6 Tips for the Graphic Design Grad for Finding a Job in the Industry

This past February I attended the graduation presentations of the Humber College Graphic Design for Print and Web class. I felt honored to be invited, as I’m an alumni of that program. After working in photography for several years, I put myself back to school to pursue a career in design and  completed the Humber College GDPW program in 2011. Interestingly, this is how I met Jeremy Robinson, founder and CEO of Jar Creative – at my grad day presentation. Now here I was, the invited guest, roles reversed. Somehow I had now become the “industry expert” and all student eyes were on me.

 

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The Humber College GDPW Winter 2014 Graduating Class

 

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Gifts from the students: resumes, postcards and business cards.

 

 

After watching about a dozen presentations of print and digital portfolios I was asked to give some feedback. What wisdom could I pass down to this fresh batch of ready-to-go graphic designers? Since I had been in their shoes, I knew this group wanted the low-down; what it’s really like in the industry and how to get a job at an agency. Big questions.

 

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Humber GDPW, Summer 2011. Me and my fellow alumni in the design lab.

 

So far I have been fortunate to stay employed in a very competitive field. The secret of how I’ve managed to do this? Here’s a summary of what I said to the class:

 

1. The devil is in the details.

There are a lot of designers out there doing big things, but it’s really in the details that makes a design appear polished and professional. Watch your typography, alignment, line-height – all the little structural and foundational details. A Creative Director will always be looking for this level of attention in a designer.

 

2. Exploit your bag of tricks.

One of the grad students I met had previously been a copywriter. I could tell from watching his presentation that he was a talented writer, but in talking he mentioned he didn’t want to use this in his upcoming job search. “I don’t want to be a copywriter, I want to be a designer!” he sighed.

 

Don’t forget about who you are and what skill set you already bring to the table. I came to design professionally as a second career, after photography. It turns out, photography has been one of my biggest assets thus far as a designer.  Employers love knowing you can work with different mediums and can solve creative problems in different ways. The more creative skills you have, the more value you become to the company you would ultimately want to work for.

3. Freelance.

While you’re looking for fulltime work, freelance as much as you can. Grow your portfolio with real, client paid work and keep an up to date portfolio website. As you job-search and interview, these projects will become your biggest asset.

 

4. Keep learning and looking.

Keep in touch with what’s going on with technology. Stay versed with HTML, CSS and maybe even a little Javascript, and even if you’re not a developer, at least know what these things do. Use lynda.com as a resource. Read design blogs. Visit good art and design bookstores. Look at website awards sites. Be aware and engaged with what’s going on in the design world, online and off so you can at least keep up with the conversation.

5. Network. It’s who you know.

It’s not only about making new connections in the industry; Maintaining and nurturing the connections you have already made ( coworkers from previous jobs, old teachers ) is possibly the best use of your efforts I can think of. Often a job can just come to you through the network you’ve created.

6. Personality. Have a good one.

This is my last point, and probably the most important. Technical skills can be learned, but personality skills? Notsomuch. This is where you can really distinguish yourself. Smile. Be good to your co-workers. Be willing to take on new roles and tasks even if they fall outside of your job description. Go with the flow. In this industry of long hours and quick deadlines, we end up spending a good deal of our waking time together. A Creative Director will want to hire someone they actually want to be around and spend these long hours with.