When applying for jobs as an intern or junior, how do you go about being locked out of certain opportunities?
I am currently looking for jobs, and employers are looking for more and more eventhough they are advertising for intern and junior positions. Though loads of us may experience working on after effects and premier pro projects, it's also a fact that the same people who can do those things may not actually have the software on their personal laptops/PCs due to the price of Adobe or other factors.
Though they have "student prices", as the price continued to rise through the years, it is no longer in fact- student friendly.
So how do you you overcome applying for jobs that you need to get in order to pay for the software you need which continue to ask for above and beyond rather wanting to produce quality graphic deesigners?
Replies7
- I think it's tough, and often very easy to say you will rule out applying to jobs that have those requirements — but you can find this difficult because of the way that Adobe/etc is an industry standard and many employers will accept it. It's really down to Adobe to fix this inequality - but in the meantime, you may be able to train yourself on Adobe without physically using it by watching video tutorials, and then use a comparitive software.For example, I have hired people who have never used Adobe or Figma or other programs we use commonly, because I know they have used Affinity or Gimp (for Adobe) and Sketch or Framer (for Figma) and many of those skills are transferrable. Any reasonable employer would understand that ability to learn and ramp up skills.
- Hi Kaiya,Very good advice here, as @Alec Dudson says there is a surge now in roles requiring way too much experience & skills.Bear in mind that the number of people applying to any role has now tripled and there are also experienced professionals applying for junior roles; I mention that in order to give you some context rather than being descouraging.Luckly you work on a visual industry so people will judge your work based on how it looks, not so much how it is made. I understand the software constrains but your talent and work will shine for what it is.On a more practical level, the Adobe pack can be used by at least two people simultaneously so may it is worth sharing both software and fees with a colleague?Hope this helps!
- Hi Kaiya, I remember not having the software on my computer and not being able to afford it. It's tough. Luckily most full time jobs in advertising/design will come with a laptop and the software so you shouldn't be deterred from applying for these. Many internships will supply equipement and software too (we do at VMLY&R). Some smaller places might only be able to supply the software and you use your own laptop. I would say apply for as many as you can and don't be afraid to ask for access to Adobe if you get the placement/job. Hope that helps, Tamryn
- Man this is a tough spot and one I was in a while back (circa 2010). At the time I managed to get a copy of Final Cut 7 from a friend and used a code from the internet to get it to work for me. Not the most legal route but it got me editing and most importantly, learning.You can pay for a single Adobe app monthly which could be an option? Or possibily share it with a friend if you're able to use it at different times of the day?If you're applying for a full time job, I would like to think you can ask them to cover the cost of CC but for freelance stuff you gotta spend money to make money unfortunately.
- Don't pay attention to or waste time on job applications that have unrealistic expectations. We're seeing a huge rise in "junior" roles that demand a wide range of software experience (graphic design roles that want you to be proficient in video editing, 3d, photo re-touching etc) and a level of "experience" that really doesn't align with a junior role. These companies take the piss and would probably be horrible to work for. It can feel like the only option when you see more and more roles with that kind of expectation, but try to focus on the ones that feel like a good fit from the language that they use in the job ad.As Anna says, software knowledge isn't (or certainly shouldn't) be a deal-breaker as everyone has to learn that over time and a good employer knows that. A couple of things that we've published around this topic are:https://intern-mag.com/the-experience-vortex/https://intern-mag.com/its-not-me/I hope that's helpful. Keep going, you'll get there.Alec
- Hello Kaiya,Job advertisers can be very shameless this days so I would say just give it a common sense. If you feel the company is a right match but they ask for software skills you couldn't master just yet then apply anyway. I would say it's 50/50 if a specific software knowledge is a deal breaker or not.Hope it helpds. Feel free to check out my work on https://www.instagram.com/annadoralascsik/
- Few opitions:Apply for funding from Adobe:https://www.adobe.com/uk/about-adobe/creative-residency/community-fund.htmlOrEnter their online comps to get a years free of Adobe---Terms of applying for jobs, hard to know your approach when applying to understand your frustrations.
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