Francesco
@fran
Francesco
@fran
This interview touched a nerve I didn’t think was still there so let's have a proper think about it here, shall we.
Right, the market is more competitive and hiring has changed —arguably for the worse. The anonymous designer interviewed here says designers (although it applies to everyone really) caught in this mess need not to raise their concerns but suck it up, dry their tears, and just give. Offer yet more expertise, soul and time to greedy companies and the recruiters that represent them.
Look, I know applications are a tango and it takes two to close a deal. And I appreciated the practical tips shared here to guide people in taking the most helpful steps. But an avalanche of questions came to mind soon after getting to the end of this that the well-meaningness of it all had to take a side step.
Isn’t this problem as much about hiring processes as it is about candidates? What does it say about businesses who seem increasingly detached from spotting real talent?
And where is the conversation about these expectations and the weeks upon weeks of unpaid time candidates are asked to invest into each application?
Until recently, I'd been in the job market and was swimming in it for over a year. No matter how much my interview skills improved, no matter the increasingly positive feedback on my CV, the imbalance remained pretty clear.
For some, the question of who needs to adapt seems to fall heavily on candidates rather than being shared. What I find interesting is how people who land jobs—through skill, timing and yes, maybe a bit of luck and often a lot of free time on their hands—end up presenting their experience as a formula. "I've figured it out and if you just do what I did, you'll get there too!"
But they forget they’re asking you to pick up the burning tray from the oven with your bare hands, and rarely do they question why the system is keeping all the gloves to themselves.
Anyone else wondering about this? Are we just accepting these requirements as how things are? Shouldn’t we be having a chat about whether hiring should be more regulated and how it could work better for everyone?
Potentially something I could replicate

the illustrations on this! and how they make a lot with little copy is something to learn from
Is this what I do?
The way that I (and Igor) drew our maps is with the four axis method, although an “how to work with me” map does not have to follow this scheme and can take other shapes. For example a hand, where the creases in the palm are the axis and their intersection is where those skills meet. Or concentric circles, with each adding a layer/offer/something
... See moreWhat do people need to understand? What are the edges of the map or diagram? What are you not mapping or diagramming? Where will other people see this map or diagram (e.g., on a wall, in a presentation, on paper)?
“What are you NOT mapping?” is a great question