10 Things to Remember When You Start Your First Design Job
Based on my own experience
1. Talk to people
It’s obvious but very often overlooked. Spend some time getting to know people and what their roles are. Learn what the hierarchy is. There’s no such thing as a flat hierarchy (even if they say so), learn who sits at which level and base your conversations on that. Be open. Go out with your team – this is especially important if you’re an introvert (like me).
2. Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s much cheaper to ask questions at the start of a project. There’s no place for hesitation in your job profile – you can ask the most obvious questions with even more obvious answers because that’s what shapes the product. Don’t shy away, again, especially if you’re an introvert.
3. Know what you’re dealing with before you get to the drawing board
This is one rule I live by – knowing the who/what/why of your product. Learn who you’re designing for, what your product and problem is about, and why you’re building a solution for it. Learn how these align to the product and company vision. As a good practice, base all your design decisions on these.
4. Focus on work, not politics
It’s only natural that you’ll want to impress your peers and seniors on your new job. The right way to go about it is to focus on actual work and not on other things. Be accountable for your work. Make sure you do the best that you can within the scope of your project and all else will follow.
5. Show your work
This is a corollary to #4. While it’s important to work hard, it’s equally important to present that you are, in fact, working hard. Present your work to peers frequently, show them progress and talk about it. If you only focus on work and handoff to developers, and don’t pay attention to sharing it outside of the team, no one outside of your immediate team will know what you’re contributing to the product and the company.
6. Everyone’s been an imposter
We’ve all been there (and still are). When you move right out of school into work, it can feel a little chaotic for you – even though everyone else looks calm like they’ve got it. You may feel like you’re imposter who doesn’t know what they’re doing. But here’s the catch – your employer hired you and there’s a reason for that. Trust their decision. My philosophy is to fake it till you make it. It has only helped with the occasional overwhelming sense of not belonging to the crowd. It does get better with time as you start to get more confident. The important thing is to acknowledge how you’re feeling and not let it affect your work.
7. Ask for help
This is quite an underrated advice. When you start on your first job, the company and people don’t expect you to know everything. It’s ok to ask for help if you’re stuck. It shows that you care about learning and are open to improving yourself.
8. Don’t be defensive
You’re bound to make mistakes, but how you handle them is what shapes your career. Don’t get too attached to your designs and don’t get defensive when someone is critiquing your work. Accept that you’re human enough to make mistakes and learn how not to make the same mistake again. Of course this doesn’t mean that you should continue making the same mistakes. This also doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t hold your ground when necessary. The key is to find that perfect line where you are humble enough to accept your mistakes and strong enough to defend your decisions when it’s truly best for the product.
9. “Believe in yourself”
This may sound a little preachy, but no-one else will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. Take it slow at the beginning, establish a good workflow that gives you enough time to improve yourself and trust yourself. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but don’t be cocky either.
10. Remember why you became a designer
As with every other job in the world, the most important thing to remember is why you’re doing what you’re doing. Go back to when you decided to be a designer and re-evaluate your choices. Let it be your motivation. Good luck!
