The Job Hunt
My current major at UMBC is Media and Communications Studies, but my focus has been in visuals. My biggest strengths and experiences are in the areas of photography. So, this search is reflective of that goal.
Visual Designer at Booz Allen Hamilton, Laurel, MD
Booz Allen Hamilton is a consulting firm with clients and employees all over the world.
The Visual Designer would be part of the visual communications team and work as a graphic designer for projects and presentations. This includes involvement in all stages of the project, from conception to presentation. (Booz Allen Hamilton, 2017) This full time position requires skills in all areas of communication, including written and oral.
I already possess many of the basic qualifications for the job, the strongest being my experience with the Adobe creative systems, especially Photoshop and Illustrator. Photography requires one to master the art of editing, and that I would say is my strongest skill. Most of my design and editing skills are through my experiences. The various jobs I have held for local photography studios and my freelance work will help me standout.
The description specifically states that the designer will be working with HTML and CSS technologies. (Booz Allen Hamilton, 2017) I will need to gain more experience with this, as I have very little, but luckily Adobe has many tutorials and my local colleges will over classes.
Associate Photo Editor For MPG Concepts, New York, NY
This is a marketing company with an office located in Amstelveen, the Netherlands and New York. According to the job ad, one of the Photo Editor’s responsibilities will be to act as “liaison between NYC offices and the Dutch office.” (MPG.concepts, 2017)
The constant communications with departments and selecting of material is similar to my duties as a Photo Intern at Greenpeace USA.
My big disadvantage involves the responsibility of negotiating contracts and image rights. I am well versed in copyright laws, but have never had to handle photographer contracts. I will have to find a professional with this kind of experience to learn from, and maybe find an internship that would include this.
Scholastic as a Visual Content Strategist, Digital and Print
This job is also located in New York. (It’s not a coincidence, most of the jobs I intend to apply to will not be in Maryland.) This job is a long shot as Scholastic is a worldwide children’s book publisher and distributer. This job does integrate some of the skills I gained at my summer internship with Greenpeace.
I would be researching and collecting visuals for marketing, and social media use. I will also be able to contribute my photo editing skills for the magazine and business brand. (Scholastic, 2017)
Much like the position at Booz Allen Hamilton, I will have to strengthen my web technologies skills. Something that can be self taught, but other educational resources are not out of reach.
Job Ads:
Booz Allen Hamilton. Job ad. Visual Designer. Posted 31 Aug 2017. https://bah.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/BAH_Jobs/job/USA-MD-Laurel-1100-West-St/Visual-Designer_R0012080-1?source=JB-14400
MPG Concepts. Job ad. Associate Editor. Posted 31 Aug 2017. https://www.indeed.com/cmp/MPG-Concepts/jobs/Associate-Photo-Editor-720e59cc59fc00de?sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W-O9jEve-4ln2yVB5HIB92Wum0FxOpwqOvq7zT6kYdFuBISTPdKNTO11-LjG1tXHV2v6qg3UiFBQzfMcHEnkQbf-npvi4
Scholastic Corporation. Job Ad. Visual Content Strategist, Digital and Print. Posted 28 Aug 2017. https://scholastic.referrals.selectminds.com/jobs/visual-content-strategist-digital-and-print-1523?src=JB-10073
