# INFP job hunting & psychologically struggling



## ficsci (May 4, 2011)

I wrote a really long and confused rant below, but to be short, I'm just really overwhelmed and would like to ask you guys some tips on how to put myself on a better, clearer, more productive mindset during the job application process. People often tell me to just do things one step at a time and not worry too much about all the other stuff I have to do later, but I often forget to do (or not do) some of the important things altogether if I momentarily try to forget them. I do take notes and organize important points in lists, but I still get overwhelmed just because there's so much stuff in those lists.

Thank you in advance. And I hope this is also helpful for other people who are looking for jobs straight out of school.




If you still want to read the rant, here it is: 


Hi, I'm an INFP who is going to graduate from a fashion design design school. The degree is about equivalent to an Associate's, but my program is 2 years worth of stuff crammed into 1 year, so I haven't had much time to do many projects and a portfolio. I've previously graduated from college with a BA in Visual Arts and music minor. My college is liberal arts, and to be honest a pretty big name school, so I learned tons of humanities, social science, theoretical stuff, and even took several classes in Economics (didn't do too well, but credits are credits). I can speak 3 languages and have lived in 4 countries (in fact, where I'm going to school right now, I have to use my 2nd language). I've done a couple of 3-month internships, but in different fields. Never had part-time jobs, partly because of visa limitations, partly because I failed every manual labor interview I had ever been in. Gotta be honest, there are many people who have done much better in terms of experience. 

When people find out these things about me, they say that I have a lot of advantages and should have no problem finding a job and that I should have a variety of options available, but when I look at job postings, I have a difficulty trying to show that I'm smart and capable. I also read a lot of job application advice articles and ask advice from people I know, but I'm getting really confused because there are so many to keep track of, and several points of advice seem to contradict one another, so I don't know who to listen to. Plus a lot of these advice says that it's important to network. I do use LinkedIn, where I'm connected to many of my college classmates, a few professors, mentors, and older people. But to be honest, very few of them work in the fashion industry. My current classmates don't use/know LinkedIn, I guess just because it's a mostly English site, and the professional culture is quite a bit different here.

I guess when I look at other students' portfolios (sure, they're 2nd, 3rd, 4th years), I identify and take notes of what make them good. Basically learn from them and try to do those things myself. But I am overwhelmed by the amount of work that I still need to do to make my portfolio presentable, and I can't shut down the fear that maybe I'm not good enough to compete with other candidates, and I'm going to be one of those "leftover" design graduates. Knowing that there aren't many design positions available, I'm open to applying to any job that I can possibly qualify for (I'm not picky about jobs, fashion or design isn't even my real passion, although I am an enthusiast). But a lot of those positions list "qualifications" that you I can't strongly prove, exactly because they're too easy to bulls**t about, and I haven't had much job experiences to back them up. I've tried applying to a few of those more random positions, because they don't require portfolio. I haven't heard back from them, probably because I applied to so few anyway, and a lot of those companies are, well, famous. But I can't apply for part-time positions, and probably also not for very small companies either, because I need a work visa. I'm open to internships, but preferably stipend/paid, and long term (6 months to 1 year). I guess just the fact that the circumstances are limiting puts on some more pressure into the whole thing.


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## AriesLilith (Jan 6, 2013)

I'm a programmer so I'm not familiar with your field, therefore my advices might need some tweaks to apply to your case.

Do you have any online communities that can ask local or people of other countries about how they apply, and create their portfolio? Also, what stands out in their profile that makes you say that they are much better?

If you are from design and fashion, perhaps an online portfolio/website can be nice. There are free online tools to build some nice looking websites, try to find one to make an online profile. 

You are from a very visual field, so your image matters a lot. Aside of a website, make sure your CV looks interesting, as well as your LinkedIn profile. Make sure your CV is creative, and also try to know if other people often submits their CV in some traditional format or more creative formats. Also try to know if a company accepts the more creative templates.

Perhaps even when you submit your CV, try to figure out some more creative ways. Do professionals in your field send your CV by e-mail? Are there letters of motivation?

Make sure your CV is focused on what you think each job ad is looking for. This means having to alter your CV in accordance to the ad, for each ad, which can be troublesome but can be worth the time.

Also, dedicate to build your portfolio, it can be very important and you don't want to miss out great opportunities for not having one.

And yeah, send your CV to many companies! Big or small, companies might take time specially if they are not in crazy need of people. And then big companies might be receiving many CVs that they might easily skip some accidentally. And then you might want to know more opportunities before finally accepting one.

Dedicate time to tailor the image you want to give - your brand - and make sure to highlight the traits that each ad might be looking for. Then dedicate time to prepare yourslf for interview too.


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## TurtleQueen (Nov 8, 2014)

I'm going to provide a link to the AskAManager website. She represents the point of view of a typical hiring manager for a business in the U.S., so her advice may not be as helpful for you as it was for me. A lot of job advice can be very counterproductive and outdated, and she can help correct that imbalance. Once I made some changes to my applications based on her tips (writing a cover letter that was not stiff and formal and showing my _accomplishments_ on my résumé instead of my job duties), I got more positive responses from employers.

I'm not very good at networking, but it's important to consider if the people you know have any "leverage" inside your field. Attending industry events or joining some professional organization could be a way to help you build your list of contacts and increase people's awareness of who you are and what you can do.

It's definitely good to tailor your applications based on what the employer wants. If a particular firm designs casual sportswear, you might showcase different pieces from your portfolio than you would for a company that focuses on evening wear. That previous example may have seemed insultingly obvious, but it's important to try to learn as much as you can about an employer that could help you customize your application in a way that will make your job hunt more successful.

I think it might be hard to get a job directly related to fashion design, but visual design is an important skill for bigger industries (advertising is an obvious example). I would showcase digital design skills and continue to build on those skills to potentially get jobs involved in advertising or even designing web pages and websites. I would advise you to apply to jobs that reasonably match the skill set you have developed in school and see if you can pick up some skill quickly to sell yourself as a different sort of designer for different kinds of jobs.


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## TurtleQueen (Nov 8, 2014)

I'm going to provide a link to the AskAManager website. She represents the point of view of a typical hiring manager for a business in the U.S., so her advice may not be as helpful for you as it was for me. A lot of job advice can be very counterproductive and outdated, and she can help correct that imbalance. Once I made some changes to my applications based on her tips (writing a cover letter that was not stiff and formal and showing my _accomplishments_ on my résumé instead of my job duties), I got more positive responses from employers.

I'm not very good at networking, but it's important to consider if the people you know have any "leverage" inside your field. Attending industry events or joining some professional organization could be a way to help you build your list of contacts and increase people's awareness of who you are and what you can do.

It's definitely good to tailor your applications based on what the employer wants. If a particular firm designs casual sportswear, you might showcase different pieces from your portfolio than you would for a company that focuses on evening wear. That previous example may have seemed insultingly obvious, but it's important to try to learn as much as you can about an employer that could help you customize your application in a way that will make your job hunt more successful.

I think it might be hard to get a job directly related to fashion design, but visual design is an important skill for bigger industries (advertising is an obvious example). I would showcase digital design skills and continue to build on those skills to potentially get jobs involved in advertising or even designing web pages and websites. I would advise you to apply to jobs that reasonably match the skill set you have developed in school and see if you can pick up some skill quickly to sell yourself as a different sort of designer for different kinds of jobs.

My final piece of advice is to try to avoid getting too emotionally involved in a job hunt. Don't start to hope too strongly that you will get a job after you apply for it or even after you go through multiple rounds of interviews. One thing AskaManager tries to remind job seekers is that a job seeker doesn't have a job until you and an employer agree on the terms of a job offer. Also, being rejected doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Try to focus on what you can do to improve your chances of getting a job and try to let go of any sadness at lost opportunities as quickly as you can.


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