How to get jobs as a graphic designer

Graphic designers create digital images for all sorts of businesses and brands. Many clients require designs on a temporary basis, and so, a larger percentage of graphic designers work as freelancers. If you are good at meeting deadlines, have an eye for detail and a creative person, this guide can help you get hired as a graphic designer.

Before we continue please do well to read some of our posts you must have missed

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Tips to Help You Get Hired as A Graphic Designer

• Locate the Hidden Job Market

Opportunities that are not published online by a hiring manager are referred to as the hidden job market. The best way to find these opportunities is by connecting to your network. You can do this by;

1. Using LinkedIn to connect with people.
2. Finding time to meet with previous colleagues regularly.
3. Applying to a company even when there is no job posting.
4. Developing relationships with human resource professionals.

Depending on job opportunities advertised online to find work is a common mistake for newbies in the design industry. Connecting with successful people in the industry offers a chance to get you hired directly.

• Forge Your Resume

A well-crafted graphic design portfolio is the ticket to getting a graphic design job. Graphic designers can upload their portfolios to a website, which can be either public or password-protected.

It is useful to add technical/personal skills to a resume which will set you apart from the competition. A detailed resume is a professional tool to heighten the chances of getting you jobs as a graphic designer.

• Freelance!

To gain work experience for newbies in the graphic design industry, freelancing is the way to go. A great benefit is when working on a contract with a business, leads to full-time employment when the company is impressed with your work.

You can search for freelancing opportunities online using a professional design portfolio to show work samples. Human resources also consider freelance experience as real-life work experience.

Instead of waiting for a company to hire you, freelance!

• Share Your Work Online

Maybe you have an account on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can be discovered by recruiting managers because in reality, these CEOs, VPs, and hiring managers use these platforms.

Share high-quality work on these platforms and in your portfolio to get a job. Quality is more effective than quantity in the world of graphic design.

• Intern for A Company/Help the Community

You can help the community by working as a graphic designer. You can do this by offering to participate in an internship or volunteer program. Usually, compensation will be low or not offered.

Join a networking community for graphic designers and help with marketing campaigns when you join a membership. Help local businesses at no cost to gain experience.

• Formal Degree

A graphic designer can be hired with minimal education. But to be able to negotiate or receive higher pay in your growing career, it is best to earn formal education.

It can be a combination of eLearning through webinars or university formal training. A Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design program, for instance, will teach you technical skills to promote creativity and innovation in your career. 

• Decide what You Want.

Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and personality. Do you want to work for a small start-up, or you can successfully perform as an independent? A graphic designer can function on a team of other designers or work as the sole designer of an organization.

Before you pursue a career in graphic design, figure out your niche, if you want to work in a marketing department, and if you want to be a generalist or an expert. A generalist can work on any graphic design job, from advertisements to restaurants, logos and tech firms. If you work to become an expert, you will earn a higher income.

• Improvement

Learning the fundamentals of innovative design involves a lifetime of education and career growth. It will be challenging to upgrade to a management role or self-employed graphic designer without improvement.

Acquire certifications in graphic design, improve visual design weaknesses, write a career plan, and read blogs/articles from experts in the industry.

• Find a Mentor

A mentor can review work samples and offer advice on techniques that will enhance your quality of work. Mentors can be graphic designers that have retired, self-employed, self-taught successful designers or the ones that work at a reputable organization. 

A common problem for some professionals is believing their work is perfect, despite feedback from a manger. A person should always be ready to improve quality of work professionally.

•  Learn Communication Skills

To get more graphic design jobs, and be successful, a graphic designer needs to learn to communicate and ask questions.

The individual can receive constructive criticism and communicate their thought processes effectively. A graphic designer needs interpersonal skills to connect with people at all levels of an organization.

These tips can help you get hired as a graphic designer and be successful in your career. Good Luck!

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