Work Hard and Be Nice to People
One of the most common struggles that young designers run into when looking to join the workforce is the fact that they don’t have any experience and every job opening wants the applicant to have 2+ years of experience. This can become very frustrating and leaves many lost at how to get their foot in the door in their career path.
Although there is no guarantee for getting a job there are a few things that I have learned through my experience and have been taught that will definitely help.
First of all, do your research, be looking for a job and familiarize yourself with the job hiring process before you are actually looking for one. Talk to others that have gone through the job hiring process to get tips and recommendations for what worked for them. Other than that, these are the 5 most important things that have helped me get my foot in the door and a job:
- Be Intentional
Although school doesn’t count as experience to most employers, if you can show them that you have the skillset they are looking for and an example of how you have executed with that skillset, that will be extremely valuable. With school giving you many projects to work on, you can use these in your portfolio, but just showing up to class and completing the requirements of the project, will not be enough of a portfolio piece in most circumstances.
First of all, when the project begins, instead of taking the topic that the entire class has been given, you may be able to apply the topic to a real world situation, and if you can, the project will mean more to you, and you will likely have the opportunity and motivation to take the project far enough to be a portfolio piece.
Being intentional in class means to go further than coming for attendance and completing the assignment. Sounds a little cliché, but you will get as much out of the class as you put in. Ask the professor to help you take the assignment further than what has already been assigned, offer some free designs to a local small business, etc. By doing so, you can show the impact of your designs, get experience working with real clients, all while you are getting credit for a class.
2. Make and Maintain Genuine Relationships
It is no secret that one of the biggest things that will get you a job is who you know. With that being said, there is a balance between making connections on LinkedIn and being best friends with everybody you have ever worked with.
Make it a point create genuine relationships with the people that you work, go to school, live with, etc. Not because you want to use them as a reference for your next job, but because you genuinely care about them and their friendship.
These types of relationships prove much better connections in the workforce than people that you network with for the sole purpose of networking.
3. Have Confidence in Yourself and Your Abilities
This is one that I say with a caveat that being humble is definitely the way to go, but there comes a point that you need to be confident in your abilities and if you show that confidence, others will believe in you and your abilities as well. If you go into any meeting or interview lacking confidence, how is your employer/colleagues supposed to have confidence in you and your work?
Of course, the more collaborative you are, the better, and when feedback is offered, take it humbly and apply it, but go in to the meeting/interview knowing that you have done well and have the ability to learn and do whatever needs to be done next.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right” — Henry Ford
4. Provide Value Wherever You Currently Are
When starting out in the career field, you may not land your dream job as your first job, and you may not be doing exactly what you envisioned or hoped for at your first job. That is okay and normal, but you can provide value wherever you are at. After establishing trust with that company, there may be an opportunity to change your job, or add responsibilities to your job that make it more of the position you hoped for.
I started as an intern on the Marketing Communications team, and after establishing myself within the company and amongst my coworkers, I was able to ask for design projects to work on and after a couple of these completed projects I was moved to the UI/UX team where I am currently working on.
You many not have the title that you want or be working at your dream company, but there is always value where you are at, relationships to be made, and opportunities that you can create for yourself.
5. Work hard and Be Nice to People
My most favorite of all of the things that I have experienced and been taught is this principle. I think many people overlook the soft skills that they can bring to the table. There is a lot of power in the ability to put your head down and work hard. By going the extra mile in the responsibilities given to you, or taking on new responsibilities without being asked, all while simply being nice to those around you, you can achieve your career goals.
Be proactive, get rid of any “that’s not in my job description” mentality, put your best effort forwards, and be nice.
Emma Lightfoot is a student in the Digital Media program at Utah Valley University, Orem Utah, studying Interaction & Design. The following article relates to the discussions, guest speakers, and assignments in the (DGM 1240 Course) and representative of the skills learned.
