Graphic Designer

Since this can be a long, detailed answer, you’ll want to have prepared for it ahead of time so that you don’t trip over your words, accidentally omit details, or ramble on with too much information. Employers ask this question because they want to know how you do what you do, how long it’ll take you to do it and the kinds of roadblocks you are likely to run into along the way.

Employers ask this question because they want to know how you do what you do, how long it'll take you to do it and the kinds of roadblocks you are likely to run into along the way.

Some designers are lucky to be able to just sit down and crank out an amazing design with barely any thought or planning, while other designers need to utilize a dozen different drafts and outlines to get their design finished.

Employers usually want you to be somewhere in between these two extremes. You should have a process that allows for revisions and critiques, but is also speedy enough that you’ll hit your deadlines without any problem. For some designers, this might mean actually sitting down and figuring out what your process is—but that’s okay. The more thought you give to the kind of designer you are, the more you’ll have to work with during your interview, and the easier it is to showcase yourself as the best candidate for the job.

This is an intuitive question, but because it can involve multiple steps, it’s best to practice it before hand so that you aren’t stumbling over your words as you attempt to get them out. This is also a question that gauges how efficient you are, as well as your attention to detail. You want to fall somewhere in the middle–talking about how it takes at least 15 drafts before you reach your final design will make it seem like you won’t meet deadlines. On the other hand, claiming that you always design perfectly at square one will make it seem like you don’t value craftsmanship or worse, that you’re arrogant. You might say something like,

“Before I get started on a project, I like to develop a number of milestones to refer to so that I can stay on track. After that, I begin with a preliminary concept sketches and choose the ones that best meet client expectations. I will typically do three of four mock-ups to tweak the final design before I present it to the client. Of course, I always take any constructive criticism directed towards my work to improve as I go.”

An employer will ask this question because they’re looking for your opinion on what makes a great graphic designer in terms of qualities and skills – something which should be easy to name if you’re a great designer yourself. When trying to prepare an answer for this question, think about the skills and traits you have which help you in your day-to-day work – examples could include things like patience, strong communication skills and a great eye for detail, as well as more technical things such as familiarity with the whole Adobe Creative Suite. With this type of question, there are no real right or wrong answers – an employer is looking for your opinion and the reasons behind your opinion.

If you have accolades, awards, academic achievements or other lofty accomplishments in your past, then this question is likely going to be easy for you to answer. This is your chance to blow them away with all the great stuff you’ve been able to accomplish in the design field so far.

However, many people may have difficulties answering this question for a number of different reasons. Maybe you don’t feel as if you’ve accomplished much of anything, maybe you’re actively working towards something big but haven’t quite made it yet, or maybe your big life accomplishment has nothing to do with graphic design.

Remember why employers ask this question in the first place—they want to work with people who have ambition, because ambitious people tend to put in the work to accomplish their goals. Employers also want to understand what inspires you; what do you consider an accomplishment in the first place?

...they want to work with people who have ambition, because ambitious people tend to put in the work to accomplish their goals.

Your job in this scenario is to show them why your greatest accomplishments make you the best candidate for the job, even if they don’t seem that great or have much to do with graphic design at first glance.

This is an interview minefield that can be tricky to cross, especially if your career goals don’t necessarily include staying with a company for an extended period of time. You want to be honest, but you don’t want to come off as someone who is simply using this job as a stepping stone to something bigger. Employers realize that their employees aren’t always going to stay with the company for the entirety of their career, but they also want to work with people who are committed.

You want to be honest, but you don't want to come off as someone who is simply using this job as a stepping stone to something bigger.

Express your career goals as a designer in a way that makes you seem favorable to the employer. For example, saying that you want to eventually leave to work with bigger brands and hopefully gain larger recognition might sound like a good goal to strive for, but saying as much could hurt your chances of getting the job.

This is the easiest question to answer, as there’s really only one correct response—”Yes!” Once you’ve said that, of course, you have to actually have a portfolio ready to show and talk the employer through some of the pieces inside. This simple question usually comes with a lot of follow-up questions about how you created each piece, how long it took, what your design goals were and so on.

This is the easiest question to answer, as there's really only one correct response—'Yes!'

The interviewer may or may not actually ask these follow-up questions, so be ready to give them the answers anyway. Before you show off each piece, you’ll want to give the interviewer an idea of what they’re about to see. You don’t need to go into great detail, just a sort of “teaser” statement about what’s coming up next. Something along the lines of, “This was a print campaign for a local brand where I was only allowed to use one ink color.”

Remember to start and end your portfolio with your best pieces. You might only have enough time to go into detail about one or two pieces, so you’ll want immediate access to your best work. Pad out the rest of the portfolio with three to five other pieces that you think best represent you as a designer.

Employers are looking for designers who can not only deliver results, but do so in a timely manner. Failing to meet your deadlines can cost your employer money or make them lose face to their customers, clients and business associates. If you are good about keeping up on your deadlines, you’ll be good to go when it comes time to answer this question.

If sticking to your deadlines is something that you have a hard time with, then you need to at least show the interviewer that you respect deadlines and that you do whatever it takes to get your job done. Give examples of times when you weren’t able to complete a task on deadline, and explain why you fell behind and how you rectified the situation. Did you ask for an extension ahead of time? Did you bring in another designer to help you with the work?

Keep in mind, there’s no reason to punish yourself if you’ve missed the odd deadline here or there in the past. Potential employers want to know how you’re going to handle their deadlines, so you can always turn a negative experience into something positive.

Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances can bring additional pressure to the job and employers want to make sure that the designers they work with aren’t going to fall apart the minute the going gets tough. Questions like this tell the employer two things—not only how you handle pressure, but what constitutes a stressful situation in your book.

Questions like this tell the employer two things—not only how you handle pressure, but what constitutes a stressful situation in your book.

Be ready to answer this with an anecdote or example from your life that shows you know how to keep cool under pressure. Stories about deadlines, editorial mandates or last-minute changes are good to include, because these are the kind of stresses that will naturally occur in the design field. Showing that you’ve already dealt with these kinds of stresses makes you a stronger, more experienced candidate.

If you’re applying for a job designing print media, chances are the employer is going to want to know what kind of print you’ve worked with in the past. This also rings true for any design job, not just print—employers want to know how comfortable you are working in different mediums.

This is because employers want to know if they’re going to have to train you on anything down the line, which could be expensive on their behalf. So they want to see what you already know to gauge how much further you still need to go. Be sure to mention the types of media you’ve worked within, the equipment you’ve used and any formal training you might have received along the way.

If you can manage it, bring examples of your past print work for the employer to see. Since this is print we’re talking about, it makes an even bigger impression if you have actual, physical examples that the employer can touch, hold and possibly even keep for themselves. Check out our tips for designing a unique print design portfolio for more information.

While the first question assessed your motivation for the industry in general, this question is designed to test your motivations and reasons for applying for this particular role. The employer wants to see how much you know about the role and company on offer and they’re really asking why you think you’re a good fit for this particular graphic design job. When answering this question – again, it’s good to be honest – but you need to avoid citing purely selfish reasons eg. amazing salary or 40 days holiday a year. Instead of citing the aforementioned reasons, a better answer might be to say you’re looking for a new challenge and you’d love the chance to work for an established brand that has a great reputation within the industry. You could also mention how your skills and experience align perfectly with the role on offer – and how your values also match those of the brands.

Liking your job has never been a requirement of employment, but good employers know that happy workers do better work—especially if they like the work they’re doing. Every designer has his or her own specialty, something they like to do above all else. If what you like to do just happens to be the same job you’re applying for, then you’re in good shape.

Liking your job has never been a requirement of employment, but good employers know that happy workers do better work—especially if they like the work they're doing.

If you’re afraid that your interests and the job you’re applying for aren’t the best match for one another, then try to find the best answer that is not only honest, but makes you the best candidate for the job. You could mention that you would like to work your way up into a position that would let you work on your favorite types of projects, if that’s a possibility.

Or you could always aim for an answer that is a little broader. You could say that you like projects that allow you to work with a team, or that you like working on challenging projects that everybody else has given up on.