Looking for Designer Jobs? Check out the following five tips!

2018-11-09 - 5 min read

You who have just graduated from college, or who just want to start a career as a designer, must work hard in order to become a reliable professional. In the process, maybe you will be wracked with various challenges and work pressures that are sometimes not easy.

Talent designers are quite common in Indonesia, but not necessarily the ability of each individual according to the needs of the company. Therefore, you must shine among the other candidates so that the company wants to hire you.

So what are the abilities that are opened by job openers from a designer in the recruitment process? What can make you stand out compared to other candidates?

Before work, you must first know where is the right place for you. Do you want to work in a big company? Or do you want to test yourself in a dynamic company like most startups? Even though they have the same profession title, each job will have responsibilities, a work environment, and different dynamics.

If you want to work in a corporation in the form of a corporation, usually you will be asked to always dress neatly, come on time, and work with a variety of employees in different hierarchies. While at most startups, the work atmosphere will be more casual, working hours are more flexible, and work without inter-office assignments thanks to the spirit of transparency that startups usually have.

In addition, you can do the following tips:

Find out more information about the company from friends who have worked there. Even better if you can connect with recruiters at the company. Know what benefits the company can give you, also what you can give to the company. Determine work patterns that match your abilities. If you feel more productive to work in the afternoon, companies that implement a rigid system of working hours - from 9:00 to 17:00 - may be less suitable for you.

The ability of someone to be able to present ideas is an essential thing for a designer. Without it, how can you explain the design you made?

Besides public speaking, your ability to interview someone must also be honed. Because through direct interaction with clients, you can find out what they want from your work. Reliable communication skills are the key to creating extraordinary work.

When presenting the results of your work, reassure that the work that you have created really does answer the needs of users and the business objectives of the company.

One way to enter the industry is through connections. You will not get a relationship if you are just busy in the room, sending CVs to various companies, and hoping to get a dream job.

Develop a network that you have professionally and personally. Some ways you can do include:

Participating in various professional events, one of which is like Tech in Asia Conference. With an event like this, you will meet colleagues who can give you interesting insights about things in the industry.

Chat directly with professionals. You can do this through various meetup or workshop events. By getting to know various professionals in the industry, your network will become more extensive and it is not impossible that you can work with them later.

Develop relationships with recruiters that you trust. By developing relationships with recruiters, you will have a greater chance on the industry talent market. They may recommend you to other recruiters for your work, as long as you keep your portfolio quality excellent.

Dive into various communities on social media. Social media is one of the best places that you can use to get acquainted with the talents in the industry. Follow various professional groups that are on social media, and participate in every conversation that exists. If you are lucky — and are considered competent — someone might invite you to collaborate with them.

Imitating a design does not mean stealing it. In an article, practitioner and instructor in the field of user interface Erik Kennedy had a chance to talk about improving one's design skills by imitating the way professionals work.

This mimicking activity is called copywork, a technique used for centuries by writers and painters. Copywork is the process of recreating an existing work while keeping the nuance the same. In addition to producing a work, copywork is also used as a training medium to hone skills.

This is what famous fashion designer Michael Kors is doing. After years of working in the fashion world, Kors was inspired by various fashion models made by his place of work, Louis Vuitton.

Instead of copying it completely, he made several changes in terms of design and material used.

After deciding to pioneer its own brand, Kors launched a variety of fashion products similar to various well-known brands on the market — at much more affordable prices. The result? Kors managed to get the attention of the middle class with its line of product lines.

Even though at first glance what Michael Kors did seemed illegal, but in fact it wasn't. He is not necessarily tracing the work of a brand in total, but he made several changes in terms of design and material used. This produces a product that is premium in design, but still affordable. As long as the market demand for premium "economical" products is still high, this phenomenon will continue to exist.

Recruiters will usually check the digital footprint that you left on the internet. Reassure that you are in good condition and do not have a bad digital track record.

Begin to delete the post that you feel is not pleasing and multiply the things that are knowledge sharing. This will make the recruiter see you as a positive person.

To build a positive image of yourself on the internet, you can create a personal blog to share what you've learned so far. In addition, you can also show off what you have done on websites like DeviantArt, Behance, or Dribbble.

Besides you will get a plus in the eyes of recruiters, the community will also benefit from what you have contributed to the ecosystem.

Being a superior candidate does not require you to be someone perfect. A good designer will be very helpful if they have good storytelling skills, problem solving skills, and are compatible with the culture in the place where it works.

When you are ready to enter the professional world, you must be sure of your abilities. Be someone who is flexible, quickly adapts to the work environment, and is motivated to learn new things. This will trigger your coworkers to do the same.