We spent a year listening to creatives across the design industry, and generated a list of 100 questions we wished we'd known at the beginning of our career. Designed both for self reflection and to cut through hiring-process gloss, they start out innocently enough but quickly cut to the chase.
Natalie Mellin, Global Employer Brand, King
Robert Käck, Global Employer Brand, King
Claudia Tattanelli, Chairman Strategic Board, Universum
Companies achieve a solid talent brand message by first laying the foundation with a strong employee value proposition (EVP). A smart and structured EVP empowers the culture, community and workplace transformation that your employees love to post, tweet and talk about with their friends. Without an EVP, talent brand messaging risks being diluted or scattered.
How To Fail: 25 Secrets Learned through FailureTaylor Davidson
25 Secrets Learned through Failure, by Taylor Davidson at Unstructured Ventures.
Visit the post on unstructuredventures.com/uv (short link to post: http://tinyurl.com/howtofail ) to add to the discussion, share your lessons learned from failure, and view more.
Natalie Mellin, Global Employer Brand, King
Robert Käck, Global Employer Brand, King
Claudia Tattanelli, Chairman Strategic Board, Universum
Companies achieve a solid talent brand message by first laying the foundation with a strong employee value proposition (EVP). A smart and structured EVP empowers the culture, community and workplace transformation that your employees love to post, tweet and talk about with their friends. Without an EVP, talent brand messaging risks being diluted or scattered.
How To Fail: 25 Secrets Learned through FailureTaylor Davidson
25 Secrets Learned through Failure, by Taylor Davidson at Unstructured Ventures.
Visit the post on unstructuredventures.com/uv (short link to post: http://tinyurl.com/howtofail ) to add to the discussion, share your lessons learned from failure, and view more.
What will happen in 2019?
As always, I can only read between the lines, combine various signals, information and experiences from the labor market, unlock trends in the United States and Western Europe, watch the progress and the actions of inspirational companies, and polish my Employer Branding crystal ball. I have been faithful to this approach for many years. So, what do I see in the next year? With my eyes closed, I see "people dancing around the company fire in a celebration of a meaningful workplace progression for them". Well, well - let's move the metaphors into a more comprehensible form - 5 specific directions that could be enacted in the new year in Employer Branding.
1. attempts of ANY KIND TO MOTIVATE –> creating MEANINGFUL WORK
2. BUZZWORDS on notice boards –> capturing KEY VALUES
3. Concern for MATERIAL REINSURANCE -> focus on the CARING ENVIRONMENT
4. corporate SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY –> corporate EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY
5. separate DEPARTMENTS –> united TEAMS
This book will provide you with new tools, skills,
and a mindset to harness opportunities born of
uncertainty in order to design a better business.
We’ve included tons of real-world examples of
people who have mastered the fundamentals of
design, as well as case studies of companies that
have created change using design as the under-
lying foundation for decision making. And, just as
design is a repeatable process, this book is meant
not only to guide you on your design journey, but
also to provide an ongoing reference to help you
scale the design beyond one project or product
to an entire company.
HOW Design Conference 2010 Process Imporvementdbholston
HOW Design Conference 2010:Design Process Improvement Workshop
If you are interested in refining your design process, aligning your staff, and fixing your most frustrating problems, send me an email at dave@the-strategic-designer.com.
This is the first in our 30+3 Webinar Series: "The Employer brand. The what, why and how of employer branding." It is a high-level overview of employer branding - what it is, why it's important and how to get started. We also provide 3 action items designed to help you make your employer brand stronger.
عقدت #نواصة أولى فعالياتها بحضور فاق ال 120 شخص تحت رعاية مركز الملكة رانيا للريادة وشركة ElektroJo . تضمنت الفعالية ورشة تدريبية عملية تحت عنوان "مقدمة في ريادة الأعمال" بتنظيم وإعداد المدربة أسماء الكيالي وعرض تجربة الحائز على جائزة "ريادي العام" لعام 2014 الريادي كمال الحمود و الحديث عن التحديات التي واجهته عند تأسيس شركته الخاصة وتم توزيع شهادات للحضور باسم أكاديمية "قادة على طريق الريادة" وباعتماد دولي.
Entrepreneurship is as hard as it can be rewarding. Entrepreneurs make personal, professional and financial sacrifices knowing the cards are stacked against them. So what separates the failed entrepreneur from the successful?
This module explores the essentials of starting your own business. It looks at in detail the benefits and drawbacks of starting your own business, inspiring entrepreneurs that previously failed, facing your fears and examining in detail ‘digital natives’.
Employee Value Propositions & Employer BrandingEngage Me
We answer the question, what is an EVP and Employer Brand? Outline your value offering to current and prospective employees and market your culture, to attract the best and right talent to your business.
HR is the new Marketing; the future of Employer BrandingTEDxMongKok
Every candidate is a potential customer, and every customer is a potential candidate. It's no secret that candidates and employees are thinking and acting like customers. Job search behaviour has changed. Employee expectations have changed. HR can no longer think like recruiters, but think like marketers. Emma Reynolds shares insights on the changing candidate behaviour in an interactive presentation that will help you analyse the touchpoints in your recruitment experience and their impact on your employer brand.
How to Hire Top Talent to Create a Purpose-Driven BusinessY Scouts
Brian Mohr, Co-Founder & VP of Growth, Y Scouts
Evolution of Management - The way we hire and manage employees has evolved over the centuries. Historically (industrial revolution, scientific management) people were hired and supervised to perform specifically-designed tasks, with a great focus on optimizing productivity. We still see the effects of those roots today. Later, the bureaucracy developed, and behavioral management emerged between the 1920s to 1950s to focus more on the real needs of employees. In recent decades we've seen much emphasis on management science (six sigma, lean) ad its main focus remained often on process or productivity rather than on people.
State of our Workplace Today - Despite contemporary thought leaders (like Peter Drucker, or the emergence of Servant Leadership), today's workplace still produces much unproductive stress, eliminates much creativity and inspiration, and is characterized by high levels of disengagement. This in turn leaves significant opportunities for productivity, growth, and profitability on the table.
Research on Purpose – One of the key pieces we believe is missing is “purpose”. In Daniel Pink’s research on what really motivates people, he finds that purpose is one of the three main drivers. In Gallup’s research into why people follow, “hope” is one of the main factors. Dr. Seligman’s research in the area of positive psychology shows that having a sense of purpose is a key route to high well-being. Purpose is good for people, but for business as well. A range of studies has demonstrated the far-superior results that purpose-driven companies obtain over their money-driven counterparts.
Implications for You – For most companies this means there is a need t0 discover what their purpose is, to communicate, Y Scouts is proposing three main implications. First, what is your purpose? What are you most passionate about, and what are you doing to pursue that? Second, how can you help others find and pursue that? Second, how can you help others find and pursue their purpose? You have great influence over your existing employees (casting them in the right roles) as well as your new hires (interviewing them for fit and purpose). And thirdly, how can you develop and focus your managers and employees on their strengths? To allow purpose to thrive, managers will need to respect the employee for who he/she is and focus on bringing the best out in them.
What We Do – How Y Scouts can help
Q&A
What will happen in 2019?
As always, I can only read between the lines, combine various signals, information and experiences from the labor market, unlock trends in the United States and Western Europe, watch the progress and the actions of inspirational companies, and polish my Employer Branding crystal ball. I have been faithful to this approach for many years. So, what do I see in the next year? With my eyes closed, I see "people dancing around the company fire in a celebration of a meaningful workplace progression for them". Well, well - let's move the metaphors into a more comprehensible form - 5 specific directions that could be enacted in the new year in Employer Branding.
1. attempts of ANY KIND TO MOTIVATE –> creating MEANINGFUL WORK
2. BUZZWORDS on notice boards –> capturing KEY VALUES
3. Concern for MATERIAL REINSURANCE -> focus on the CARING ENVIRONMENT
4. corporate SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY –> corporate EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITY
5. separate DEPARTMENTS –> united TEAMS
This book will provide you with new tools, skills,
and a mindset to harness opportunities born of
uncertainty in order to design a better business.
We’ve included tons of real-world examples of
people who have mastered the fundamentals of
design, as well as case studies of companies that
have created change using design as the under-
lying foundation for decision making. And, just as
design is a repeatable process, this book is meant
not only to guide you on your design journey, but
also to provide an ongoing reference to help you
scale the design beyond one project or product
to an entire company.
HOW Design Conference 2010 Process Imporvementdbholston
HOW Design Conference 2010:Design Process Improvement Workshop
If you are interested in refining your design process, aligning your staff, and fixing your most frustrating problems, send me an email at dave@the-strategic-designer.com.
This is the first in our 30+3 Webinar Series: "The Employer brand. The what, why and how of employer branding." It is a high-level overview of employer branding - what it is, why it's important and how to get started. We also provide 3 action items designed to help you make your employer brand stronger.
عقدت #نواصة أولى فعالياتها بحضور فاق ال 120 شخص تحت رعاية مركز الملكة رانيا للريادة وشركة ElektroJo . تضمنت الفعالية ورشة تدريبية عملية تحت عنوان "مقدمة في ريادة الأعمال" بتنظيم وإعداد المدربة أسماء الكيالي وعرض تجربة الحائز على جائزة "ريادي العام" لعام 2014 الريادي كمال الحمود و الحديث عن التحديات التي واجهته عند تأسيس شركته الخاصة وتم توزيع شهادات للحضور باسم أكاديمية "قادة على طريق الريادة" وباعتماد دولي.
Entrepreneurship is as hard as it can be rewarding. Entrepreneurs make personal, professional and financial sacrifices knowing the cards are stacked against them. So what separates the failed entrepreneur from the successful?
This module explores the essentials of starting your own business. It looks at in detail the benefits and drawbacks of starting your own business, inspiring entrepreneurs that previously failed, facing your fears and examining in detail ‘digital natives’.
Employee Value Propositions & Employer BrandingEngage Me
We answer the question, what is an EVP and Employer Brand? Outline your value offering to current and prospective employees and market your culture, to attract the best and right talent to your business.
HR is the new Marketing; the future of Employer BrandingTEDxMongKok
Every candidate is a potential customer, and every customer is a potential candidate. It's no secret that candidates and employees are thinking and acting like customers. Job search behaviour has changed. Employee expectations have changed. HR can no longer think like recruiters, but think like marketers. Emma Reynolds shares insights on the changing candidate behaviour in an interactive presentation that will help you analyse the touchpoints in your recruitment experience and their impact on your employer brand.
How to Hire Top Talent to Create a Purpose-Driven BusinessY Scouts
Brian Mohr, Co-Founder & VP of Growth, Y Scouts
Evolution of Management - The way we hire and manage employees has evolved over the centuries. Historically (industrial revolution, scientific management) people were hired and supervised to perform specifically-designed tasks, with a great focus on optimizing productivity. We still see the effects of those roots today. Later, the bureaucracy developed, and behavioral management emerged between the 1920s to 1950s to focus more on the real needs of employees. In recent decades we've seen much emphasis on management science (six sigma, lean) ad its main focus remained often on process or productivity rather than on people.
State of our Workplace Today - Despite contemporary thought leaders (like Peter Drucker, or the emergence of Servant Leadership), today's workplace still produces much unproductive stress, eliminates much creativity and inspiration, and is characterized by high levels of disengagement. This in turn leaves significant opportunities for productivity, growth, and profitability on the table.
Research on Purpose – One of the key pieces we believe is missing is “purpose”. In Daniel Pink’s research on what really motivates people, he finds that purpose is one of the three main drivers. In Gallup’s research into why people follow, “hope” is one of the main factors. Dr. Seligman’s research in the area of positive psychology shows that having a sense of purpose is a key route to high well-being. Purpose is good for people, but for business as well. A range of studies has demonstrated the far-superior results that purpose-driven companies obtain over their money-driven counterparts.
Implications for You – For most companies this means there is a need t0 discover what their purpose is, to communicate, Y Scouts is proposing three main implications. First, what is your purpose? What are you most passionate about, and what are you doing to pursue that? Second, how can you help others find and pursue that? Second, how can you help others find and pursue their purpose? You have great influence over your existing employees (casting them in the right roles) as well as your new hires (interviewing them for fit and purpose). And thirdly, how can you develop and focus your managers and employees on their strengths? To allow purpose to thrive, managers will need to respect the employee for who he/she is and focus on bringing the best out in them.
What We Do – How Y Scouts can help
Q&A
Designing Adaptive Careers - The Talent Canvas
As presented at Better Sotware 2015 in Florence
Why a career should not be considered an evolutionary process, that requires constant feedback in order to develop talent and skills, while fits in a even more liquid company culture?
HR Management's traditional approach is proving increasingly inadequate to the shifting environment of modern companies. HR departments are based on practices that fails to adapt to our ever-changing scenario. Professionals and companies both need to be able to reinvent themselves...
The Adaptive Career is a set of conversation design tools aiming to enpower our approach to career development. It will be useful to anyone involved in HR management and team leading, but also small teams and entrepreneurs. It's focused on transparency and motivation, and it has been designed to gain mutual support and commitments about evolutionary careers.
Creating an Unmistakable Talent Brand and World Class Recruitment TeamMary Pratt
A deep dive into creating an unmistakable Talent Brand and Rock Star Talent Acquisition Department working on focus points including Brand Awareness, Self Awareness, Steps to Creating Talent Brand Strategies, Steps to Rock Start Talent Acquisition Departments with a focus on companies who are doing it such as LV= in the UK and Menlo Innovations in the USA. Hope you enjoy! :)
How To Hire Top Talent To Create A Purpose Driven Organization | Y ScoutsY Scouts
At the heart of every successful business is a talented and dedicated team. It is a team that shares a core set of values which influence how people in the organization act, think and communicate. What fundamental value stands above the rest? Purpose – a shared vision of why each person comes to work in the morning.
A range of studies has demonstrated the superior results that purpose-driven companies obtain over their money-driven counterparts. So how does a company recruit, hire, motivate and retain the employees and leaders required to build such a business?
Pre-Employment Engagement: Becoming a Talent Magnet and Developing World Clas...The HR Observer
• Why talent branding is here to stay and where you should start with your talent brand strategy
• Reviewing the “faux paus” of talent brand and how to avoid them
• Why some talent acquisition departments fail and how to get your ship in order with world class talent acquisition
• Engaging with your candidate: discussing brand and candidate experience from attraction onboarding with engagement in mind
Mary Pratt, Recruiting & Talent Brand Coach
Increasing Design Influence by adapting your voice to your organization's dec...Dani Nordin
As designers, we like to think of ourselves as makers. When we’re working on large, wicked problems, the challenge is that “making” is no longer a solo endeavor; it’s something that requires a lot of people and functionality to make happen. This can leave designers feeling like we’ve had to compromise our standards to appease business or development stakeholders. It also inadvertently creates an us-versus-them mentality that actually makes it less likely that we’ll be successful in moving forward our vision of what’s possible.
So what does this mean for us? Simply understanding what your product’s users are dealing with isn’t enough. To make truly great products, you need to understand how people, organizations, systems and content play together. In this presentation, we’ll focus on some ways to help understand the organizational context you’re working within, and to adjust your approach to increase your success within those organizations.
Companies struggle today to create the experiences their Marketing say they do. It boils down to Culture and the consistent behaviours of all employees across all levels of management. Here's my presentation from the Africa HR Summit.
Why do companies lose their best talents?CelexProject
I often say that no company is bigger or better than the people who work there, employees give it a damned hard every day. So why do companies lose their best talent all the time?
ROI Online is a new-age internet marketing company that revolves around a core set of values and beliefs. Our culture code is implemented internally within our organization as well as through our customers.
Intuit Immersion Workbook: Design with Emotion Intuit Inc.
Designing with emotion: a field workbook from Intuit. Immersion is about using emotional design to create awesome customer experiences. The workbook includes
an overview of Design for Delight (D4D), a message from Intuit President and CEO Brad Smith, and immersion activities to complete.
The Insiders Guide to Employer Branding - 27 Best Practice InsightsKelly Services
Many of the old tools and strategies for building an authentic, globally relevant employer brand have been discarded, and new ones are taking over. Both the challenges and opportunities have grown almost in tandem, and it’s all happening at break-neck speed.
One thing is clear: employer branding has changed, dramatically.
Our Global Best Practice Xchange (BPX) Roundtable on the subject confirmed it. It was 90 minutes of rigorous discussion with eight seasoned professionals leading the way in employer branding innovation for their organizations. They shared their successes, mistakes and thoughts on their plans for the future.
So, if you are wondering if there’s a better, clearer way to lead your organization and practice through this change, this guide is for you.
All the things an entrepreneur or start-up needs to know. Is it about the idea? Is it about a great product? How to build a team? Do I need a business plan? How do I raise money? What is a great business strategy?
Anna Taylor (Speaker) West Coast DEI Lead, VMLY&R
Demographic transference within organizations is shifting and there will continue to be an upsurge of more diverse and inclusive organizations as they outperform homogeneous organizations. But this is a slow progression, where can we start making organizational transformation now? We can start from the bottom; employees have more power than they may realize, to affect change. And although this may seem like a daunting call-to-action, employees have the power irrespective of budget or team size, to make an indelible impact on organizational change. Like many effectual grassroots movements, employees have the ability to create a new model that renders the existing model obsolete and lead the evolution of organizational transformation.
Similar to Repost: Studio D's 100 Questions for the Young Creative (20)
Can AI do good? at 'offtheCanvas' India HCI preludeAlan Dix
Invited talk at 'offtheCanvas' IndiaHCI prelude, 29th June 2024.
https://www.alandix.com/academic/talks/offtheCanvas-IndiaHCI2024/
The world is being changed fundamentally by AI and we are constantly faced with newspaper headlines about its harmful effects. However, there is also the potential to both ameliorate theses harms and use the new abilities of AI to transform society for the good. Can you make the difference?
You could be a professional graphic designer and still make mistakes. There is always the possibility of human error. On the other hand if you’re not a designer, the chances of making some common graphic design mistakes are even higher. Because you don’t know what you don’t know. That’s where this blog comes in. To make your job easier and help you create better designs, we have put together a list of common graphic design mistakes that you need to avoid.
Hello everyone! I am thrilled to present my latest portfolio on LinkedIn, marking the culmination of my architectural journey thus far. Over the span of five years, I've been fortunate to acquire a wealth of knowledge under the guidance of esteemed professors and industry mentors. From rigorous academic pursuits to practical engagements, each experience has contributed to my growth and refinement as an architecture student. This portfolio not only showcases my projects but also underscores my attention to detail and to innovative architecture as a profession.
Transforming Brand Perception and Boosting Profitabilityaaryangarg12
In today's digital era, the dynamics of brand perception, consumer behavior, and profitability have been profoundly reshaped by the synergy of branding, social media, and website design. This research paper investigates the transformative power of these elements in influencing how individuals perceive brands and products and how this transformation can be harnessed to drive sales and profitability for businesses.
Through an exploration of brand psychology and consumer behavior, this study sheds light on the intricate ways in which effective branding strategies, strategic social media engagement, and user-centric website design contribute to altering consumers' perceptions. We delve into the principles that underlie successful brand transformations, examining how visual identity, messaging, and storytelling can captivate and resonate with target audiences.
Methodologically, this research employs a comprehensive approach, combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. Real-world case studies illustrate the impact of branding, social media campaigns, and website redesigns on consumer perception, sales figures, and profitability. We assess the various metrics, including brand awareness, customer engagement, conversion rates, and revenue growth, to measure the effectiveness of these strategies.
The results underscore the pivotal role of cohesive branding, social media influence, and website usability in shaping positive brand perceptions, influencing consumer decisions, and ultimately bolstering sales and profitability. This paper provides actionable insights and strategic recommendations for businesses seeking to leverage branding, social media, and website design as potent tools to enhance their market position and financial success.
Dive into the innovative world of smart garages with our insightful presentation, "Exploring the Future of Smart Garages." This comprehensive guide covers the latest advancements in garage technology, including automated systems, smart security features, energy efficiency solutions, and seamless integration with smart home ecosystems. Learn how these technologies are transforming traditional garages into high-tech, efficient spaces that enhance convenience, safety, and sustainability.
Ideal for homeowners, tech enthusiasts, and industry professionals, this presentation provides valuable insights into the trends, benefits, and future developments in smart garage technology. Stay ahead of the curve with our expert analysis and practical tips on implementing smart garage solutions.
7 Alternatives to Bullet Points in PowerPointAlvis Oh
So you tried all the ways to beautify your bullet points on your pitch deck but it just got way uglier. These points are supposed to be memorable and leave a lasting impression on your audience. With these tips, you'll no longer have to spend so much time thinking how you should present your pointers.
Expert Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Drafting ServicesResDraft
Whether you’re looking to create a guest house, a rental unit, or a private retreat, our experienced team will design a space that complements your existing home and maximizes your investment. We provide personalized, comprehensive expert accessory dwelling unit (ADU)drafting solutions tailored to your needs, ensuring a seamless process from concept to completion.
Repost: Studio D's 100 Questions for the Young Creative
1. 100 QUESTIONS FOR THE
YOUNG CREATIVE
Qs to ask yourself.
Qs to ask your next employer.
Released under a Non-Commercial Creative Common License.
STUDIO D
2.
3. Last year the authors spoke with creatives across the
design spectrum in order to better understand the
dynamics of our industry and the kind of studio we
wanted to create. We spoke with freelancers, agencies
large and small, corporate design teams and
consultants, veterans and students. As part of this
process we generated an in-house list of over 100
questions that we wished we’d thought to ask earlier in
our careers.
We followed this up with a workshop at the
IxDA Interaction Conference to refine the question list
for any creative that is considering a career change.
4. Designed both for self reflection and to cut through
hiring-process gloss, they start out innocently enough
but quickly cut to the chase.
5. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
1. Who are you, and what are you bringing to the table?
2. Why do you want to work at ______?
3. What does the company stand for?
4. Who’s really in charge, and how is the business run?
5. Why are people joining or leaving?
6. What kind of work do they (and will you) do?
7. What is the company culture?
8. What are you worth?
Wild Card Questions
7. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Who are you? What do you
bring to the table?
1
8. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Some have a clear understanding of their personal
goals, the “design” industry, and their value within it,
others use the job-seeking process to figure it out.
Who are you? What do you bring to the table?
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths?
How do you define yourself? VD? IxD? ID? DR? …
How comfortable are you with that definition?
What processes and ways of working do you bring to the
table?
Are you willing to compromise on process and working style?
What do you stand for?
What type of work do you want to do?
Why do you want to do that type of work?
Do you only want to do that type of work?
What do you expect to get from your work? From your job?
From your employer, specifically?
Who do you want to work with? Why?
Do you have your own source of “fire,” or do you expect your
employer to provide it / create it for you?
Where do you find inspiration?
Do you want to be the sole creative in an organisation (“the
expert”), or be surrounded by other creatives?
Do you want to be an authority in the room, or are you there
to listen and learn?
10. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
2Why do you want to work
at ______?
11. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What motivates you? Where is a mismatch likely to
occur between expectations, the company, and the
role? For example there can be considerable
distortions between what companies do, and what
they say they do.
Why do you want to work at ______?
What do you expect to get from working there?
How important is it to be surrounded by people you respect
and admire?
Who do you respect and admire?
What do you expect of them?
How important is the diversity of work?
What does diversity mean to you?
What attracts you to the company?
Why is that attractive to you?
Are you attracted by the prospect of working on social impact
projects?
How do you define “social impact?”
How do they define “social impact?”
Are you attracted by the opportunity to travel?
What do you believe this job will be like relative to your other
jobs? What makes you think that?
13. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
3 What does the
company stand for?
14. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
How does the company want you to see them? Are they
honest about the realities of their business? On what
things will they not compromise? Reflecting on these
things is key - discerning what you believe to be truth
versus marketing and hype.
What does the company stand for?
What are their corporate values?
On what are these values based?
How are they articulated?
Do employees believe the values are reflected in day-to-
day decision making?
Are these values reflected in the clients it takes on?
Do the values align with what you believe?
What/who are they influencing?
What is the future of the company?
What is their vision for 3, 5 or 15 years?
What is their utopian and dystopian version of this vision?
What does design mean to them?
What do designers do there?
How is design measured? Valued inside the company?
What does design mean to non-designers in the organisation?
How much of the current design practice can be replaced by
algorithms and still be innovative?
15. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What does the company stand for?
How do they deal with failure?
What choices have they had to make to stay true to their
values?
What type of work does the company say “no” to?
What do they say “yes” to?
Is impact measured at the user/customer level?
If so, how?
Is the company innovative or reactive?
How does the company describe their business?
How do they interact with competitors?
Where do they find inspiration?
What industry do you think they’re in?
What industry do they think they’re in?
What projects does the organisation talk about?
Why might they talk about certain work and not other work?
Is what they talk about motivated by confidentiality
agreements or the desire to curate their image?
What would motivate a company not to talk about certain
work?
What is the organisation known for?
16. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What does the company stand for?
Is a company that is most famous for its work 100 years ago still relevant today?
How about 30 years ago?
20 years ago?
10?
5?
3?
A year ago?
Two projects ago?
18. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
4Who’s really in charge, and
how is the business run?
19. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Easily overlooked, and the most difficult to understand without
a candid conversation with somebody on the inside: what is the
actual business of the organisation you hope to join? Knowing
what and who ultimately drive decision-making will determine
how your career there looks and feels.
Who’s really in charge, and how is the business run?
How are decisions made?
Who is involved in making them?
What information is used in making them?
What influences do employees have on the direction of the
company?
How is the organisation divided?
How do things evolve as the company grows/shrinks/changes
Is scaling (up or down) done strategically, or reactively?
How are leaders brought into the company?
Who is responsible for decisions in the design process and
when?
Is there trust in the organisation, amongst employees? What
defines trust to them, to you?
Who owns the company?
What are the corporate values of the parent company?
How tolerant/supportive of creativity is the parent
company?
Is/are the company founder/s still actively engaged in running
the company?
If not still in charge, how relevant is/are the founder/s in
today’s business environment?
How do lines of funding flow to specific projects? (Follow the
money, to better understand the motivation of the work)
What are the company’s KPIs?
Are any of them non-monetary
How are projects billed? How are the resourced?
20. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Who’s really in charge, and how is the business run?
Who has hands-on leadership in the company? CEO, CCO,
President, ...
How are they motivated?
How are they measured?
Who do they report to? the board, leadership in the parent
company, …
What is their background?
What do they, as individuals, stand for?
What is their career trajectory?
Are they committed to the role or just passing through?
Does any of the creative leadership have meaningful power?
How does the money flow?
How much revenue goes to the parent company?
How much revenue goes to the ex founder/s?
How much revenue goes to executives?
How much revenue goes to _________?
How much revenue is left for those starting out in their
career?
If the current owner of the company is looking to sell, in what
time-frame is that likely to occur?
What strategy will they pursue to sell the company?
Who is likely to buy the company?
Will the buyer want to keep all the studios? Are they
profitable? What is their potential?
Does the buyer have different values than those held by the
company?
What happens to creative talent under new ownership?
What happened at Fjord, Fuse Projects, Adaptive Path, frog,
…?
What is offered to whom, to retain talent in the event of a
sale?
What were you offered?
What does it mean if you weren’t offered anything?
Does the company have a stock plan?
22. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
5 Why are people joining
or leaving?
23. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
The flow of talent, who is coming and going, how they
are brought in, and how they depart says a lot about
an organisation. As a rule of thumb, you can learn
more from people leaving, than joining.
Why are people joining or leaving?
Is the organisation growing or shrinking?
What kind of people are they hiring?
What kind of people are they firing?
What kind of people are leaving?
Does there seem to be an inordinate amount of talent leaving
or joining the company?
Why are others joining?
Why are others leaving?
How long do employees stay? Why?
How does the company message hiring internally?
How about firing?
How does the company message hiring externally?
How about firing?
Where do people who leave go? 2 to 3 years later?
Does the company maintain an alumni network?
How does on-boarding happen? (how intentional, new
project, new client, new employee)
24. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Why are people joining or leaving?
Has talent you admire recently joined the company?
Has talent you admire recently left the company?
Why did they leave?
How do you know who has recently left?
What can you learn from those who have recently left?
How does talent drain impact the culture of the organisation?
Impact the ability to attract good client work?
Impact the ability to deliver good client work?
Impact the company brand?
Impact your ability to learn?
When you speak to current employees about whether it is a
good place to work, what do they say?
How are they motivated?
How are they rewarded?
How does the company incentivise bringing in new talent?
Do these incentives affect the way that current employees
talk about work-prospects at the company?
Where can you find a balanced view on the company?
25. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
“The gutter between change-
agent, and corporate whore is
littered with bonus checks and
broken dreams”
27. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
6What kind of work do
they (and will you) do?
28. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Three months into your role, what will you be working
on day-to-day? Are you a small cog in a large machine
on a set path, or do you shape your, and your team’s
destination?
What kind of work do they (and will you) do?
Is there a process that the company follows? How defined is it?
What are the things the company has already decided don't
work?
What is their definition of collaboration?
How are teams put together?
Who do designers get to work with?
How is it decided what their designers will or will not work
on?
How much of your work directly affects the organisations
goals and mission?
How are critiques done? How often?
What happens at the start of a project?
How are new team members brought onto projects?
What does transition/handoff look like at the end of a project?
Does each member of the team have the opportunity to lead at
some point throughout a project, or is there a clear and
defined project lead?
Will you get to choose what you work on?
What do you know about the organisation's portfolio of recent
clients or projects?
Which clients or projects does the organisation talk about?
What is the ratio of the work that the company talks about
versus the work they do?
Are you being considered as a hire to work on a particular
project or client?
29. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What kind of work do they (and will you) do?
Are the types of projects you want to work on aligned with the types of projects
that best suit the company?
Culturally?
Financially?
What kind of work really pays the bills?
What are the values behind the clients or projects the organisation takes on?
31. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
7What is the company culture?
32. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
These are difficult to put words to, the soft stuff that
lies between the work, the money, and the people.
How intentional is the company culture? How does it
evolve? And how much will you be able to shape it?
What is the company culture?
Is the culture reflective?
What practices are in place to encourage reflection?
How is it handled?
How does a culture or forgiveness or permission manifest in
this company?
Are the tensions the design process utilised or ignored?
Where does knowledge come from? (teams, expert,
research, ...)
What does the company tout as integral parts of their
“culture?”
-Free food? Games? Fun stuff?
Are there aspects of their “culture” that seem gimmicky?
How much time do people who work together spend with each
other outside of work?
Are people rolling into work late and checking out of work
early?
Is the environment conducive to impromptu conversations?
What is the workspace like?
Is it dynamic? quiet? focussed? professional?
Which of these aspects are important to you?
Which of these do you prefer to do good work?
What is their vacation policy?
What are their travel policies?
34. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What are you worth?
8
35. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Not knowing your value to the company, being under
or over compensated, will all lead to complications
later on. There’s a significant difference between
knowing your value and being driven by financial
reward.
What are you worth?
Is the salary competitive?
What is “competitive?”
If not, why not?
What are other parts of the compensation package?
Will you be offered stock options? If not, why not?
Who is incentivised if the company is sold?
What percentage of your salary will be as a bonus?
What is the company's history of paying bonuses?
How much revenue are you expected to make for the
organisation?
Where can you find out about how they determine these
rates?
What other, non-monetary benefits do you offer the
company?
How flexible are they on non-monetary benefits (vacation,
bonuses, flex time, etc)?
How flexible are you on these things?
On what will you be evaluated? How often?
37. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
Wild Card Questions
38. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
For best results, deliver one of these out of left field.
Wild Cards
When is the last time you experienced flow in your work?
How do you deal with compromises? What are you
compromising on?
What is an example of how the company trusts you?
If your best friend asks you the best thing about your work,
what do tell them?
Did you have fun today?
What do you look forward to when you come in each morning?
How is individuality encouraged amongst your team/group?
How do you deal with failure?
How do you turn conflicts into creative tensions?
How do you ensure an ethical approach to your work and its
meaning?
How do you see yourself shaping and extending the industry?
What are your aspirations for this organisation? What
challenges have you overcome this year?
Do you debrief at the end of a project? How? What happens as
a result?
Are you working with people you admire?
What trait do you most admire in your mentors?
39. STUDIO D FINAL100 QUESTIONS FOR THE YOUNG CREATIVE
What questions would you ask?
Contribute questions here.
40. With thanks to IxDA Workshop
Contributors & Co-authors
Nick de la Mare
Andrea Cruz
Aycin Caki
Barbara Belsito
Bruno Bergher
Dario Violi
German Leon
Jacklynn Pham
Jamie Kong
Janna DeVylder
Jared Zimmerman
Jeremy Yuille
Julia Nacsa
Kaleem Khan
Karla Rosales
Kate Vogt
Kristine Mudd
Marco Righetto
Michal Kopec
Mun May Tee
Raghavendra Kandala
Samara Watkiss
Sara Cambridge
Studio D
Jan Chipchase
Lauren Serota
Amy Huang
@studio_d_rad
studiodradiodurans.com
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