Work: how to get it when you haven’t done it
The beginning of a design career is so hard. You have good taste, huge potential, and you’re even scoring a few exciting interviews where you’re an obvious culture fit. But they say you’re too junior, need more experience, and should get back in touch after you’ve done more work. But how will you get more experience if that’s exactly the thing blocking you from getting hired?
I’m here to help!
Find short-term projects
- Talk to people you know, ask for what you want (design work), and get an email introduction. Personal references go a long way. Make it known on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, and job boards that you’re available for hire. There are people out there looking for designers like you. Make it easier for them to find you.
- Startups are more likely to take someone junior for a short term project than a fulltime hire. Six months of contract work at a few companies can go a long way. It will also help you figure out what you want. Though Mike Monteiro offers 8 good reasons why you shouldn’t join a startup and I like his advice. But hey, you’re trying to get experience for cryin out loud!
- Don’t work for free. It cheapens your work, your value, and your worth. I got this advice young in my career when I too felt desperate and hungry for experience. When word gets around that you’re offering free labor it gets harder to start charging. Unless it’s for your mom.
Join hackathons
This is a good way to get practice solving a focused problem and building real software. Hackathons show you can do intense work under time constraints and collaborate with other disciplines. It shows you can ship software and think under pressure. Hackathons are also a good way to find coworkers and avenues to other short term projects. Look, now you have a personal reference!
Let people network for you
Find people who have startup networks. Get an introduction to people who run communities like incubators, vc firms and co-working spaces. Ask for a short meeting in person or on the phone to talk about who you are and the kind of work you want. Follow up with an email including your bio, portfolio, contact information, and the kind of work you want (short or long term design work). As them to forward that email to their portfolio companies.
Below is a letter I wrote in 2011 to places like Y Combinator, 500 Startups, Kapor Capital and Greylock. Be direct and ask for what you want. You’re looking for companies who need a designer.
I did this and it got me to two contract gigs (one based in Tokyo!) and a wonderful fulltime job I enjoyed for several years.
Getting Hired
I’m now a manager at Pivotal Labs hiring designers in San Francsico and Berlin. It’s pretty hard to bring on new grads but here’s what bumps people to the top of my list:
- people who have shipped good software
- people who explain their process through their work
- people who find me through personal referrals
- people who stay connected to me through their design careers
