52 Limited

The world of Flash design and development has come full circle in the last 1-2 years in Portland. Flash was hot during the dot com boom as it seemed every web design company had to show off their ability by including long Flash intros to their websites. Quickly bored and un-impressed, people just defaulted to the “skip intro” button. Then something happened. Companies began thinking strategically about their sites rather than just using them as promo pieces. Soon they began to incorporate Flash into the sites to improve and enhance features and navigation. The use of gratuitous Flash slowly went away. This “re-thinking” has spurned a huge need for Flash designers and developers in Portland. Talented Flash designers and developers have felt the crunch and freelance rates have increased. Full-time Portland flash jobs have gone unfilled as local flash designers have more flexibility and bargaining power as independent contractors. But often times these are cycles, and while up now things could change in the years ahead.

52 lured Elfe Cimicata from the slopes of Bend to join us as talent manager.

Elfe hails from the state of New York and is oddly a Boston Red Sox fan. She has managed everything from a 7th grade classroom to an international travel company to a homeless shelter. Most recently, she managed The Shop Design & Advertising, a boutique agency in Bend. This sealed her love for working in ethical, innovative and creative environments. Her management experience coupled with her ability to carry on conversations for hours made her a perfect fit at 52 Ltd. When left to her own devices, Elfe loves to snowboard, see live music and watch Battlestar Galactica.

52 Limited managing partner, Steve Potestio, spoke to Mt. Hood Community College’s class of integrated media students. The class was comprised of students in graphic design, interactive media, television production, radio broadcasting and photography.

Steve spoke of the current state of the employment market within Portland creative services and gave advice for those seeking employment in the field. Insight was also provided into working through placement agencies, freelancing and the difference between working for a corporation or working for a creative company, such as a design firm or advertising agency.

Advice on resumes, interviewing, portfolios, and the importance of networking rounded out the discussion.

Judging by the number of calls 52 Limited receives each week from folks all over the country Portland continues to be strong on the creative class’ radar.

Portland graphic designers should take note. People from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other major markets are looking to move here in droves and they will aggressively be seeking work. And due to the level of hustle needed to get ahead in these markets, these folks don’t always take no for an answer. Some will find Portland’s pace of life and commerce frustrating, others will assimilate and do quite well.

This migration is welcome and will continue to make Portland a focal point for creative thinking. One question is whether Portland, and Portland’s employment market, is ready for this influx? Are there enough jobs? Without the large corporate base other cities enjoy, Portland has fewer large marketing departments to hire staffs of designers. Portland though has always been a small design firm town so that trend should continue as many transplants open their own practice.

What drives people here? The same things that make this a livable place. Recreation opportunities. Parks. Urban Planning. Sustainability focus. Take a look at the industries here and there is commonality. Sports apparel, footwear, recreation and equipment. This synergy will continue to build upon itself with companies like Keen Footwear following the migration. Let’s hope this continues and job growth remains strong.

Well, actually, 52 managing partner Steve Potestio went to Italy recently to scout out locations for an office in Rome. OK, that’s a stretch but maybe some day. What he did do was see Italy win their 4th World Cup while drinking red wine in Rome. And he spent time on the Amalfi Coast mostly in Positano. A few thoughts on Italy: Salami and cheese are cheap! Everyone is a good driver. Other than running to catch a bus or train, there is little stress. Work happens…at a slower pace but it happens. People take pride in the way they look. There is respect for beauty of all kinds. People litter. Panini and pizza are the perfect meals. Fiat’s, Alfa’s, Lancia…I miss seeing these cars in the U.S. It is beautiful beyond belief. Sensory depravation upon returning

Overcoming the Resume Gap Taking Time Off to Raise Kids Shouldn’t Dead-End Your Career By Lisa Morgan

June 23, 2006

Dedicating a few years to raising children shouldn’t hinder your career path, but it very well might. According to the Center for Work Life Policy, women lose 18 percent of their earning power when they leave the workforce. The figure rises to an unbelievable 37 percent if they leave for three or more years.

How many women does this wage decrease affect? A lot. According the same report, 93 percent of women who take time off want to return to work, but only 74 percent succeed in rejoining the workforce and only 40 percent return to full-time jobs. Because The Betty Report is here to help, we asked recruiters and job experts what it takes to land a job after time away from the professional world. Here’s what we learned.

Whenever possible, keep one foot in the professional lane. Whether you take a class, attend a workshop, read periodicals, volunteer, or just stay in contact with colleagues, knowing what is happening in your field while you are away will demonstrate to potential employers that you are committed to your profession.

Try to keep one foot in the game, so to speak, advises Steve Potestio, managing director of 52 Limited, a Portland-based agency. If you check out completely, an employer may feel it will take you longer to ramp up.

Whether you stayed involved professionally or were merely lucky to catch the news once a week, you’ll want to shine up your resume and prepare for the interview. Linda Meric, director of The National Association of Working Women, recommends a skill-based resume that includes those skills developed during your break classes, personal projects, and volunteer work. Potestio also suggests including an objective that outlines your goals and preparedness.

In either case, always emphasize the skills needed for a particular position. This may mean editing your resume for each job, but it will pay off. And, get ready to answer the hard questions. Though an employer may notice your skills first, he or she will inevitably ask about your employment gap.

Be prepared, says Potestio. An interviewer will likely ask why you took a break, how you stayed engaged, and what areas you feel you are going to have to ramp up in.

Everyone we interviewed agrees: rehearse your answers to these questions and keep them short. After one or two minutes, move on to your current skills. Be honest if you stayed home because you felt it was important while your children were young, but also emphasize the ways in which you kept up-to-speed in your field and your eagerness to dive back into your profession.

And, don’t be cute about multitasking raising five kids if it doesn’t relate to the job, says Potestio.

Harsh, but true. An employer’s primary concern should be how well you will perform, not how many kids you have and what your marriage is like, all of which brings us to the dirty word: discrimination. What if a prospective employer asks about your family situation: kids, marriage, etc. and you suspect he or she will dismiss you based on the answer?

We encourage women who are interviewing to focus on their qualifications for the position, says Meric. If there are inappropriate questions, ask the employer how it’s relevant to the requirements of the job.

Do everything right, and you still might not get the job. If this happens, Meric recommends contacting the person who interviewed you or your recruiter/agency to ask for feedback. Perhaps there are skills you will want to update before your next interview. Be polite and don’t call twice. Many interviewers are unable to provide feedback for a variety of reasons. If the worst happens, and you feel you have been discriminated against, file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For more information on filing a complaint, visit www.9to5.org or call the Job Survival Hotline at 1-800-522-0925.

Happy job hunting!

52 added to our internal staff with the addition of Heidi Shelton as client relations manager. Heidi has been working with 52 as project manager and as an information architect at clients Overland Agency and CMD. Heidi has extensive experience in interactive and print design, project management, and information architecture. She has worked for Microsoft, stockcharts.com, Werkhaus Creative and BBFM Creative in Seattle. Heidi will be working with 52’s clients to manage their business staffing needs, and working with our talent to develop their career goals and find opportunities for placement. Heidi can be contacted at heidi@52ltd.com or 503-517-0052.

52 has participated in the last two sessions of How to Build a Killer Portfolio at OFFICE. Joining panelists from Nike, Ziba Design, and HUB, 52 presented to hundreds of the Portland creative scene offering advice and tips to make a better presentation of work when looking for employment.Key tips include:Make the portfolio part of a comprehensive presentation. Include 12-15 pieces of your best work, or work that tells a compelling story or overcame a challenge. Organize work by quality of the pieces best comes first and last. Don’t make the portfolio about the case or box or whatever it comes in make it about the work. Otherwise the case will be the thing that is remembered. Drive the presentation, don’t hand it over to the reviewer unless you have to. Don’t have too many loose pieces. Don’t show work you don’t like if you don’t like it why are you showing it?

Unpretentious, relaxed, quirky, and fiercely independent, Portland’s creative community is very much on the down low in terms of nationwide visibility. Even though our agencies consistently garner national awards, and our boutique agencies produce some of the most original advertising, marketing, and creative material anywhere. But people are beginning to take notice that Portland is truly a dynamic creative hub.

Young creatives fresh out of college and art schools flock here. Talented people with established names and businesses in larger markets are moving to Portland for quality of life reasons a smaller city with outstanding arts and culture, diverse and urban with great planning, respectful of the environment, and with some of the best food, wine, and beer in the country. In a word, Portland exemplifies liveability. Often they’re also bringing their high paying clients with them who positively impact our economy.

Major companies already recognize the city’s wealth of creative talent. Nike is a homegrown powerhouse that has forged a long-term advertising partnership with Wieden and Kennedy. Adidas has their North American headquarters here. This competitive atmosphere also helped raise the profile of local companies such as Columbia Sportswear. Now a new wave of companies is drawn to Portland for its talented creatives and energized setting. Nautilus, Keen Footwear, Nau all come to mind.

We’re seeing this exciting new wave of talented people in our own practice. At 52 Limited, we’re working with creative and inventive people from many places and backgrounds: art directors from New York, designers from Minnesota, copywriters from San Francisco, fashion designers from Los Angeles to name a few. As a creative resource company, we’re able to match highly talented individuals with our best businesses. We work diligently to ensure success at all levels. Our growing creative base has made this an easier task. Success breeds success. The more outstanding our industry becomes, the more Portland shines as a creative center.

Still, with all of this talent and all of this great work, why doesn’t Portland have the national recognition of L.A. or Chicago? Certainly agencies like Wieden & Kennedy and Sandstrom Design are doing high profile international work and being acclaimed for it. Unfortunately, most of our best work goes unnoticed outside of the Northwest. Our small shops and boutique agencies lack the marketing clout and bold-faced bravado to push their products to a higher level of recognition.

But maybe smaller and quieter is better in the long run. Do we really want to be like L.A. very talented but lacking in proportion, balance and livability? We cherish our unassuming nature, and we hardly revel in the bling bling of everything. Maybe, though, we could use a little push. Perhaps we need to blow our own horns more, attracting attention to our work with just a bit more panache. We can keep our vibrant, independent Portland aesthetic but join together to coax ourselves more noticeably upon the national stage. The challenge, of course, is how to do this. Who will step up and take us to that higher level? Self-promotion certainly has its merits! Everyday fascinating and imaginative ideas originate in the Portland creative community. We just would enjoy more people knowing about them.

Today’s agencies know that having the best talent wins the game. To attract the best talent, your company must build a positive culture. “Culture” may be today’s buzzword, but its effect cannot be overstated. Peter Metz, creative director for Sockeye Creative, states, “I think culture is huge in our industry–so anything you can do to improve it, the better the creative is going to be. Designers are a touchy-feely group. They need to fell supported and have trust in the process. Otherwise they will be much more guarded and that doesn’t lead to good work.”

Building a positive culture begins with positive recruitment and retention strategies. Are unqualified resumes filed away on your hard drive, never to be seen again? Or, are they just deleted entirely? Do you respond to those candidates who are unqualified? If not, you need to rethink your strategy. Any contact with potential employees, qualified or not, helps build your brand identity in the marketplace.

Your first contact with potential employees is usually the interview. Don’t fall into the trap of making candidates answer what they can do for your company. You need to allow candidates to interview you and the company. Think of the interview as an exploration of what it would be like to work together. Treat people as if they were already part of the team and helping to building the brand.

Hire cultural fit over skills and experience when deciding between candidates. Don’t sacrifice experience or skills your company needs, but also don’t be afraid to pass on a hot shot if he or she doesn’t fit the company culture. Hiring without this fit could poison the culture, the brand and ultimately alienate the employee. “My own checklist in interviewing candidates for any position in the company included cultural fit. Being a good fit meant more than having the right skills or relevant experience for the job,” says Steff MacDonald, VP of client services for Dunthorpe Marketing. “‘Fit’ meant being able to verbally and non-verbally demonstrate how closely their own core values or inner culture would benefit the team and company. Of course it takes more time and interviews to discover these key traits but when we invested the time to do this we hired happier long-term employees who helped meet outstanding company goals and grew very well professionally.”

I know about building culture first-hand. I joined ID Branding and Via Training in 2000 as the Human Resources Manager and I had my work cut out for me. Although ID was known as a hip design agency, Via was still unknown as an online sales-training company. Sales training was not an easy sell, and I knew I had to build the best culture possible to recruit the most talented people. By 2005 Via employed almost 140 of Portland’s most talented people. In five years, Via had grown rapidly and became known as a fun, fair and overall great place to work.

Most creative shops in Portland aren’t large enough to have an internal recruiter or an HR department. You may not need these positions to attract talent, but you do need a philosophy and a process for hiring managers. Your recruitment process must ensure follow-up with candidates, qualified or not. This is crucial. You never want candidates to say “I interviewed there but never heard back.”

Building a positive culture builds your brand. Remember, the process of creating that culture starts the day a candidate calls you about a job opening. It starts the day a resume hits your inbox, or the day a candidate interviews. A positive culture attracts and retains the best, most talented people. Attracting and retaining talent drives your company’s success. Here’s to culture, brand and success!