im looking for graphic design work in the Minneapolis/St Paul area
(im leaving pinkeblastville)

just started applying yesterday and i received a phone call for an interview today

but im a little in the dark about this type of company
its a staffing service for creative and graphic peoples
so they give you a contract for a year with some random company

i guess i dont know the pros and cons of contract graphic design work
and im curious if anyone here does?

any important questions i should ask them?

i'm not going to be extra picky because i gotta move and i'll take what i can get to facilitate that... but at the same time ... i don't want to get effed in the s-hole

this company is called "digital people" and their website fucking sucks

your thoughts?

[img][215:500]http://www.semkedesign.com/expanse/uploads/1174883532_sign.jpg[/img]

I wouldn't do it, based on what little information there is.

Where do you want to go, careerwise? Are you looking slave away for the man, or do you want to open up your own gig somewhere down the line?

careerwise - i want to sell paintings/drawings and make cartoons

i hate the man

i met with someone from digital people last year and was really unimpressed with their lack of interest and knowledge about their ad that i responded to. i felt like i'd just walked off the street and they acted like they were doing me a favor for even seeing me. the girl did not give a fuck at all. luckily, i was contacted by an old workplace a few days later and have been there since.

getting your foot in the door somewhere shitty isn't really getting your foot in the door.

find out who does stuff you like and talk to them, if they aren't hiring they might be able to suggest places they like. go to an AIGA or some other design/networking event.

Ew. Networking.

I never went the agency or studio route. I cut my teeth in a newspaper ad production dept. The bar is set pretty low, but the pay isn't great either. You can come across all sorts of people (advertisers) though, which is how I got started freelancing.

I'm not an illustrator nor artist though, so it's probably a good bit different. What about bugging some magazines and and other pubs for freelance jobs?

I didn't know you did this stuff.

well a big issue is that ... i HAVE to get employment lined up to start on june 4th (or anytime between now and then)

i'll be leaving a fairly cushy(cushy for pinkeyblastville) marketing/graphics position (that i've had since 2004) and im pretty confident i'll find something decent with this nice reference eventually... but... since im 2.5 hours away from where im going to be... the job hunt isn't as fun as i'd like it to be

so i would take shitty...vs...no job

think i need to build up a little bigger money cushion before i can invest the amount of time that would take

but ... i'd definitely like to get there

Why are you leaving your current job? They featured you in a commercial and everything!

I wouldn't take any graphic design job at a place that has a shitty website. Says it all about what they expect, and how much they care.

really don't have any problems with the current job, there's just more reasons i want to try living in the twin cities than reasons for me to stay put

* shewilleatyou is moving there for grad school
* my artwork sells better there (plus a hundred more galleries to show at)
* i'll be trying for grad programs again next year (i was rejected for this fall)
* killer music scene
* i grew up in the sticks and large jets fascinate me

It's a tough road, but at least you already have some experience and a decent referral in your favor.

I would rather do everything myself instead of going through a staffing place. When I've hired in the past, using a service is always a last resort. From the agency side, it is a lot more cost effective to hire someone outright than to pay the huge premiums most staffing places charge. Best thing is just to blanket the market with your resume/portfolio and interview as much as possible.

Check with the local ad federation to find out a decent list of agencies and go from there.