19 December 2007

[liff, design] Weiden+Kennedy=Ineffably Intriguing Recruiting

1196. One of the channels I'm tuned in to, as a designer trying to find employment, is Craigslist's art/media/design jobs postings. You never know what you'll find there.

Today there was a post simply saying "Wieden+Kennedy Seeking Designers, Writers, Thinkers, Makers" (sounds kind of like stalking, no?). Suppressing the urge to scream, in my bad Chuck Heston, "W+K is made of peoplllle, it's PEOPLLLLLLE!!!!!!!1!, I sallied forth down the URL.

I mean, what the hell, right? I may only have junior designer skills, but I'm not afraid to bite the big one, as my personal history might amply illustrate. We shall not explore that territory here, however. What I will say is that I think I filled in an employment app. I think so. It was a polished but adventurous sortie about what I think of myself.

I was given a list of qualities, and checked off the ones I think applied to me. I found out I was checking off quite a lot. I'm sure I wasn't Lake Wobegonning myself, but I do see a whole lot of those qualities in myself. Thing is, they're not all operant in all situations: sometimes some qualities dominate, and some qualities I only use every once in a great while. It's like I was looking at a bunch of tools on a shelf; which do I use most often.

Above all, I was honest about my responses. I do believe these things of me are true things. Self-evaluation is sometimes an escapade–a rather harrowing one.

In the end, after posting the last response, I was informed that Robin will be contacting me. Robin may be like Betty Crocker; she may or may not exist, because as many people as want to be able to say they associate with W+K, they'll have to clone her (or him) due to the demand on this.

I've gone way off course here, though. The real point of commenting on W+K's seeking was that amazing web questionnaire. W+K are famous for their creativity, and this was a tangible example of why they are. Not everyone I know would think of this: a folded ribbon, kind of like a Möbius strip, carries all the textual information. The opening screen has a subtle way of getting you to click to the next bit of info (I'm wondering if it was an IQ test now).

The whole experience combined submission of information and the solving of a puzzle. It was fun, and even though it was visually very simple, it was visually very engaging. The flow was obvious and it was kind of an adventure. And if you go, whatever you do, don't pull the pullchain ...

Oh, hell, pull it. It won't hurt anything.

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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Robin Rosenberg is the recruiter, a real person.

Samuel John Klein said...

Got you. I figured there had to be more than one Robin, given how hot that posting was going to be though–I'll bet it was a big job sorting through all the stuff.

I didn't of course mean to say I really suspected Robin wasn't anything other than a real person. If that sincere impression was left, then my bad.

Anonymous said...

I would say she's real, since she wrote to me the day after I filled out that (fantastic) application.

Samuel John Klein said...

Once again, we'd like to state uneqiuvocally and for-the-record that we believe that Robin is a real person and always did believe that.

We certainly don't believe that anything having to do with W+K is make-believe. Inasmuch as we actually live in Portland, that would be silly.

Our prose wasn't meant to pose any other scenario, only was meant to be a wry commentary on the absurd observation that there'd have to be more than one Robin in order to handle the demand, W+K being the dream place to work that it is.

And we can only endorse the observation that W+K's Seeking campaign website is pretty brilliant.

Anonymous said...

here's an idea, share your ideas. iamseeking4seeking.com

Samuel John Klein said...

???

Well, I wish you luck, but you understand, maybe, how galling it might be for someone like you to come to someone like me and ask me to give you an idea?

I can't even get an anonymous donor (or a nonymous one, for that matter) to toss me a $30 bill for a copy of QuickTime (dig the PayPal donation button in the sidebar, neh?)

Besides, didn't you come up with an idea by coming up with a slick website and a really irritating viral marketing angle?

Actually, I kind of take that back. I am willing to give you an idea. If you want me to come up with an idea for you, I will ... but it will take a bit more than just a namecheck in a future book or work by you.

Feel free to contact me for terms and conditions.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the luck. I'll need it, considering I've yet to receive a breakthrough idea.

Oh and I'm sorry to hear about your inability to raise money. Maybe you should consider a really irritating viral marketing angle.

Anonymous said...

I got all the same emails listed above, plus had a little weekend banter with Robin. It was nothing really, but she did have some wit about her and it wasn't canned. In saying that, I don't believe I have a chance in hell to win or go to Portland. I did also try to apply for a job through w+k's regular employment, and it shot me back a message saying if you are applying for a creative position, then go to wk.com/seeking. I do think it's a fun I'd on their behalf...much like winning the golden ticket in willie wonka and the chocolate factory. good luck to all and we should know something soon.