In two recent threads I’ve asked for advice for a job interview process in which I’m involved.
Now I’ve reached the second & final round. It’s a Desktop Publishing and Document Services Operator job which basically means anything & everything the company wants to make look pretty will come across my desk.
I’ve been told that part of the final round will involve “producing a flyer in MS Word” - I’m guessing it can’t JUST be a one page 8 1/2 x 11 flyer, so I’m preparing to produce a tri-fold brochure, just in case.
Since the gist of the job is not creative, it’s productive, I’m guessing that candidates will be provided with a pamphlet/flyer/brochure and then asked to recreate it in Word.
I’m about at an Intermediate Word level but I know I have lots to learn.
If I’m right, and the task is to re-create something to the best of my ability, I’m curious about which approach to take - should I:
(a) keep it simple, stick to what I know, and finish the task, even if it’s not 100% a match (e.g. maybe a background colour or a fancy graphic is missing), ensure that it looks good and is complete and without errors, OR
(b) go for the gusto and try it all - maybe even get fancy - but risk not finishing in time or making errors and not having time to proof my work?
Sorry you’re probably sick of my saga but I REALLY want to do everything I can, so that even if I don’t get the job, at least I know I’ve given it 100%.
First a major caveat: the job you’re interviewing for is completely outside my experience so take what I have to say with a BIG grain of salt:
I would focus on producing error free work product and then be prepared to explain what you would have done had you had more time; i.e., explain what you would do to punch up the presentation. I would think they will give you a reasonable amount of time to complete the project, so going off on a tangent to show off creativity, when the job is production, seems counter-productive to me.
Which way are you leaning?
ETA: Or, tell them that if you had another XX minutes, you really could produce a knockout piece of work and ask for the chance to show them what you can do. Again, I have no clue as to what an interviewer in this field would look for or be put off by–hopefully someone who does have that experience will come along… Best of luck.
In my first interview, two of the twelve questions were geared towards accuracy, tactfully handling corrections, quality of work, etc … There were no questions about creativity.
So I am leaning towards presenting accurate, flawless work that, while it may be lacking a bell here or a whistle there, can stand on its own as a quality product.
My thoughts are that bells & whistles can be learned later, and if I try to show off by getting too fancy, and not finishing the task in time, I will be penalized.
I’d vote for keeping it simple. (I am also unqualified to be voting). But somehow, when you mention reach for the stars, I can’t help thinking of the classic “ransom note” style of Powerpoint slides created by people who have just discovered the wonders of Powerpoint and try out all the features at once.
Being complete and error free seems more desirable to me than being incomplete and distractingly flashy.
ETA: I do like the suggestion of being prepared to explain what is “missing” and how much time/effort is required to kick it up that notch.
Given what you say about creativity not being a major part of the job, I would go for replicating instructions as accurately as possible and being able to explain where and why you deviated. I would not try to go for the gusto as that has a greater chance of backfiring. I would go for competence.
I’d vote for going for simple and then saving a copy of the file and trying fancy on that, if you don’t get done or something goes horribly wrong you have something to show for it (the original), but if your fancy turns out better than you expected you have something wowing to work with (and if they “grade” you in person you can show them the in-progress fancy one and show what you were trying to accomplish if you had more time).
Hi - just got home … the test part of the interview was … um … hard for me. Plus I realized as soon as I left the building that I’d missed a really obvious mistake (I was doing a poster for an event, and didn’t double-check the date I’d been given) … so I’m sure that was in there to trip me up, and it worked.
Ah well … I kicked butt on all the questions and meet & greet stuff … and my flyer was okay - simple and straightforward with no errors. I didn’t waste time trying to get fancy, but I did waste time trying to be creative and then gave up - it just doesn’t come naturally to me and it was looking like ass.
So … I did a boring simple flyer for a health fair (how the hell do you jazz THAT up) and we’ll see what happens … I should find out by the end of next week.
