Insights
The Firedog graduate scheme
Are you a graphic design graduate, looking to further your skill set? Welcome to our graduate scheme. Firedog interns spend between six to eight weeks with us, familiarising themselves with our branding values and learning how a creative design agency functions. Unlike some agencies, we don’t want you here to run errands or make tea all day long.
Interns at Firedog typically work on our digital newsletter, design promotional material for new business campaigns, participate in boardroom meetings and compile presentations for client pitches. You may even get the chance to work on live client briefs: nowhere else does this. Because of our friendly size, you’re never far from design.
So, how do you apply?
1) Email us.
You’ll need to send a covering letter with your CV attached to [email protected]. Please note that the internship will last for a minimum of four weeks, so you’ll need to be free for this amount of time. A reminder on what we look for in a CV and covering letter can be found here.
2) Wait for a reply.
Once Cara has received your email, she will assess whether you’re a suitable candidate for the role. Unfortunately, if this does not seem to be the case, we will endeavour to send you an email detailing the reasons why. If, however, you seem like a strong candidate, she’ll pass your application over to our Design Director. If your portfolio is excellent, he will invite you in for an interview immediately. Generally, though, Cara will send you the creative brief.
3) The creative brief.
The creative brief is typical of the kind of work a branding agency undertakes, so we’re intrigued to see how you’ll tackle it. You will have two weeks to complete the brief and send it back to Cara.
4) Submit the brief.
When you’ve submitted the brief to Cara, she’ll pass it back to the Design Director, who will then decide whether he would like to invite you in for an interview. We aim to respond to every applicant, so if your application is not successful, we will let you know why this is the case.
5) The interview stage.
At the interview stage, you will go through the brief with the Design Director, discussing your thought processes and ideas. If he’s impressed, he’ll ask you come back as an intern for us.
6) Please be enthusiastic!
It’s important to note that a large part of the reason for taking you as an intern is your attitude. As Cliff states in his “Invaluable advice for design graduates” article, “Talent is 20% of the game.” Above anything else, we primarily notice your willingness and enthusiasm. We understand how tough it is for graduates and are happy to give you experience if it’s clear you really want it and have a design degree.
7) The internship.
While placements generally last between six to eight weeks, they can be extended. It’s for this reason that we only take graduates; you need to be flexible. We probably take around eight interns per year – recent intern, Michelle, says: “I enjoyed my time at Firedog so much that I came back twice! Working on the newsletter was particularly fun.”