today’s art.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
is it an internship?
i’ve recently read quite a few posts on my favorite failblog, craigslist.org, asking for “interns.” these posts generally read something like this example:
or
so we have a couple major factors going here to tip you off these are NOT actaully internships.
1. internships don’t last for 2-3 hours. generally they’ll last about 3 months, maybe more.
2. experience is not required for an internship. in fact, one takes an internship to GAIN experience.
in defense of the second post, they may actually be able to certify the “interns” work to the point of qualifying for college credit… even though students may have to pay for those credits, anyway, and the company may only require that in order to look like they’re offering the student something in exchange. they’re also requiring that an intern, generally a student who is not working a paying job, own a (presumably) licensed piece of software that costs nearly $1000 and is the latest version of that software. because they, the professional employers, (presumably) don’t own it.
also, graphic designers do not proofread or edit. graphic designers design and layout. a few of us (ok, probably more than a few) are grammar geeks and will proofread for sh*ts and giggles, but it’s not a job requirement.
and assembling tables and hanging bunting may be a big part of an event planning job, but it doesn’t necessarily constitute “great experience.” it constitutes “free labor” for the planning company. unless they’re going to be holding a lecture on the finer points of planning during set-up, it’s doubtful a student would get any real knowledge about event planning at this place.
so to summarize, just because you don’t pay your staff doesn’t mean they are “interns.”
legally speaking, see what qualifies here.
Event planning company seeking 1-2 interns to assist with [event] set-up on Saturday, [date]. Your time requirement will only be approximately 2-3 in the afternoon as we get things set-up. Great experience for someone interested in event planning as a future career. Could lead to future paid jobs.
Serious inquiries only please. Thank you!
or
A rising publication is seeking a graphic designer intern who is experienced in the following fields [sic - they mean software]:
1.Adobe InDesign
2.Adobe Photoshop
3.Adobe Illustrator
4.Quark Xpress
Must have at least 2 years experience in the graphic design field. Preferably a college student. The intern is responsible for proofreading, editing, and formatting the finished, editorial Mockup. Note: Must have Adobe InDesign CS5 Program to be considered!! We are looking to fill this position ASAP so only interested candidates need apply!!
This is a non-compensation gig, however, it’s a wonderful chance to get college credit, be a part of an amazing team, meet wonderful people, and see your name in print. If interested, forward your resumes and cover letters to [email].
so we have a couple major factors going here to tip you off these are NOT actaully internships.
1. internships don’t last for 2-3 hours. generally they’ll last about 3 months, maybe more.
2. experience is not required for an internship. in fact, one takes an internship to GAIN experience.
in defense of the second post, they may actually be able to certify the “interns” work to the point of qualifying for college credit… even though students may have to pay for those credits, anyway, and the company may only require that in order to look like they’re offering the student something in exchange. they’re also requiring that an intern, generally a student who is not working a paying job, own a (presumably) licensed piece of software that costs nearly $1000 and is the latest version of that software. because they, the professional employers, (presumably) don’t own it.
also, graphic designers do not proofread or edit. graphic designers design and layout. a few of us (ok, probably more than a few) are grammar geeks and will proofread for sh*ts and giggles, but it’s not a job requirement.
and assembling tables and hanging bunting may be a big part of an event planning job, but it doesn’t necessarily constitute “great experience.” it constitutes “free labor” for the planning company. unless they’re going to be holding a lecture on the finer points of planning during set-up, it’s doubtful a student would get any real knowledge about event planning at this place.
so to summarize, just because you don’t pay your staff doesn’t mean they are “interns.”
legally speaking, see what qualifies here.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Fail Depot.
“You can do it. We can help.”
that’s been the Home Depot marketing slogan for about six years. i don’t mind the first assertion, because i do believe i can do it. it’s the second half that i question.
about two weeks ago, Pants and i went and purchased a shiny new refrigerator. we bought it at hhgregg (pronounced “heeehhhhgregg”), and they are to deliver it this Saturday. on this new refrigerator is an ice maker, joy of Pants’ desire, unlike our current refrigerator. ice makers need water lines hooked up, but being young and foolish Pants and i determined we could handle that.
the ice maker installation kit we got instructed us to cut a hole in our kitchen pipe and bolt this contraption on. Pants decided (and i whole-heartedly agreed) that this was stupid and we didn’t want to cut holes in our pipes. (we even realized later that to do this in our kitchen we’d have to turn off the water to our entire building, which we did not want to do. NEIGHBORS, YOU CAN THANK US LATER.) so we hopped on down to the Home Depot, ready to get the T junction to screw into our set-up and voilà! have it ready for the fridge.
after spending about fifteen minutes staring and poking at the variety of plumbing pieces available, a couple Home Depot employees offered to assist us. we explained our situation and they sent us home with about $20 worth of little brass doodlebobbers and spinning things. a week later, i leave for the afternoon on a Saturday and Pants attempts the install.
on the phone, on my way home, he informs me he cannot do this install without breaking our pipes. this pisses me off. i don’t like when there’s a plan, a seemingly simple plan, and it cannot be executed. so when i arrive, i cast my critical eye on the pipe situation and determine (approximately) what we ACTUALLY need to make this install happen.
we head BACK to Home Depot, where, after another 15-20 minutes of looking and poking, two more employees offer assistance. i tell them i need a 5/16" to 1/4" adapter. i am then informed that Home Depot doesn’t carry anything 5/16". i say, oh, is this a rare size? “it is to Home Depot” is the response. i then ask for a 1/4" male-to-male coupler. they do not have couplers! (the people at Home Depot are, on the most part, very nice. just not necessarily knowledgeable.)
at this point i’m annoyed and getting angry. yes, Home Depot, i CAN do it — but apparently you are not even remotely close to helping, as your employee pointed us to an ACE HARDWARE STORE down the street.
after a detour home to get a little drawing of what our sink junction looked like and reassure ourselves that this is not a ridiculous thing, we headed down to Fischer’s Ace Hardware. poked at plumbing parts for about five minute before an older gentleman asked if we needed any help. told him our situation… he didn’t need to see our drawing or look at sizes or anything. he took us to the next aisle over and handed us a SINGLE PART that would do what we wanted. A SINGLE PART. he also gave us a little advice on the install, and $10 and 10 minutes after arriving at Fischer’s we were on the way home with EXACTLY THE PART WE NEEDED.
so much for Home Depot’s most recent slogan, ”More Saving. More Doing.” we wasted money and time by trusting they’d be able to help.
incidentally, Fischer’s carried both 5/16" compression fittings AND 1/4" male-to-male couplers.
that’s been the Home Depot marketing slogan for about six years. i don’t mind the first assertion, because i do believe i can do it. it’s the second half that i question.
about two weeks ago, Pants and i went and purchased a shiny new refrigerator. we bought it at hhgregg (pronounced “heeehhhhgregg”), and they are to deliver it this Saturday. on this new refrigerator is an ice maker, joy of Pants’ desire, unlike our current refrigerator. ice makers need water lines hooked up, but being young and foolish Pants and i determined we could handle that.
the ice maker installation kit we got instructed us to cut a hole in our kitchen pipe and bolt this contraption on. Pants decided (and i whole-heartedly agreed) that this was stupid and we didn’t want to cut holes in our pipes. (we even realized later that to do this in our kitchen we’d have to turn off the water to our entire building, which we did not want to do. NEIGHBORS, YOU CAN THANK US LATER.) so we hopped on down to the Home Depot, ready to get the T junction to screw into our set-up and voilà! have it ready for the fridge.
after spending about fifteen minutes staring and poking at the variety of plumbing pieces available, a couple Home Depot employees offered to assist us. we explained our situation and they sent us home with about $20 worth of little brass doodlebobbers and spinning things. a week later, i leave for the afternoon on a Saturday and Pants attempts the install.
on the phone, on my way home, he informs me he cannot do this install without breaking our pipes. this pisses me off. i don’t like when there’s a plan, a seemingly simple plan, and it cannot be executed. so when i arrive, i cast my critical eye on the pipe situation and determine (approximately) what we ACTUALLY need to make this install happen.
we head BACK to Home Depot, where, after another 15-20 minutes of looking and poking, two more employees offer assistance. i tell them i need a 5/16" to 1/4" adapter. i am then informed that Home Depot doesn’t carry anything 5/16". i say, oh, is this a rare size? “it is to Home Depot” is the response. i then ask for a 1/4" male-to-male coupler. they do not have couplers! (the people at Home Depot are, on the most part, very nice. just not necessarily knowledgeable.)
at this point i’m annoyed and getting angry. yes, Home Depot, i CAN do it — but apparently you are not even remotely close to helping, as your employee pointed us to an ACE HARDWARE STORE down the street.
after a detour home to get a little drawing of what our sink junction looked like and reassure ourselves that this is not a ridiculous thing, we headed down to Fischer’s Ace Hardware. poked at plumbing parts for about five minute before an older gentleman asked if we needed any help. told him our situation… he didn’t need to see our drawing or look at sizes or anything. he took us to the next aisle over and handed us a SINGLE PART that would do what we wanted. A SINGLE PART. he also gave us a little advice on the install, and $10 and 10 minutes after arriving at Fischer’s we were on the way home with EXACTLY THE PART WE NEEDED.
so much for Home Depot’s most recent slogan, ”More Saving. More Doing.” we wasted money and time by trusting they’d be able to help.
incidentally, Fischer’s carried both 5/16" compression fittings AND 1/4" male-to-male couplers.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Remodeling
after 12 years, it’s time. time for a change. an overhaul. a fresh look. insert your own clichéd phrase here.
i am going to redesign my résumé.
for quite a while, i have appreciated my résumé for what it is: simple, to-the-point, with a little attitude. it’s plain enough for non-creatives to not feel threatened, but creative enough for creative-types to say, hey, she actually designs. and so i refused to alter what was working.
a lot of designers rework their résumés like it’s their job, and i understand that. it’s fun, functional, and totally personal. but it’s the “personal” part that has kept me from reworking mine. i can’t seem to work on design projects with no outside input. i need to be graded, evaluated, and validated. i don’t know if it’s “right” because the “client” (that is, the person at the company i applied to) will never give me negative feedback. i either win, or i don’t – and if i don’t, i’m not sure if it was the design or any number of other factors. so i find it hard to say “this is finished, this is good, i’m sending this out.” i did it once and i’m loathe to go through it again.
i have had a couple alternate résumés in the past. there was the retro-advertising résumé (which landed me a job with an older gentleman, possibly solely because i used the word “moxie”). and there was the “feed the starving cate” résumé, which was pretty fun (but i don’t think landed me any interviews). the “star” résumé has been the single constant. the more i look at it, though, the more i see me of 12 years ago; not me now. because of that it’s almost a lie to send it out… i’m sending a résumé that isn’t me, which is pretty bad from my point of view.
so off i go, on the quest for inspiration to show “me.”
i am going to redesign my résumé.
for quite a while, i have appreciated my résumé for what it is: simple, to-the-point, with a little attitude. it’s plain enough for non-creatives to not feel threatened, but creative enough for creative-types to say, hey, she actually designs. and so i refused to alter what was working.
a lot of designers rework their résumés like it’s their job, and i understand that. it’s fun, functional, and totally personal. but it’s the “personal” part that has kept me from reworking mine. i can’t seem to work on design projects with no outside input. i need to be graded, evaluated, and validated. i don’t know if it’s “right” because the “client” (that is, the person at the company i applied to) will never give me negative feedback. i either win, or i don’t – and if i don’t, i’m not sure if it was the design or any number of other factors. so i find it hard to say “this is finished, this is good, i’m sending this out.” i did it once and i’m loathe to go through it again.
i have had a couple alternate résumés in the past. there was the retro-advertising résumé (which landed me a job with an older gentleman, possibly solely because i used the word “moxie”). and there was the “feed the starving cate” résumé, which was pretty fun (but i don’t think landed me any interviews). the “star” résumé has been the single constant. the more i look at it, though, the more i see me of 12 years ago; not me now. because of that it’s almost a lie to send it out… i’m sending a résumé that isn’t me, which is pretty bad from my point of view.
so off i go, on the quest for inspiration to show “me.”
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