Design jobs, whether fashion or graphic, are highly competitive. There are far fewer jobs than there is available talent and a quick perusal of one of the big freelance websites and job aggregators will make that pretty apparent. You need grit and determination to land a designer job, and also to find work that pays you what you’re worth. Like many creative industries, the modus operandi of far too many employers seems to be paying designers as little as possible while still demanding high-quality work.
And yet, people make it as a designer all the time, and you could certainly be among them if you know how to approach it. Here are some tips and considerations when trying to start a job as a designer.
A Good Resume and Cover Letter
What you will need, first and foremost, to land gainful employment as a designer is a solid resume. Attention to detail and aesthetic appeal is key for any design job, so make sure you advertise this quality any and everywhere you can. Carefully choose your resume and cover letter template ensuring that it is consonant with your personal style, your experience, and the kind person you are trying to present to potential hiring managers and clients.
As always, don’t make your cover letter simply a regurgitation of your resume. Touch on the broad themes and experience, but don’t dive into the details while writing it, that is what your resume is for. Sell the person reading your cover letter on your personality, your values, interests and the soft skills and attitude you bring to the table.
A Professional Website
One investment any creative needs to make to stand out, perhaps above all others, is in a professionally designed website. Whether you take the time to learn to do this yourself, or you pay a web designer to do it for you, having your own website showcasing your work, personality and, whenever and as often as possible, glowing reviews and recommendations from past and current clients, is often what convinces a person to hire you, either for a single job or a permanent position.
This holds true for any creative, but particularly for a designer. Every detail should be thought out and accounted for. Graphic designers more than any other creative class need a beautiful site. You don’t need to go all out and spend a bunch of money on premium templates and paid plug-ins–though you can if you want to. There are plenty of free website templates on places like WordPress and Wix that are more than enough for a great, professional-looking design-oriented website.
A Carefully Curated Portfolio
Your website should do a few things very well. It should explain who you are and what your values are; demonstrate using testimonials and reviews that people have enjoyed working with you and hiring you; and, very importantly, provide real examples of work you have done, and even things you are currently working on.
A carefully curated portfolio that shows off the best of what you have to offer is what draws people in. People want to know you are a real, three-dimensional person who is pleasant to work with and produces good results, but they also want to see what you can do with their own two eyes. An artist or designer without a portfolio or body of work is like a musician without a demo tape.
Network on Social Media
It is a well-known but underrecognized fact that the majority of all jobs nowadays are unlisted. There is still plenty to be found on large job aggregators and boards, but up to 85 percent of all jobs are secured via networking. Places like Linkedin are great places to build your brand and connect with other people in your industry, but so are the major social media platforms–Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Creatives, and job seekers in general, frequently find work by following companies and individuals on the big social media channels and, over time, developing a relationship with them. This can be done through commenting on or sharing things they post; offering your professional insight or examples of your own work to contribute to discussions and keeping an eye out for hints that they or their company might be looking to hire.
Conclusion
Landing work in a creative field that is full of competition and wading through the myriad job offers that are not worth your time takes effort, but it also takes some strategy. Believing in yourself and hoping to be noticed are not enough. There is an endless number of talented people out there whose work will go unseen and uncommissioned because they don’t know how to approach the industry. Keep the above tips and considerations in mind and give yourself the best chance possible of finding work as a professional designer.