A Conversation with Jean Chandler
Jean Chandler understands the courage, passion, and persistence it takes to achieve your goals. Her career story provides insights for those looking to advance in firm settings and take on leadership roles.
Read Jean’s valuable resume, portfolio, and interview tips, and her advice for those seeking advancement, building confidence, and recognizing their value.
When receiving resumes, what stands out to you the most?
Simplicity. I struggled as a designer to create a perfect resume. Out of school and for the first few years, I thought it had to look a certain way. Don't worry about winning a design award for your resume. Find a super clear template to follow. Show your creativity in your work, not your resume layout.
My advice is to spend the time on the content. Be clear about the experience you have that is relevant to the job you're going after. Research the job role and the firm, and then succinctly write your experience to directly respond to that information. Make it easy for the person to read and understand how you meet the qualifications. It takes a bit more effort, but that is what people in hiring positions are looking for. They want to know what you have done and why it made an impact on your clients. For me, I want to open the resume, skim it, and quickly decide if the candidate feels like a good fit to move forward in the process.
What advice can you share regarding portfolios? What do you want to see?
Portfolios need to be easily navigable and show your most relevant experience. I like to see the process. If you have the finished photograph, then take me back to the concept so I can see a sketch, mood board, or how the idea began. Include the technical drawings that took it from concept to completion. Show you know how to do the job from start to finish. If you can do that and the end product is really great, then I don’t even need to look at two projects in your portfolio. I think, yep, they get it.
Since I design workplaces, I'm looking for people with some workplace design in their portfolio. However, if I want somebody to help me bring an air of hospitality into the setting, then I need them to show me that they can create mood and ambiance in an environment and that they have a process for how they do that.
Do your homework to understand the role, ask questions, and then show me what you’ve got.
What do you feel is a missed opportunity in the job search process that you recommend potential candidates consider trying?
I've gone through long stretches of looking for work and not getting a lot of responses, but I continue to connect with people. Go online and find people on LinkedIn who have the career or life you admire. It may not result in getting a job, but it will help you get over the fear of reaching out to someone you don’t know. Sometimes you will receive a response, and sometimes you won’t. Keep the energy going, meet new people, and leave a good impression. Think of it as adding people to your portfolio. You will be surprised at how small the design community is, and you never know who in your network may be standing between you and a position one day.
What makes someone stand out in the interview process?
They can be utterly themselves within the first few moments. Now, granted, there are some nerves, but I like someone who makes great eye contact and can settle into the moment. Are they eager to learn about the role and ready to show who they are? It should be clear that you have done your homework on the role and the company. You should have questions. If you are not yourself and are stuck in your head, then I am not going to feel confident that you can own the role.
At Industrious, we are very autonomous. It's a startup culture and very entrepreneurial, so you have to exemplify those sorts of attributes regardless of whether you're introverted or extroverted. It's about conversation skills. That's what matters to me, and that's what I think has mattered in all of the job interviews that I've been in. Show gratitude for being able to discuss the opportunity, excitement for being there, and be able to convey what energizes you.
What are a few questions candidates should ask of potential employers?
The question I always get asked is about growth potential and movement within the company.
That seems like an obvious question, but keep in mind that organizations and org charts change. The more innovative, forward-thinking, and agile the company is, the more frequently the org chart changes, which can feel a little unstable to some people. I view that as an amazing opportunity to create a role for yourself. All you have to do is pay attention. Stay in tune with what leadership is doing and saying, and ask keen questions. Don’t be focused on climbing a ladder.
For me, I like to understand how much autonomy I will have. If the role and culture are more prescriptive, that is less interesting to me. However, that may be the right fit for some people who need more structure.
Ask if you will have the opportunity to meet the team and other leaders ahead of working there. It is helpful to spend a little bit of time with people that you're going to be working with.
Also, ask questions to gain an understanding of obligations you may have to other departments or leaders. Consider asking what the next 30, 60, and 90 days will look like if you take on the role.
Last but not least, make sure to ask a few personal questions. As an interviewer, I like to get to know somebody while I'm across the table from them. At the beginning of the conversation, I will ask personal questions, so the candidate feels more comfortable, allowing them to respond more naturally to the technical questions. Asking personal questions goes both ways. Remember, this process is about being your authentic self and connecting with people.
What are best practices for someone looking to advance in responsibilities and leadership within large firm settings?
Fill in the space where you see a need without being given permission. This is something I have done and continue to do—and a practice I appreciate from my team members. Don't sit on your hands and not do something because it is not in your job description, or ask to revisit your job description before you act on something. I think job descriptions are super important, and there's a need for them, but I've never gotten anywhere in my career by just staying within the margins of my job description. It's the exact opposite. Yes, nail the core of what you are responsible for, but then look for other ways to contribute. Especially if it’s an area you are interested in or something that motivates or energizes you. It is your work beyond the job description that makes a difference when you are looking to ask for more pay or a bigger title.
How have you invested in yourself throughout your career? How has that investment impacted your brand and your value?
I attended a seminar where I ended up being the only attendee, so I got to spend the whole hour talking one-on-one with the coach. It’s a long story, but this experience led me to buy a classic van and then a garage loft in Brooklyn. It was a creative space where I designed my way of living. I built all the furniture, and my van was part of the living environment. My story gained some press interest, including articles in the New York Post and Apartment Therapy. I was living a creative life and sharing that story with others.
Investing in travel and opening myself to new experiences, such as renting a room in the Hamptons one summer, presents opportunities and helps forge connections. During a business meeting, the Hamptons became a common thread in a conversation that made the investment well worth it. In addition to travel, I look for different ways to learn and grow. I have taken all sorts of classes, including a coaching class for executives at NYU, and I listen to podcasts. Continuing education is important. Mostly it takes initiative and time, but sometimes it costs a little money, too.
For those experiencing impostor syndrome, what advice can you share?
One of the most helpful things I heard from a boss is that everybody struggles with impostor syndrome. As you look at the faces across the table or on-screen at a meeting, know that every single person has at one point (and some more than others) dealt with imposter syndrome.
You just need to push it aside because all it does is create unnecessary struggle and worry, which keeps you from being your authentic self. When you are your authentic self, you flourish, and people connect with you. When you're in your head, it's just hard to do anything, which means you’re not connecting or setting yourself up for any success. Find a way to let go of the worry and be yourself.
How and when did you figure out your value as a designer? How did you put a number to it?
I was about five or six years in and shifting from one job to another. As I started going through the negotiation process, I spoke with a mentor I had worked with in the past, who really gave me the confidence to ask for about $10,000 more than was on the table. I composed myself for the phone call. It felt like a fake it until you make it type of moment, but I secured the salary and the position.
I understand more about my value as a designer every year. As I move forward in my career, I pay attention to those with less experience or people I am mentoring and designers I am fangirling over in the industry who are just absolutely crushing it. These observations help me recognize where I stand and push me to find ways to level up.
Please share any negotiating best practices. How do you get the job you want and get paid what you are worth?
If you don't know your worth, it might take a while to learn it. It might require taking risks or working with a mentor or somebody who's achieved what you want to achieve. Ask them how they've done it and then take those steps even though it may feel scary. If you do that enough to feel confident, then you know what you offer. At that point, it is not negotiating; you know your non-negotiables.
Think about other things that are important to you if the company can’t meet your salary request. For example, is their profit sharing, a travel stipend, extra vacation, or other benefits that can make up for the salary difference? And if the employer says they can’t meet the salary now but will address it later, then get it in writing. Also, think about the tools you need to do your best work. An iPad is an important tool in my creative process and how I sell ideas to clients, so that is part of my employment agreement. When deciding whether to take a pay cut or make a lateral move, think about whether all the other parts and pieces are in place and if it is a really great opportunity. Don’t settle for less out of desperation.
Learn more about Jean’s Career Journey in the next blog post — Knowing Your Worth.