Forget about cheap foreign labour when you can get free labour in your own home! That’s right, First World dwellers, you hear me. From the streets of London to the whole EU continent, even up to the Hollywood hills in the USA, why pay cheap when you can get it for FREE? These free labourers are called interns, and if you have not made use of them, you should! You only need to pay for their lunches and transport, and in some cases, non at all! They are young, smart and degree-certified from a credited university in the First World.

What’s more, they are willing to clock in the full hours just like a fully-paid professional (without the min. wage, of course), and if that is not enough, you can also get them to serve you coffee in between.

Why?

Because they are dying to for a job. They thirst for it. Give them countless of empty promises of a full-time position, and they are sure to stick around longer. Perhaps you can even coax them to work overtime, all without pay! Isn’t that fantastic news for all you exploitative bosses out there who are unashamed to fatten your profits while these little minions can simply starve for all you care!

And if this is not enough to make you sick, I don’t know what else can. Even cheap, unqualified foreign labour gets paid, but not fresh graduates in the First World nations. Graduate Fog, a UK-based website dedicated to the cause of the youths while shaming companies that benefit from unpaid internships, has religiously updated any happenings regarding youth employment and internships.

I personally wished I knew all the good advice much earlier in my fledgling years rather than now. Honestly, some of the repercussions from my previous experiences of exploitation can still take an emotional toil on me from time to time even after all these years, and I am too ashamed and angry to name them as references. Waste of my potential, time, money and energy. Not to mention that their names are not worth mentioning in the first place, so no free publicity for them by me.

And why these sick politicians legalise exploitation in the guise of “free internship” for a reason so obvious that is non other to please those fat elites so that they can retain their attractive tax contributions.

Just recently, I was updated by friends that some of them were still doing internships on end after graduating 4 years ago! Studying masters was a way of escape from the dreadful unemployment rather than for knowledge sake. How much time can young people afford to waste?? And as they get older and still out of a job, they will more likely be pushed away as potentials when the next batch of fresh youths graduate each year. Job centres are getting over-crowded and depressing for many who do not get a single call from them.

Gone are the notions that exploitation only happens in the Third World. We are seeing countless of talented, smart young people working for nothing in bright day light, and still pretend that its alright. How much can we afford to stamp out their morals and brainwash their conscience?

It’s about time we say NO!

With the full-scale of youth employment at an all-time high that the world has ever seen, finally the truth is out that having a degree does not necessarily guarantee success. While this does not mean that having degrees are completely useless and are required in certain industries, moms’ and dads’ beliefs that having a degree will guarantee that open door certainly do no justice to the millions of unemployed graduates whose life’s ambitions and motivations get eroded by the day while painfully confused by the contrary. It’s time to break the myths that we have for the longest time embraced:

Myth 1. A degree can easily land you a job.
My…my…how (un)true that is. If it were so, we should be finding many graduates working in their fields of study, NOT serving in the coffee shops or claiming unemployment benefits!

Myth 2. A degree from a more expensive and prestigious university will land you a more prestigious job.
That’s where lots of students get conned for their money. Sure, a prestigious degree gives you that wow factor, but you are no different with the other interviewees from the what’s-that-name universities. Start from the bottom!

Myth 3. Study hard for a degree, and you will not lose out in the working world.
Street-smartness, soft skills, working experience and network can still help any Tom, Dick or Harry get their foot on the door. It’s all about self-marketing, dear.

Myth 4. It is a status symbol to have a degree.
That would be applicable in the Industrial Age where degree holders were still rare. Now is the Information Age, and degree holders world-wide are clogging the entry pipe. Status? I’m afraid the only status a graduate can be proud of is a paid, full-time job.

Myth 5. With a degree, you will never go hungry.
Ha…ha…ha. Tell that to the millions of unemployed graduates in Europe and Middle East, not forgetting those who were propelled to do unpaid internships. Is it the elitist fat cats or the graduates who are in debt to their student loans getting filled? You decide.

Myth 6. Degree-holders have greater advantages than those with a lower education.
Even diploma holders who command lower salaries are just as attractive. As most of today’s bosses echo in one voice: “Cheaper, better, faster!”. Did I forget to mention that Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg were all college drop-outs?

Myth 7. Having a degree means you are smart.
I don’t think the politicians who got us into this financial mess in the first place were any smarter than the conmen on the street.

Myth 8. You’ll need a full 3-year degree in order to succeed in the working world.
Most employers ask for relevant qualifications, not how long you earned them. Working experience and smart ideas beats qualifications most of the time!

Myth 9. Once you have a degree, you have finished your education.
You will never stop learning for the rest of your life. Real life experiences will be your best teachers.

Myth 10. A degree will serve you a lifetime.
Yes, unless you decide to change your profession completely.

Why hasn’t anyone given me a chance? Am I not qualified enough? Maybe I’m still too expensive even after I have slashed my wages? Is there any more meaning to this life? And so on.

Degrees are not completely useless, and in certain industries, they are very important. But our society has led us to believe for years that this expensive paper will open multiple doors of opportunities fluttered with high-paying cheques. We studied and fought hard to get those papers, and when we fail to see those promises crystalise, we are accused of being lazy and demanding! Have we not heard these many times now?

I cannot stop being angry that this cycle of blame keeps coming back to the youth, who have been shielded most of their lives from hardships by the baby boomers who swore in their time that the next generation would be better off than them. Well, guess what mums and dads, the Industrial Age is over. We are now in the Information Age that has churned out too many degree-holders that have crowded the labour supply, and let’s not forget the advancements in technology and globalisation that has produced readily available cheaper foreign outsource just an email away. How are we going to compete??

I can imagine what a typical employer must be thinking under his or her smirk these days: Too many qualified graduates to choose from? I can hire a MA grad for a penny. Want to be paid the minimum wage? Well, there are others who can do it for free. Graduated from the Royal College of Art? Sorry mate, start from the bottom and go serve us coffee. Only graphic design? The other interviewee can do graphic design AND web coding AND video, plus I still pay the same wage.

No wonder youths these days are having their ambitions deflated each day. Com’on people (yes, I am referring to you, baby boomers), these are the young who will one day be paying your pensions, who will one day be paying the taxes to maintain the mechanics of society, who will one day be firing you once you get too old, and yes, who will one day lead you in the next generation government. If you don’t invest in them and motivate them now, how will society ever forward to a brighter future as we hope? We are facing a generation of lost talents, and the grave is no different.

Best selling author Robert T. Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Business of the 21st Century, quotes:

“We go to school to learn to work hard for money. I write books and create products that teach people how to have money work hard for them.”

“Financial intelligence has little or nothing to do with academic intelligence. You can be a genius when it comes to academic intelligence, but a moron when it comes to financial intelligence.”

I can’t agree any better. Kiyosaki is well known for taking his mind outside the traditional mould of working hard to embracing working smart. That’s why he is a rich man today. Street-smartness is something that cannot be found even in the best schools. It only can be found through taking risks in the real world. It is no surprise that many of the richest people of the world are school-dropouts – Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg (why, he’s my age!), Jim Carrey etc. You name it. School has been lying to us (Yes, I have taken this too far)!

Let’s check out some of the most common myths:

Myth 1: Degree will open doors of opportunity and great salaries
Really? The last time someone asked for my educational background was yonks ago. Now most people ask if I can work fast, deliver on time, and on budget. If I am a nice person who offers value-added services, fantastic!

Myth 2: Work hard, and you will get a good job.
I scored top grades, couldn’t get a job straight after graduation, and was retrenched. I was expensive too. The cheaper, less-experienced designer replaced me instead, not to mention those mean office politics. Many people prefer to work with people whom they know and like. It’s called NETWORK.

Myth 3: Branded schools can help land you a good job.
I wished that was true, so I would not have to suffer in my first few years of working life.

Myth 4: If you want to be paid higher and get promoted, you will have to work even harder.
Yes, to a certain extent. But if you are more expensive than the junior and getting older too, expect to be replaced one day. It’s easier to hire and fire a freelancer or temporary worker than to get a full-timer on board these days.

Myth 5: You must be lazy if you are not getting any chance.
Tell that to Vicky Harrison and to those who cannot afford the disgustingly high tuition fees. Not to mention, the new hell called crowd-sourcing where price-undercutting is the norm, plus the relaxing of immigration rules that allowed cheap foreign influx into many First World nations. I wonder how “lazy” spells it in situations like these.

Sigh…so how does one be street smart? The answer: Take risks!

Yes, I mean it, that was how it started for me and ever since, I have never looked back. I stopped working for free. I started telling the mean boss, enough is enough. I never said never, because I would never have made it this far. Taking risks means getting out of your comfort zone, and stop being scared of failures. It means painfully taking in the most nasty of experiences without losing your cool, or even surviving an unsuccessful marketing pitch. It requires taking the initiative to learn, research and discover, even when those around you think you are wasting time. Taking risks challenges you to take the extra mile when no one wants to, and not follow the crowd all the time. It demands a lot of sacrifices, sleepless hours to search for more opportunities, even having to do away with relaxing Saturdays altogether. Taking risks will mean dreaming big, planning out how you are going to achieve those dreams and setting it out with a right attitude that never dies. It also involves hanging out with the right people who can and will build you up, while cutting out those who plan to tear you down. As the saying goes, if you want to soar like an eagle, you can’t hang around with turkeys!

Those are the basics many successful entrepreneurs have adopted. Yes, basics, because success is a long, long journey. You can read up more tips on how you can build yourself up during this time of financial meltdown in previous posts of this blog. Opportunities do not knock on your doors; hunt them down and grab them.

One of the most influential entrepreneurs who is successful is Hermione Way, sister of millionaire Ben Way. I had the opportunity to meet her in person once and had a great chat with her. She is the founder of Newspepper, a social media enterprise devoted to created vlogs and online videos, and reporting on the tech world while devoted to training fresh graduates. Being the same age as me (and I am proud of her), she took the risk to start her own company in the second year of her degree in journalism. Today, the company boasts helping hundreds of interns getting their feet in the door, as well as expanding to new markets and working with huge clients. She is one example of a graduate who took the risks to make it because she refused to bow to the norm of working for free. She embraced street-smartness.

Be street-smart, and exchange your worries for a better tomorrow. Have a Merry Christmas & a great 2012.

Half a decade of freelance for so many industries and companies, and the experience has truly been an eye-opener. Some good, some bad, some worst! I could count more than my fingers and toes lumped together, the number of times that I have been framed, made the scapegoat, back-stabbed, exploited…you name it. I can basically write a whole book dedicated to my experiences which I am sure can turn into a great drama script! And still, it never fails to amaze me how others have endured much worst (OK, the Foxconn suicides are out of the question).

From the mean MNCs to the struggling SMEs, the cycle of office politics just continues to amuse me. If my previous post on one of the worst working experiences is not enough to set one thinking why I would continue this journey, just a few months before, I was freelancing for a design agency that frowned upon “unfinished” work (ie. BOO to white space). Designing 1-page layouts on Illustrator rather than on InDesign was law. I was “tested” for a month (honestly, a month is not enough for a designer to settle down in the style and footsteps of the company) to determine whether I would fit for a full-time position, along with another freelancer who was the same age. Sadly, most of our times were spent doing almost nothing as a full-time minion (also same age) hesitated suspiciously to give us work, but was happily offering them to the cheaper, junior staff who were on a 3-month probation (unsurprisingly). We found out later from the director that this minion claimed he had “no confidence” in handing us the projects because “he questioned our abilities”. I was later called in to the director’s room, and was told that I and the fellow freelancer would not be offered the jobs (looking back now, thank GOD!). As much as he was really nice and extremely respectable, my ears could not help ache at his words despite that it was out of good intentions (at least he thought so): “I cannot pay you at the rate you are asking for. Your skills don’t match it…. Most agencies would not hire you because you are a parent…you should seek your dad for financial help, or find another job other than graphic design as you are not cut out for graphic design.”

Slightly more than a month after I was let off, I was hired by another agency which I thought was God-sent: way cooler with much more exciting projects, 70% of the staff are parents (thank you!), and of course, a much higher pay with OT (yay!). Meeting angels are indeed rare. I couldn’t stop being thankful enough that God and the circumstances have time and time again, prove the critics wrong, especially those who have tried to pull me down, unintentionally or not. As I write with glee at the thought of a recent big project I completed for a huge client in Singapore which will be projected at a TV screen at an upcoming big event, my parting words for those have been victims of unfair office politics:

Never give up and never believe entirely what you hear. Listen ONLY to good advice that will build you up. Believe in yourself and you will make it!

Adobe’s announcement created a feeling of loss, nostalgia and frustration mixed with the numb, expressionless of “face it, just move on” in me, making Flash harder to let go. After all, I breathed Flash, ate Flash and slept with Flash, despite after it being sold to Adobe by Macromedia (oh…thanks), not forgetting the awful transition from ActionScript 2 to ActionScript 3 which created shudders down my spine at the sight of its almost unfamiliar and longer coding (I admit I have yet to learn AS3, but I guess that does not matter anymore). Right now, the trend is in favour of HTML 5 and CSS 3 as the next big thing after Flash for the mobile and the world wide web, which do not require an additional plugin to play them, despite their developments still at its fledgling years.

The question for us designers is, is Flash still a skill necessary to master? For now yes, if not for the web or mobile, it is still pretty useful for TVs and projector screen presentations. But I worry it may water down that way unless Adobe can come up with something to make Flash remain competitive. We have no choice, but to head in the direction of HTML 5 and CSS 3, and (painful) JavaScript as dictator technology, whose ever-changing evolution that many of us minions do not take charge, commands us to.

Flash will not die off for now, but its suicide bomb has just began to tick…

Is this royalty-free design some popular download or not? At last caught the culprit who supplies it online via their ads! And as if people do not suffer enough shame by already using that on their business cards even though they are from very different companies, this design still lives on. “Fully Cutomisable”? Vistaprint, you should be ashamed of yourself!

Once in the UK, I was greeted by colourful friends from all over the world, people who come from countries obviously many times bigger than the small dot on the map. No matter how different we were, many of us were united by the single love for computer games. I committed every Friday to visit my good’ol university mates for our weekly computer game addictions, and one of our common fixes was SimCity 4. I was fascinated by my Maldivian game partner’s frequent use of low-lying buildings and open spaces, a far cry to my suffocating layout. And it made sense. His graphic design pieces have always been minimalist but smart, while mine was filled with more components before I melted with the British style of optimized graphic design that is not too overwhelming, and that embraces minimal abstracts that still effectively conveyed the message to the target audience.

And now back to Singapore. Minimalist design? Nope, not very much welcome here. “Portfolio looks…unfinished,” so remarked a creative director who once hired me for freelance, whose “finished” taste led him to doubtfully question if I was even cut out to be a designer (lol). Other creative directors had mixed reactions as to my artworks during my first year at home after a 6-year stint overseas. A few of them insisted me adding more components to the artworks, while the rest remained content with my artworks…”unfinished” or not. It wasn’t a matter of good or bad design, it was a problem of differing aesthetic tastes shaped by different cultures. My Chinese friend shared with me similar experiences where her British-taught design skills were not entirely welcome in her homeland China, as she was made to add more components than needed. Needless to say, we were foreigners in our homeland who had to relearn all over again.

This time around, when I design for an Asian client, I made sure I add a bit more spice to my graphic works than I’d normally do for a European client. And as the ever-growing waves of globalisation continue to rise, the now 40% foreigner-filled Singapore will be challenged on whether keeping its current taste for “crowded” design will stand with time. It is vital for any graphic designer to understand the culture and design tastes of your client’s host country, even if that country is your home. Let me part with this finishing video for those who still remain in debate whether a minimalist design is considered “unfinished” or not:

1. Stop pitying yourself

I mean it, stop it. Stop giving up and stop complaining. We all know much of fault lies in inefficient political decisions, universities that have underprepared us for events such as this, our parents who have shielded us too much in our early years, cheap foreign labour, another new set of graduates…bla bla bla….

Yes…shhhh….stop. Our complaints and mournings will not get us anywhere now. There is no way you can change the system overnight, and recovery can take as long as another decade or so. Give yourself at least a good pat on the back if you’ve been religiously sending your CVs everyday. You can improve and rewrite your CVs again and again, following the rules of every good book and website on tips to improving your CV and cover letters. But if you still have not landed at least one interview, you know by now sticking to the same technique is not enough, and not effective alone.

If you had been rejected to countless interviews, it’s ok. Move on and do not let such rejections pull your mind and your self-esteem down. It’s hard, but do not give up. Remember, there are as many as more than a million youths battling the same fate as you, so do not think that there must be something terribly wrong with you even after you’ve gone through everything you can to land your foot at the door. Stop wallowing your thoughts about how that potential employer is this or that. Move on. Remain confident at all times, because people trust in those who are confident than those who are desperate.

2. Create your own website

If you have not done so, you are living in the stone age. What better idea is there than to make yourself visible to the world online! Don’t just create a site and advertise that you are desperate for a job. Promote your portfolio, your skills, what you can offer to people. After all, your website can be a good demonstration of your understanding of the industry and your maturity to your potential employer. Prospective clients may also be interested in your services.

3. Promote yourself via social media and blogging

Don’t just stop at a website, make full use of social media as well. The 4 biggest mediums are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Linkedin. Create a profile and there…it’ll all come automatically. It does not work that way! Network with friends and professionals, join forums, write helpful articles on your expertise, create useful tutorial videos etc…whatever that can be helpful to the public and increase your visibility. Don’t be a floating, dead avatar on the World Wide Web. Be interactive and keep engaging the community. Be the expert, not the desperado.

4. Update and practise your skills

Don’t just let your skills sit stagnant in the same year of your graduation. Continue to update them. Practice, read up, join forums and participate in communicating to like-minded professionals. Offer your services and expertise to friends and family, for pay or for free. Keep yourself going and do not make your demands too high in a financially dire time. Research online on how to market yourself. Remember, if you do not practice your skills even for up to a year, you can soon lose them and may cease to pick them up again.

5. Practice soft skills

It’s not just enough to know what you studied. Soft skills such as presentation, your personality, attitude, team work, multi-tasking, communication and negotiation skills are extremely necessary to selling yourself, and its such shame that many schools fail to teach them! Soft skills are in the front line of your overall character and personality. Be likeable to people and be professional in your attitude. There many good blogs out there that educate you on how to cultivate good soft skills. Just google them. After all, nobody wants to work with a grouchy loser even if he or she has fantastic products or services on offer.

6. Do internships

If you can’t get a full-time job now, at least utilise your time in useful internships, even if it’s free work or of low pay. Take a part-time job if you must in order to survive. Internships are the doors that may lead you to permanent work. More importantly, internships keep your skills going. Of course, don’t do internships for too long! You may want to read up on my article Internship: Opportunity or Abuse? before accepting any offer.

7. Print business cards and network

It is not enough to network online. Print business cards (check out here on business card tips) and pass them to your friends, family, friends’ friends, potential employers…give as many as you can to spread the word around. Join groups via meetup.com and network with professionals face-to-face. It is easier for people to remember you when they meet you than when they hear about you. You may not know when your next job comes.

8. Join competitions, do your own press release

Competitions are a great way to keep your skills going and to keep yourself going. They contain excellent mock briefs that can be used to demonstrate to potential employers examples of work. If you’ve won, good for you! It will give your CV a boost! You can join online forums and galleries related to your field and post your work up and your own press release in blogs and forums. Again, the internet is a golden pot wealthy with information on how to do your own press release. Research and find out.

9. Be self-employed

Why not? I know what you are thinking, “But Maria, how am I going to do that?? I need the experience!”. Well, yes and no. I’m not fully supporting the latter because I understand the importance of experience, but you can research a lot on going about doing it yourself.  If you have done 1 or 2 small projects for someone, that is going on your own. While finding a job, make a job! The only person who will hire you at all times, good or bad, is yourself. Be creative. Research on pricing, marketing etc. to find out how you can go about doing it yourself. Start small scale with small projects and with smaller clients before treading towards deeper waters. Offer companies freelance services. That way, it is also a good idea for companies to try you out at paid, freelance rates before hiring you.

10. Remain positive

Don’t give up! Who ever says the journey will be easy? If you have to clock in 16 hours a day, do it. There’s no shortcut to success (unless you are really that lucky). Many successful entrepreneurs and workers can tell you their humble beginnings of endless struggles and long hours. You are just in that stage of building up your foundation and will soon see your efforts pay off.

(PS: Check out Graduate Fog for its graduate career advice that do help.)

Now that I am based in Singapore, I still cannot ignore the news about what is happening to my 2nd home. UK and the whole European continent are still in financial shatters, and with the recent riots in London, the situation is not any better. With many European nations suffering a 2-digit percentile of youths aged 16-25 years in unemployment (Spain being the worst at a staggering 45%), my heart goes out to them as each individual is a constant reminder of my humble, struggling beginnings in a foreign country – no networks, no contacts, no job. Even more heart-breaking was the suicide of talented British job-seeker, Vicky Harrison. And yes, the unemployed are 2-3 times more likely to commit suicide, as many statistics show.

I chanced upon this very interesting video about the struggling British youth:

Though I should count myself lucky for now, my early journey was quite similar to Vicky’s: send out 100s of CVs till the cows go home and not a single call for interview, doing multiple unpaid internships with little hope of gaining full-time employment at the work place, you-tubing hours on end to distract myself from my unemployment miseries and clinging on to a brighter hope of getting it there when potential employers show interest, only to be crushed flat to the ground by their excuses of not wanting to hire me.

Yes, I’ve been there, knocked hard, dragged through the dust, succumbed to endless imaginations and wishful thinking of making it there like the happy workers who walk past me, driving own their own cars, dining out and feeding their families. Such simple fares became luxurious as the bank account grew smaller by the enormous daily living expenses.

I sympathise with Vicky in every way who lost her self-esteem, hope and meaning to life when the 200th rejection came. Such was I adamant to get the job I studied a degree for that I went freelance after a year of free internships. The humiliation of not getting paid for the work I do while the fat cats became fatter was way too much for me. I did some research of course, before plunging into the ocean of the unknown like that. Within less than 3 months, I was able to fish in some clients to be able to pay my London room rent every month.

Trials and errors soon pursued, as my inexperience led to some mini disasters along the way (thank God they were not costly!). However, I was quite determined to cut through the tough fabric of the dog-eat-dog world and within less than 2 years since I started my first freelance job, I won 2nd place in London’s 2009 Cut-and-Paste 2D Design competition, along with getting some of my work featured in a few press and my articles published. Mind you that I did not start off with a business-savvy mindset, only just the strong will and determination to be where I want to be that led me to this day.

That is not to say I did not have my bad moments. Coming home to Asia proved as much difficult despite the much brighter economic stability, as long-term freelancers were interrogated during interviews as to why they did not commit themselves to any company, and the constant competition with cheap foreign labour and fresh graduates are just as exhausting.

Alright, enough of my personal story here but my point is, not every one is born or bred with entrepreneurial smarts. I am sick and tired of those rich, arrogant entrepreneur morons who love to flaunt fashionably their earlier struggles while shaking their heads away at the youth’s inability to achieve that level of success. This cruel world will do anything to feed its greed in a midst of difficult times, even if it means getting you in a hire-and-fire temporary job situation than a permanent one. They don’t care about if we have families to feed or if you are going to die tomorrow while we continue to seethe in jealousy and resentment as the young new duchess of Britain enjoys her luxurious life with her rich Prince William, immune to unemployment and financial woes.

I hate to acknowledge it, but yes, we are experiencing a lost generation of talents. Bet you graduates did not expect you’d be in the bandwagon, did you? After all, life under mum and dad was so comfortable that the hint of economic trouble wouldn’t be able to shake us from our naive ignorance. That, I will have to blame our generation of elders who have shielded us too much from the hardship necessary to mould us. One more year on the dole without a job and your skills will go down, down, down the hill. Some of my European ex-schoolmates who graduated at the same time with me, have since resigned to a life of being a cashier, waiter, salesgirl etc. while struggling to pay off student loans on a degree that never blossom into a profession.

Seriously, I see many of the youths sending CVs and doing all they can to get their foot in the door. Visit a restaurant and you’ll can find as many as half of the staff are fresh graduates. The last thing these Gen Ys need are to be accused for their ‘laziness’, as some ignorant members of the older generation do. Blame it on the system, the disastrous political decisions and the economic situation that are making life very difficult for many of them. Temporary jobs are not going to kiss all the pain away in the long run, so while employers may enjoy the low-cost benefits of hiring temporary workers, they can lose out on workers’ loyalty and commitment to the company which are essential to the company’s overall health.

Authorities should not ignore the importance of investing back into the young rather than focus heavily on the already rich and capable. Education must think outside the academic box to prepare students in the event of a recession, as the conventional saying that “you can get a better paying job with a degree” no longer holds true. The London riots speak for themselves after the withdrawal of government funds on youth activities and investments, not to mention the social ills of binge drinking, drugs and the widening rich-poor income gap that come along with it.

Until things do change for the better, it will be a jaw-breaking situation to see the scores of millions of youths out of jobs and out of their minds. By the time the economy does recover for the better, it may be too late for many of them to gain back their confidence. The future repercussion from what is happening today may be yet another tsunami waiting to be unleashed.

We all know its no fun to have your fresh hireling quit within a short span of time, having to go through all over again, the daunting tasks of posting the job up and organising interviews.

1. Understand your designer’s style through his/her portfolio

Save yourself tons of headache by going through each portfolio of your interviewee. For example, if you are looking for a corporate magazine designer, make sure you seek out relevant pieces of portfolio work that shows magazine layouts of corporate nature. Don’t settle for the “if you are a designer, you should be able to design anything” sort of mentality. Yes, designers can design anything in a sense, but more importantly, their portfolios indicate their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas and styles, as well as their background knowledge in relevant industries. Cultural backgrounds and overseas qualification also reflect the designer’s design style and tastes. If your designer is a foreigner, make sure the individual is able to adopt and adapt to the graphic design styles and rules in the host country. Trying out the new recruit on an internship or freelance basis will be helpful in making your final decision on hiring.

2. Be realistic about your designer’s skill level

Designers are classified at specific skill levels: junior (entry), middle and senior. Don’t expect a junior to work at a speed of a senior, nor expect your graphic designer to be a pro at video-editing when the latter is not their expertise. It is important to be realistic about their design ability, skill level, expertise and technical know-how. Do not push the designer to do something he or she is not be able to achieve. It not only takes time for your designer to adjust to and settle in the new company, but also understand the company’s demands, style and ethos. This is especially so if your designer just migrated from a different working background (eg. multi-disciplined agency to in-house / freelance to full-time / fashion to corporate). Provide your designers references to what you are looking to achieve. Be patient if your designer is learning through trial and error. You will soon see your efforts pay off.

If you need to hire only one designer for your company, it is best to invest in a senior designer who knows the industry in and out, works faster, has better attention span to detail and requires little supervision unlike a junior designer.

3. Understand your designer’s job scope

Design is NOT easy. You may not have attended design school to understand the mechanics and processes of design, but your designer did. If the job was easy, she or he should not have spend thousands on design education, and you could have done it all by yourself, right? But you hired a designer for a reason, to create and achieve results that you are looking for that you otherwise cannot do.

The common misconception among employers is that design takes a short while to do. You’ll be surprised that designing a logo can take up to an hour, or creating a 10-page brochure can eat up almost half a day. You even may reject the first few designs before arriving to your final decision. Don’t panic. This is common. Your designer is going through what we call brainstorming whereby he or she will do the necessary research and deep thinking before and while creating the artwork. Brainstorming is necessary in producing good and relevant artworks. The production of the artwork (creating graphics in a separate program, delivering the comps, outlining the artwork for print, exporting the artwork for final delivery etc.) also contributes to the time it takes to produce the work. So don’t start to pop your eyes or rush into smacking your designer’s “unproductivity” when you see your designer creating what looks like an unfinished product. As long as it’s not yet the final product, your designer is still in the midst of execution. Likewise, you do not tell the construction worker how ugly the building looks when he is still in the midst of piecing the skeleton pieces together. Read up books on graphic design or get advice from your networks who have long dealt with in-house staff designers first-hand to expand your knowledge in their field. Try not to hurry your designer every once in a while as this will produce unnecessary pressure, nervousness and possibly a mental block. It takes time for your designer to understand your personality and style, just as building relationships takes time.

If you have hired a design agency to design for you before, you’d have realised how fast the turnover is. Don’t expect your designer to do the same. Unlike an agency where there are multiple designers doing your projects, your designer is doing a lot of these projects alone – this is especially true when you pass on more and more projects to your designer, which can interfere and delay the current work that he or she is doing.

4. Know your boundaries

Just because you like how a certain style or design looks doesn’t mean that your designer may always agree to it. Now don’t get into a fight with your designer or misunderstand that his or her disagreement is threatening your position as the boss. Your designer is dispensing professional advice to you. After all, you did not pay for an executioner, but a thinker as well. Your designer is trained not to tie personal emotions to a design, but to look at the perspective of the target market. So the look and feel you like may not be what your audience like.

Respect your designer’s job. Let your management and team know where their boundaries are. Each member has to respect the designer’s advice and job rather than insisting their own style preferences, unless you the boss has specifically tasked certain individuals to do so. Otherwise, unnecessary interference can not only cause a lot of friction and miscommunication between your team members, but also erode the designer’s worth as an equal contributor to the team.

5. Know some graphic design vocabulary

Unfortunately, many design schools are not well-equipped in training graphic students to use a different lingo when communicating to non-design professionals. While middle and senior designers are much more seasoned in this area of conversation, most junior designers struggle to wean off from using complex graphical terms that many non-designers otherwise have no clue to. I remembered as a junior, my ex-boss screamed at me in frustration when she demanded something “creative”, while I had no clue what it meant because a minimal look can be deemed “creative” just as a mixed collage is under the same term.

If you are working with a junior designer, be sure to be specific in your demands. If you do not know how to describe it, send your designer some image references, which can clear many miscommunications. However, some graphic vocabulary is necessary in communicating at all levels especially when outsourcing (eg. CMYK, spot colour, HTML/CSS, D.I (digital imaging), F.A (final artwork), vectors etc.). Websites like this are an excellent source for non-designers to learn some graphic design vocabulary.

6. Get to know and appreciate your designer

This is pretty much commonsensical. There is no need for me to reiterate this basic etiquette for grown-ups, but I must. Build a good relationship with your designer, because she or he will just as much desire a good working relationship with you.

Accept the reasons and advice he or she gives you (not blindly of course!). Your designer probably knows much more than you on brand guidelines, and what to do and what not to do in design, having that trained eye and experience in the field. You did not hire an amateur, but a qualified professional. What your friends think will look nice may not ring the same rhythm with a professional designer. That’s why you don’t see brands like Coca Cola, Canon or Virgin engaging friends, but professional designers to design for them.

Thank your designer for the hard work and effort they did. It is after all, no fun staring at the computer and burning out brain power for a full working day. People would rather stay with someone appreciative than to be stuck in the same room with a twittering complainer.