Tips for Design Candidates

So you’re applying for a designer role at Codelitt, I can’t wait to meet you! After being part of more than a few rounds of hiring throughout the years, I put together a few pointers that candidates should be aware of:

• ALWAYS include a link to your portfolio. No matter how incomplete you think it is, how outdated, how rusty, if you don’t include a link to your portfolio it is extremely likely that your application will be de-prioritized. Moreover, between the time it takes for us to get in touch with you and receive your portfolio, we likely will have already had a bunch of interviews! Help us get to know you, and give us all the information we ask for from the get go.
  

• Add your real physical location. I’ve seen candidates who use cutesy terms for where they are.  Saying your location is “Earth” just doesn’t help us at all – unless you’re Elon Musk and you’re applying from Mars! Hey, we’re space fanatics here at Codelitt, but we appreciate you being a little more precise!
  

• Take time to fill out the application correctly. If English isn’t your first language, it’s not the end of the world to have some spelling mistakes! A good portion of the team at Codelitt call English their 2nd language. But make sure you understand the questions being asked. I’ve seen candidates answer with a “Yes” or “No” to questions that required numeric values.
  

• Speaking of the application, make sure it’s in English. We’re a remote company with lots of languages spoken in our teams, but the company’s primary language for all communication is English.
  

• You’re probably applying to multiple places at once, but make sure to tailor your application to me/Codelitt. If you’re including a cover letter, be genuine! Don’t just copy/paste from others you’ve sent – we can tell when this happens. Try to personalize it a bit and make the hiring team feel that you’ve done your homework on the company, and know the details about the job listing.

About portfolios

• Make sure the images included aren’t pixelated or low-res if you’re including a PDF as a portfolio. If you’ve built a website of your own (kudos to you!) make sure that the website is up to par with your other pieces of work. It is, at the end of the day, part of your portfolio! Make sure the UX is good, and that you’ve designed the layout for it.
  

• Show off from the get go! Make any thumbnails in your website portfolio a screenshot of the product and not a banner with the name of the project. I sift through lots of portfolios all day and it helps give me a much better understanding of what I’ll see if the thumbnail introduces me to the product. Names don’t really matter that much – I need to see your skills!

As a general rule

Be yourself, and humbly, sell yourself. Our job listings will highlight the amazing culture we have, the benefits you’ll get from joining our team, and all the amazing things you’ll be able to.

I hope to see your application in our inbox when the next job pops up! Thank you for reading – I hope it was helpful.