The job interview shouldn’t feel like an interrogation. It should be a casual conversation over coffee, not across a boardroom table. A chance to show who you are, how you think, and whether you’d be a good fit, without being made to perform.

You’ve done the work, made the time, and are already under pressure to make a major life decision. The least you deserve is to be treated with warmth and respect.

You shouldn’t be forced through a formal process full of questions designed to catch you off guard. The goal should never be to test your nerves. The person speaking to you should already understand your work and career path, or they shouldn’t be interviewing you. You should be met by someone who knows what to look for, who wants to understand your experience, values, and whether you’d connect with the team.

When just starting out, it’s about excitement for the opportunity to practice your craft, a hunger to learn, and the energy you’ll bring. As a senior designer, you’re still coachable, have passion for the craft, and how you add your experience to the team. And as a leader, it’s about vibe, whether you bring energy that uplifts the team and if your values align with how we work and what we do.

This process should never feel like surviving a Ninja Warrior course. Meeting someone excited to do meaningful work  together is a privilege.

When referred by someone who’s actually worked with you, that recommendation should count. There’s a big difference between a mate doing a favour and a respected peer backing you because they know what you bring.

Applying through a public process due to reach or regulation doesn’t mean you deserve less. If there’s little to go on online, a good hiring lead should ask for more, not disregard your CV. It’s their job to look a little closer, ask the right questions, and find out who you are. By the time you meet, it’s just a final gut check. A relaxed, honest chat to confirm you’re excited, understand the offer, and are ready to join.

You deserve to know what you’re walking into, not just the version being pitched. You deserve the transparency of where things are working, where they’re not, and what’s still being figured out.

Maybe you’re still employed and are simply searching for something new, a place to grow and contribute in a way that feels meaningful. Either way, you’re being asked to leave something familiar behind and give up a third of your day to help build someone else’s business. That comes with expectations and you deserve to know this next step will move you forward, not hold you back.

When companies don’t take the time to have proper conversations, they have no business posting jobs. Recruitment agencies that neglect to maintain a live network of candidates shouldn’t be scrambling to fill roles on demand. A good recruiter builds relationships well before a client reaches out. Their role is not to forward CVs, but to help talent succeed. Too many act like middlemen, stepping in only when asked, instead of doing the work to find, support, and prepare people ahead of time.

The creative industry isn’t that big. It’s often the same pool of talent moving from company to company, all trying to find the right fit or a new challenge. Right now, something’s broken. Too many great people are out of work. Standards have become so unrealistic that almost no one can meet them. The market feels flooded, so companies keep raising the bar, assuming there’s always someone better, rather than recognising what’s right in front of them.

If you’ve been in this industry long enough, you know the most valuable thing you bring is experience. That can’t be replaced by a piece of paper. What matters is who you are, how you think, show up, and work with others. None of that fits neatly onto a CV.

Your portfolio might open the door, but that’s not the full story. If someone truly wants to hire you, they’ll check your LinkedIn, read your recommendations, and look at your site. Even if there’s not much to see, there should be something that gives them a sense of you. And if not, they can ask.

Your application should never be disregarded without a little effort, as you deserve a fair chance to be understood, not just assessed.

That starts with a conversation. Not an interrogation.