But within seven hours of my piece publishing in Waiting…, I got an email from David’s CEO Peter Rahal, who emailed me directly – with receipts. He told me the campaign in question had been shot a month before I ever submitted my idea.
Getting the clarification that the idea hadn’t been taken from me untied the months-long knot in my stomach. It was relieving and humbling at the same time. I’m so new to this industry, and it is nice to know that a concept I came up with had value. I also appreciated the CEO reaching out to me directly to clear confusion. In the Instagram post Waiting… published alongside my article, the woman behind the photo concept commented, standing up for her work as well.
This was my first time ever speaking up about something like this. I’ve dealt with fear and pride throughout this: fear that I had stuck my neck out and it’d been noticed, and pride that I had stuck my neck out and it’d been noticed. If we don’t talk, things just get pushed down, and we stay regretful. I have since gotten to speak with other designers who’ve gone through similar interview processes, which has strengthened my stance on standing up for situations where I, initially, do not feel respected.
Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do all that job application work for nothing, but the reality of the job search makes you feel like you have one shot to get work. Rigorous company processes are rarely worth it, so do it for the ones that have meaning to you and don’t feel the obligation to say yes to every opportunity presented. If things feel off from the start, trust your gut and stand up for yourself. The job process may feel bleak but you have to put your self-respect first. You’ll find opportunities that align with your values eventually. ∎
Read Trà My’s article for Waiting…
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