Why Should Someone Hire You?

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If you stuttered on your response, go sit on a bench. 

I'm forever asking questions on here, let's take a moment and look them all together. 


Is your portfolio ready? And is it good? (read: portfolio breakdown and breaking in)
What are you good at? (read: what's so special about you?)
What do you bring to the table? (read: be an asset)
What are you an expert at? (read: be an expert)
How do you stand out? (read: managing your personal brand)
What do you want? (read: get what you want)
Are you thirsty? (read: ready to work and Creative Wannabe Commandments)
How can you package all this and show someone else that you're worthy of hiring?

* Come up with an elevator speech. If you were on an elevator with a creative director going from the 5th floor to the 8th, what would you say to get him/her interested in talking to you more later? Come up with a quick 3-5 sentence spiel that encompasses everything about you and gives someone a feel for who you are, what you offer and what you're looking for.

* Promote yourself. How are you getting your name out there? How are you differentiating yourself? Who are you talking to? Who is talking about you? What are they saying? How are you directing this discussion? Do you have a blog, podcast, twitter, outlet to show your skills and personality? Like I said in Tuesday's post, if you can sell yourself, you can sell anything.

* Make Connections. Go to industry events. Set up coffee dates and informational interviews. Email folks and say "I love your work, you're amazing, how can I be like you?" Ask people you know to introduce you to more people. Reach out to as many people as possible. Ask them for feedback. Stroke their egosG get to know them and more importantly, let them get to know you. It's good to have friends on the inside.

* Know your strengths. Why are you awesome? Why are you awesomer than the next guy?

* Know your weaknesses. When you’re talking to someone you want to hire you, beat them to the punch. Mention your “weakness” and present a solution, say you're working on it or show how it could possibly be a benefit. "I may not best headline writer, but I keep practicing every day and would love to find a mentor to help me get better. But I can write the hell out of a long copy piece and move people to tears with some kickass storytelling." 

* Know how to work. Just because you don't have to wear a tie doesn't mean you're not a professional. Experience counts: Intern. Freelance. Shadow someone. Work in a non-advertising office. Knowing how a business is run gives you a bit of an edge because whether or not you're in a law firm in a three-piece suit or a creative agency in chucks and 40 tattoos, you're going to have to do time sheets, go to meetings, shake hands and all that other officey stuff.

* Look at the whole. How does your past, present, future, hobbies, etc all work together to build an amazing brand? Where you're from, what you've done, what you love, what you're good at, what you're not good at, what you want to do, what you do on the side, who you know, your random hobbies, that story about the time you were stuck in Mexico... How do all those things work to make you a better creative and a more attractive employee?

* Be what you say you are. Sounds simple, but is it? Remember that product/restaurant/hotel/car/whatever that advertised themselves as being amazing/luxury/epic and all that good stuff - and then you tried it and it was cheap/disgusting/disappointing. Yeah... Don't be that guy. Make sure your spiel, portfolio, final product and attitude match up.

* Speaking of attitude - Be humble. Nobody likes an asshole.