remove all confidential and proprietary information? I wouldn't even be posting the full coursewares for demo, just some snapshots of some of the interactions sans proprietary information and logos.
 

Tenks

Bronze Knight of the Realm
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Question about this

Do you think my soon-to-be old company could make me take down images of courses I've created, even if I remove all confidential and proprietary information? I wouldn't even be posting the full coursewares for demo, just some snapshots of some of the interactions sans proprietary information and logos.

You'd have to ask them. I don't think the "FoH board said I could" defense would hold up in court.
 

BrutulTM

Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun.
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I imagine Adebisi's managers being in a conference room and going "Well, we have to lay somebody off, who should it be?" and the boss says "Just have IT check the weblogs and lay off whoever has the highest message board post count."

Also I made a squarespace website once for a local school and it was quite easy and looked very nice. I think they still have it.
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
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The alternative is that I just re-create a bunch of them and change them enough that no one would ever be able to prove theyre the same :p
 

Adebisi

Clump of Cells
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I imagine Adebisi's managers being in a conference room and going "well, we have to lay somebody off, who should it be" and the boss says "Just have IT check the weblogs and lay off whoever has the highest message board post count."

Real talk: no message boards have ever been accessed from my work laptop.

That's why my personal laptop right beside me is for. :smuggly:
 

Jozu

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
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Just got an associates in graphic design and am currently trying to build my portfolio, its not easy, especially if you havent had to do it in a while (or ever).

Im kind of at a crossroads myself. I have a stationary engineering license to operate high pressure boilers and have been doing that my entire life, but I want to transition into design.

You have to decide if you want to be a pirate, just getting money when it comes from one time clients etc., or a full time 9 to 5.

I actually just applied at Ocean Spray to work at their big plant as an operator, I made it to final cuts, beating out 3 other guys I work with as well as at least 90 others. I went to 2 interviews they said decisions will be made soon.

So Im either going to be powering the flagship plant of a 3 billion dollar company, complete with full benefits, union and pension, or in the same boat as you building a portfolio trying to make my way in the cold , saturated world of graphic design. This is going to be a long week.