From Rochelle Fainstein, digital marketing manager in the Manhattan office of Sterling Brands.
Whenever we post a design job listing at Sterling, we always point out how important it is to us for you to possess four core values: Be brave, be productive, be collaborative, and be creative. These values are what truly connect us and keep us on a common mission to make the consumer world a more beautiful place. In addition to our values, there are a few things that will give you an edge in our hiring process in our design group:
10 things we love about you:
- Experience in packaging is a must. Packaging is what we do. Packaging is a language; you’re either fluent or you’re not.
- Must know the supermarket aisle like the back of your hand. Knowledge of Walmart is a PLUS.
- Must love watching men shave... And getting involved in all sorts of consumer behavior, market research and intelligence gathering.
- We like quirky.
- Must not mind a good work/life balance. If you insist on working the week between Christmas and New Years, this may not be the place for you. That in mind, we do work hard the rest of the year.
- Superior verbal and communications skills in design are critical. You must be able to present your fantastic, creative, incredible ideas.
- Must love blogs. We recommend you do your daily reading, which should include The Dieline, DavidAirey.com, Brand New, and Design Observer; or turn us on to something new. Inspire yourself. Inspire us.
- Pets are a plus. Our President of Design is a huge sucker for dogs. AND we get to design a lot of their food!
- Be a self-starter. We love folks who take the initiative, so don’t wait around for us to call you. If you want to work for Sterling, go all-in!
- Have a can-do attitude. Sounds like a propaganda poster, but we’re serious. A glass-half-full mentality has helped all of us through a hellacious week. Complainers need not apply.
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Visit the Sterling Brands website. Follow @SterlingBrands on Twitter, as well as the team's President of Design @debbiemillman. Debbie has worked on the redesign of global brands for Pepsi, Gillette, Colgate, Nestlé, and many more.
Other parts in the series:
What employers look for #1, by Eric Karjaluoto of smashLAB
What employers look for #2, by Jim Walls of 160over90
What employers look for #4, by Simon Manchipp of SomeOne
What employers look for #5, by Blair Thomson of Believe in