The Job Application Survival Guide
Three reasons why you should apply for a lot of jobs — and how to survive all those applications.
I’ve been writing for the last couple weeks about the actual steps you’ll take while applying for a graphic design job. Throughout this journey, you’ll bring together your cover letter, resume, portfolio, and your qualifications to pitch yourself as a worthy candidate for your dream design job. We’ve gone through the ups and downs, some unfortunate truths about how easy it is to get your application tossed in the can, and some easy steps you can take to demonstrate your professionalism to your new employer. Today, I’m going to focus on you instead of the hiring manager at your next job.
Regardless of whether your portfolio is the immaculate representation of the future of graphic design, there is one fundamental step that you must complete to get responses to your application, not to mention a design job.
Ready for it? Here it goes:
You have to apply for jobs.
Well, duh. I don’t blame you for just clicking away from this article right now. Actually, do it. Here’s the stupidest video I’ve ever seen, which may be more entertaining than this article.
Still here? Cool. I’ll tell you what I mean.
Applying for jobs is HARD. Somehow, every single application seems to be worded just differently enough that you can’t copy and paste your responses to questions from the last one. By the time you’re on the 4th or 5th application, you’re literally copying and pasting random sentences together to answer questions just because you can’t stand typing and typing and typing and typing to explain what you’ll bring to the team, or how you’re unique, or how you face challenges.
Oh, and how many times have I submitted my last supervisor as a reference? Is she really going to get 35 calls? I have to remember to send her an edible arrangement or something.
Been there? I sure have. It sucks, but there’s nothing better you can do for yourself during this process than to apply for a LOT of jobs. Here are three reasons why you should apply, apply, and apply some more. Then three tips for how to survive (I know I’m harsh on “creative” stereotypes, but coffee is highly recommended for this).
Why you should apply for a LOT of Jobs
You’re more likely to hear back: This one is simple math. Let’s say, conservatively, that you’ll hear back from 25% of the jobs to which you apply. Some of those will be a no-go (trust me, it’s better to get a no quickly than to have lingering hopes of hearing back from one potential job for 6 weeks), but a couple will be good leads, and maybe even an offer! If we break down the math, that means you’re going to hear back from 2 or 3 potential employers per 10 applications. If only one of those turns into a job offer, you will have one single job offer and very little room to negotiate or consider what’s right for you.
In some cases, that’s totally ok. You got exactly the job you wanted, and you’re happy. In most cases, however, that’s just not how it goes. I highly recommend that you submit at least 15 job applications, if not more. As I said, the math gets better with each application you send. Especially if you’re transitioning into a new career, it’s vital that you give yourself options and make a choice that is good for you.
You’ll expand your horizons: When I was graduating from college, I had my heart set so entirely on one production job. I was convinced through and through that it was the job for me and I pursued the heck out of it. I couldn’t imagine not getting hired. As fate would have it, I did not get the job. The 6-week interview and waiting (mostly waiting) process ended abruptly with a non-committal voicemail saying that the management team still wasn’t sure how they’d like to go about filling the position, so they weren’t going to choose me. A year later, I got offered the job over breakfast in a completely unrelated chance meeting with someone else in the organization who had no idea that I ever applied.
Looking back, I realize now that that job would have drastically changed my career path, and not in a positive way. It was by no means a bad place, but it was not the right choice for me.
Throughout my application process, however, I kept submitting applications to other production companies, design firms, and marketing agencies. I ended up getting the job that served as a launching pad into the industry in which I started my own business.
The most important lesson I learned was that the process of applying to jobs can expand your horizons and even your expectations for yourself. I set aside one hour three times per week to research and apply for jobs in the area where I wanted to move. As I prepared each application, I imagined myself in a career with that employer. By the time I heard that I wasn’t getting my first choice, I had imagined myself as a communications consultant, a member of a user experience optimization team, a multimedia artist, a camera op, and more. The result? I was totally ok with not getting that job. I had hedged my bet with countless other applications and had landed a couple of promising interviews.
When you go through the process of applying to a wide range of jobs, you open up your mind to the possibility of doing something different than you expected. Which means, in short, that you prepare yourself for the realities of life. One of my mom’s best friends used to say “Chance favors the prepared mind.” So prepare yourself for the chance that you’ll do something different, and you might just love the new you!
You’re creating momentum: By applying to a lot of jobs, you create a habit of following through on your commitment to changing your life. Whether you’re coming out of college or transitioning careers, this choice to become a professional designer represents a life change that requires discipline and consistency. Starting off on the right foot means you’re more likely to interview well, follow up when you say you will, show up on time on your first day, and keep up with the changing industry throughout your career.
Make a conscious decision to create momentum for yourself in the right direction. You will create a virtuous cycle for yourself that produces great results in the future.
How to survive endless applications:
One at a time: Do you ever have trouble trying to do five things at a time? Or even two things at once? My fiancé will tell you that I am TERRIBLE and multitasking. It is not possible for me to focus on more than one thing at one time and, more often than I care to admit, I choose the wrong thing as the recipient of my focus.
Here’s the best productivity tip I have EVER received (yeah, I’m going to give it to you for free, right here. No need to buy our Dream Job Course, which I just shamelessly linked):
Do one thing at a time.
Sounds easy enough. But with a million and a half distractions around you, it can be very hard! I stumbled across this video a while back, in which Marie Forleo suggests that you create “onesies,” or one item to-do lists. Write your task on a sticky note, do it, then cross it off and celebrate!
The goal here is to take this whole process in bite-sized chunks. If you sit down with the goal of writing one application and find that you have the energy to write two, you’ll come away feeling great! If you sit down to write ten, however, and your head is going to explode after four, that just sucks. Set reasonable, bite-sized goals for yourself, then accomplish them — no excuses.
The “25 Minute” Rule: When I have a lot of hard work to do, I use a system called the “Pomodoro Technique.” It has a fancy name, but it is by no means fancy or complicated. Set a timer for twenty-five minutes and work without distraction for those twenty-five minutes. Once the time is up, take a break for five minutes, then repeat. After four or five sessions, you can take a longer break.
By splitting up your workload, you give yourself a structured period of focused concentration, then a short time to relax before you re-focus. I’ve personally tried longer intervals, but I don’t recommend it. Twenty-five minutes is just long enough to be significantly productive and just short enough that you can always yourself to finish the session.
If your goal is to spend an hour three times per week applying for jobs, that means you’ll only need two Pomodoro sessions to knock out the work. Put your phone on “do not disturb,” turn on some music (preferably without lyrics. I’m listening to the “Simply Piano” radio channel on Apple Music right now, but I regularly listen to favorite composers like Bach and even Hans Zimmer), and eliminate distractions. You’ll love how productive you can be, and you’ll feel refreshed after your sessions once your to-do list is completed.
Coffee (or whatever floats your goat 🐐): Finally, reward yourself for work well done! Personally, I’m addicted to a Grande Lite Blonde Vanilla Latte with Almond Milk. And I’m so embarrassed to say a drink order that long in the store that I ALWAYS order with the Starbucks App. I got to Gold status a bit too quickly when I started working from home in 2015.
Anywho, the point here is to create a rewards system for yourself but do it a bit differently than you usually would. If you’re like me, get the coffee when you sit down to and enjoy it as you go. Rather than depriving yourself until you’ve completed everything, then going crazy with a tub of ice-cream, incorporate it into your workflow so that you look forward to sitting down with a treat, setting up your timer, and getting stuff done. It’s small, but it helps like crazy for me.
There’s a lot of work involved in submitting high-quality applications to numerous jobs. I guarantee you, however, that you’ll increase your odds and create more realistic expectations for yourself if you diligently apply to as many as you can find. Best of luck out there!
Check out our unique online course. Design Your Career is the only online course created to help designers get the professional skills they need to land their dream job. Through 20 video modules, you’ll learn about design in corporate environments, market research, job application strategies and more.
