Are you a designer looking for work? 6 tips to get hired easily⚡️✍️

When you are looking for a job at an agency or trying to win a client, you can fall into several mistakes. Counterproductive mistakes, which wreck the professional image you want to show in the market. And yes, this is very common when looking for work these days. We will show you the six steps to follow if you do not want to be a top designer.

1. You have too much or too little confidence

Everyone, from recent graduates to creative directors, can fall into these mistakes, even if they show up in different ways. It is fine to show yourself as confident and enthusiastic, but do not let that slide into arrogance. Design is also based on building relationships and on collaboration, whether with the team or with the client. So, whether you are in a job interview or pitching a project, do not act as if you think you are God's gift. Even if you think you are, do not show it. On the other hand, a little humility and even self-deprecating humour about your strengths can be attractive to whoever is going to hire you. But do not shoot yourself in the foot by overdoing it. If you do not trust your finished work and the process that got you there, why would anyone else?

2. You forget that other skills also matter

Everyone in this field has seen CVs with every specific skill and the ability to work with certain software. Sometimes these abilities are even shown with percentages: you are 90% of the way to being an art superstar, but you still need to work on user experience, which is only at 60%.

One piece of advice: instead of trying to present yourself in numbers, show your creative abilities and your critical thinking through your work. Especially in agencies, design or software skills are not enough. Here you find multidisciplinary environments in which you need to contribute at several stages of the process, contributing ideas and solving problems.

3. You drown people in your full portfolio

This is another of the mistakes that is easy to make. Whether you are pitching to a client or presenting yourself at an agency, showing that you are selective is crucial. Choosing what to put in the portfolio can seem a hard task, but if you are leaving university you should not have much to choose from. The more work you have, the harder it will be. Knowing your audience and adapting your material is the secret.

4. You criticise other professionals 😤

It is a small scene, so creative directors at agencies or private clients easily know one another. So be careful with any criticism you might make about previous work or people you have already worked with. Be diplomatic if you are asked about that, and always focus on the positive aspects.

5. You show desperation😱

Any agency wants to know how much you like its work and culture, and that you would love to be part of the team. Any client wants to know that you respect their brand and want to collaborate with the company, taking it to another level. But remember: have some self-respect. The line that separates praise from desperation is very thin. You should seem passionate but calm, yet not so calm that you seem uninterested. The fundamental point is to keep the balance between the desire to work with the agency or client and knowing what you are worth.

6. Your expectations are unrealistic

Going into a company interview with an inflated sense of what you are worth will not get you very far. When you receive a job offer, do not look only at the numbers. Of course confidence is important and you will never have something if you do not ask, but there are limits. Ask for a little more than what you really want, so that you have room to negotiate. If you ask for much more, you are only wasting time.

Keep these tips in mind when you are looking for work and do not make these mistakes!

Looking for design or branding services? Talk to INDIGIT!