Applying for a job at a printers. Any advice?

Paul Murray

Paul Murray

Ultimate Member
Currently I'm in the process of updating my CV for an application for a part-time position at a local printer.

I don't have any official experience in printing (which according to the job description is fine), so this would be an excellent opportunity for me being a design student and all, plus it's 10 minutes down the road and the hours are negotiable (again, excellent for me with my uni work).

Basically I'm wondering if anybody has any advice for me? I'm pretty confident with job interviews (I've been for enough) but this will be my first taste of applying for something 'professionally creative'.

How creative should my CV be? What should I include/leave off etc?

Any advice will be massively helpful.
 
They'll be pondering:

Are you capable
Motivated
Fit in

Be positive, do not discuss weaknesses, be flexible, do not ask immediately about money!
 
Sounds like a standard interview then? My main concern is getting my foot in that proverbial door. Any advice regarding CV design and layout? Would you expect something creative?
 
A standard interview probably - standard interviewee - never seen one!

CV - clear, free of errors, creative. Looking for attention to detail with creative flair.
 
Thanks a lot, much appreciated. Fingers crossed the jobs not gone already. It's actually a branch of Minuteman I'm applying for!
 
Also make sure you have a pretty good understanding of bleeds, quiet zone, ink limits and that kinda output stuff. I know from my own post-student days that it was something we just weren't really taught and I was caught out in a couple of interviews with my lack of knowledge in that department.

Good luck :icon_thumbup:
 
It helps if during the interview you can make it seem like this is your dream job and you've never wanted to do anything else! Know about the business, their client base and what sort of print they produce.
 
CV - clear and easy to read, don't get too creative there! Beautiful design tends to obscure the message.
I would be looking for the ability to learn new tasks/programmes.
 
Thanks everyone. I've sent off my CV and cover letter (email). Hopefully the position hasn't been filled and I'll get an interview.

Since experience isn't required (it's predominately a finishing/designing/customer service position) I made sure to highlight all my relevant experience and skills. I was surprised how many transferable skills I've actually got!
 
Thought I'd update everyone on the job front.

A week after applying I hadn't heard back and went in and spoke to the owner of the printers face to face.

His eyes lit up when I mentioned I was doing a design degree and we seemed to hit it off well. He mentioned about 60% of the applications he'd received completely lacked any design or print experience or knowledge, which helped boost my confidence quite a bit.

He then explained he was looking for someone with design experience over someone with print experience since he can teach someone about printing and finishing but he can't really teach someone how to design (again, confidence boosted).

I did everything I could to tell him the job was exactly what I was looking for, and that I would be an ideal candidate for an interview.

That was over 3 weeks ago and I haven't heard anything, not even a rejection email or phone call. I was holding out hope that they were just incredibly busy but after this amount of time I think I should take the silence as a hint.
 
It's possible that he's simply decided against recruiting at the moment. Maybe he was basing the recruitment drive on a contract he was negotiating which has since gone balls up. I wouldn't let it worry you.
 
You never know, three weeks can fly by when you are busy... if it wasn't an urgent need for staff but something that would be nice for them to have you could still be in with a chance.
Schools have just finished this week - lots of people going away - he might have taken a quiet holiday before the kids break up, or be about to get a bit quieter in the shop as lots of other people go away.
 
Drop him a line (by post, not email) and let him know you remain interested in joining the company.

And be proactive; trawl the firm's site and find examples of work that you feel you could've improved. Send them some reworked print pieces to show you mean business.
 
I wouldn't sweat it just yet. I was called for an interview last week and my application was dated May 27th :icon_eek:

.... bottom line whether it's more design based or not he will have to do some in-house training and maybe it's just been a bit hectic?
 
Thanks for the replies everyone, I suppose no news is good news. If I've not heard anything by the end of the month I'll get in touch again and enquire about the position.
 
I'm not at all being the bearer of bad news but the harsh reality of today's job market is that sometimes people get overrun with applications and they don't take the time to say "thanks but no thanks" (even though an email is a 1minute job).

I'm not trying to imply you should give up on it but I have sent off so many applications that have never had the courteousy of a reply.

Follow up is probably a good idea.
 
spottypenguin said:
I'm not at all being the bearer of bad news but the harsh reality of today's job market is that sometimes people get overrun with applications and they don't take the time to say "thanks but no thanks" (even though an email is a 1minute job).

I'm not trying to imply you should give up on it but I have sent off so many applications that have never had the courteousy of a reply.
Click to expand...

Yeah I wouldn't have expected to hear anything back if I'd blindly sent a CV asking about jobs but because I'd actually spoken to the owner face to face and we seemed to get on really well (to my mind at least) I was hoping to at least hear "Thanks but no thanks".

@MinuteMan - The position was actually advertised on the job seekers website so they've probably been inundated with applications, especially since the local job center is a 30 second walk away. The owner said he was running the advert for 2 weeks but after just a week he'd already received dozens of applications from people who just weren't right for the job in any way. They'd probably been forced to apply to keep their job-seekers allowance :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top