Working at i-pointing

Who are we?

Hello! We are i‑pointing and looking for YOU! You are a media designer, communication designer, media designer,Graphic designeror even a self-taught graphic artist? Then read the following interview to find out everything about your possible start with us and your first weeks here. Have fun!

Our agency currently consists of 52 employees and the majority of them are graphic designers. They are the ones who take on our customers' PowerPoint presentations to get the best out of them. Our focus is therefore on the topic of presentation design. But don't worry if you don't have much experience using PowerPoint, it will be shown to you in detail when you start. You will have a mentor at your side who will guide you through our everyday life in the first few months.

To get a detailed insight into our application process, the trial work and your job start, I spoke to Aykan (23). He started with us as a (junior) graphic designer in mid-February 2022 and can therefore report first-hand how he came to i‑pointing, what his first weeks with us looked like and how he likes it with us.

Interview with (junior) graphic designer Aykan

Hi Aykan! What did you do before i‑pointing?
"I trained as a media designer in digital and print at Ströer and am currently in the process of getting a master's degree in photography. All I'm missing is one exam, which I'll take next year."

How did you get to i‑pointing?
"Over the Internet, i.e. via the job exchange. I thought the offer or job advertisement was pretty cool. When it came to presentations, I honestly thought at first: "Yes, how complex or interesting that can be." But I thought to myself, come on, just take a look at it, maybe you’ll like it and surprise yourself – and that’s what it ended up doing.”

What was your hiring process like?
"So I applied as normal, then I was invited to the JoinUs Days and was then in the company for about 1.5 days to try out work. I watched a lot of other people, asked questions and got a few insights. They also told me what they do and then I was given a task towards the afternoon. I was supposed to design one page of a PowerPoint presentation myself. I then gave that to Tristan (a member of our recruiting team) showed me and he looked over it. Halfway through the second day I was called into Marion's (our CEO) office and she said that things would work out well for us."

Then you will have started working with us as soon as possible. How did your training go in the first few days?
"In the first few days it was mainly about doing practice tasks to get to know the program a bit. But then you were slowly accepted into customer orders and were allowed to do a few pages. So from time to time you get more responsibility."

To what extent did you already have presentation design during your training as a media designer in digital and print?
“So there is a difference, you just think to yourself on some presentation pages: “Hmm, actually a lot more space should be created here.” But since there is a lot of content, you just have to delete things like that. It deviates slightly from what we have learned.”

And how is that for you? Does that fit with what you have learned or is it a bit challenging?
"Yes, it's more like getting used to it. You still think in the old way, as you should. In this case you just have to ignore it."

For someone looking for a challenge,
i‑pointing is just the thing!

Everyday work at i‑pointing

What are the exact tasks or activities that you do when “beautifying” presentations?
"In principle, you receive the presentation from the customer and the email usually states exactly what is desired or what you have to do. The presentation itself often includes stickers from the customer, where he describes what he would like to have on each page. And so you work through them one after the other."

Which part of your work do you enjoy the most and which part the least?
"What I enjoy most is aligning, i.e. adjusting the whole thing. I'm a perfectionist, small details like that have to be right for me and I also have a lot of fun adjusting them - when I see them, of course! And least of all tables, they're not really my thing."

A “typical working day”, I know, doesn’t exist here in that sense, but in terms of how it goes, what does it look like?
"So in principle we always process customer orders, usually the deadline is on the same day or not always, but we try to send it out on the same day. The transition to customer orders came about like that, precisely because Tristan is someone who always wants to push you. Then he probably noticed "OK, he's making progress, you can give him more" or he sometimes just threw me in at the deep end. It was tough, but it was a good thing.”

What do you think of our system here with the shifts (early and late shift)?
"I think the shifts are cool because you can choose freely. I don't yet, but later on. I love the late shift, I can't do the early shift at all! I'm always so exhausted after work, I prefer to sleep longer. But with the shifts I think it's really cool that you're so flexible."

And generally in terms of workflow, you work with Tristan, right? So he basically has the jobs and you join in?
"Exactly, I've also had orders that I was allowed to do completely independently. But mostly I work for him, yes."

Speaking of Tristan again – we have mentoring at i‑pointing, how long do you support him or does he support you?
"Exactly, I was assigned to him. So he chose me, so to speak, because he also brought me into the team. And I'm pretty happy that he's my mentor. I'll probably accompany him throughout the entire 6-month probationary period. But it also depends on how fast I am."

Okay, back to your work as a (junior) graphic designer: What creative freedom do you have or don't have? To what extent are you perhaps limited?
"Yes, so you are creative - but also somewhat limited when it comes to creativity because you already have guidelines. But you can express yourself creatively if you adhere to these guidelines."

And how do you find working with guidelines?
"It depends. Sometimes you have phases where you don't want to be creative at all or you just want to work without thinking. Then it's pretty cool. So I'm more of a person who likes to work with design guidelines like that than to be creative all the time. But you can be both if you want."

The time factor plays a big role in our company. We always want to deliver as quickly as possible, but of course also cleanly. How do you find that and how can you deal with the deadlines?
"Yes, the deadlines are sometimes very tight and Tristan is always so motivated that we have to get it done on the same day, which I think is cool. It's just a bit difficult to find the balance (especially for someone like me who's new) between working cleanly and being quick at the same time. But somehow you gradually get a feel for it and find your harmony."

A tip for applicants? Show motivation and initiative!

About opportunities for advancement and a “really cool” team

Then we come to the perspectives at i‑pointing. What are your chances of advancement? Where else can it go?
"So as I understand it, you have a few options here. Depending on your performance, you can be promoted to designer after the probationary period. Then there is the further level of senior designer. There is also the position of design & conceptual lead, currently we have three employees. But you can alsoGraphic designerstay. Nobody is forced to do more than they want.”

Then let's talk a little bit about i‑pointing in general. How do you find your colleagues at i‑pointing, i.e. the team as a whole?
"It's really cool, everyone's very nice. You get along well, everyone's relaxed. You chat here and there, but most of the time everyone works quietly in the place - everything is really quiet there. Every now and then you meet people outside smoking or in the kitchen. You get along pretty well and I'm very happy with that! That's not a given."

Yes, great, that's how it should be! What do you like most about i‑pointing?
"It's hard to say, I like a lot of things here! I like the work itself, you always have something to do, you're never bored and time goes by quickly. When you're done with something, you get something new right away. I think that's really cool. Otherwise, the working atmosphere here with your colleagues - it's not a given that you have such cool colleagues and that everything here is so familiar."

What advice would you give to someone who wants to apply as a (junior) graphic designer at i‑pointing? So maybe something you've experienced that was well received here?
"Show motivation and initiative. You need a certain motivation and a certain interest here because it is demanding. For someone who is looking for a challenge, it is exactly the right thing!"

And as a final question: Presentation design can seem a bit intimidating to some people at first. How do you find the job here when you have this design background?
"No, you don't have to be afraid of it at all! It's still design, just with more guidelines. But everything you learned beforehand will be useful to you. So just be open to it and get involved with it."