How To Get Hired For A Graphic Designer Job Immediately

A career in graphic design is certainly one of the most lucrative options today.

Given the popularity of aesthetics in branding and marketing, as well as the world literally living their lives on digital platforms, a graphic designer job profile is highly in demand. 

However, with such popularity comes a lot of competition as well.

There may be thousands of candidates who are trying to start a career as a professional graphic designer.

And, considering the tiringly lengthy hiring process that a few companies have, it is imperative for candidates to take some extra measures to ensure they bag the job offer.

If you, too, are looking to make a successful career in graphic design but have been losing out often, don’t get disheartened.

In this article, we give you some very special tips that will not only make you the top choice for recruiters but, will also shorten your interview process and get you hired for a graphic design job; almost immediately. 

Be clear with what you want

Some 10-15 years back, the job of a graphic designer was clear; to be specialized in creating graphics for business marketing and branding.

It could be a logo design, a brochure design, a business card design, a poster design, a billboard ad design, etc.

Today, the specialization as a professional designer has expanded into several different genres.

There are specialized website designers, who are the experts in UI/UX designs. There are specialized mobile app designers, who can differentiate the requirements for different mobile operating systems; such as creating an app for an Android OS, or an iOS.

Similarly, there are logo design experts, print design experts, and so on.

So, you need to be very clear with the kind of graphic designer job profile you are more interested in taking up.

Also, sticking to a specific specialization filter you out from a huge lot of generic designers, and makes it easier for recruiters looking for a designer specialized in a particular type of graphic designing.

Work on your communication skills

One of the biggest factors that differentiate a regular candidate from the one who actually gets hired for the job of a graphic designer is communication skills.

Now, of course! You may wonder, “What does communication skills have to do with making creative designs?”

Well, Surprise! Surprise!

Communicating with the clients is one of the key roles in a graphic designer’s job description.

As a designer, before you even begin with your first mockup design, you need to get complete clarity on what the client is looking to achieve from the design.

What are their objectives? Who’s the target audience? What are their brand’s vision and message? And, any other expectations that they carry from the design.

And, in order to understand all this, a designer needs to have a detailed conversation, upfront, with the client, and get a clear understanding of everything there is to understand.

Additionally, having a strong command of your communication skills gives you that extra edge over other candidates and makes you recruiters’ favorite immediately.

It also helps in your career progression.

Check out this article to get tips on improving communication with the clients. 

Work on your resume

Yes! We know that, for a designer, their portfolio is their resume. But, here, we are referring to an actual, professionally created job resume for a graphic designer job profile.

Whether you are a seasoned designer (having 2-3 years of work experience) or, starting as a fresher, having a strong resume is a must.

Don’t think that, since you already are in the industry for a couple of years, you don’t have to work on your job resume anymore.

You need to ensure that your resume includes appropriate information about your experience, your expertise, and your personality traits.

Another thing that can help you build a strong and effective resume is making it SEO friendly.

You know how recruiters find and filter resumes from job portals. So, it is important that you include certain industry keywords that would make it easier for your resume to be found from the ocean of hundreds and thousands of graphic design resumes.

A good, and highly recommended way, to ensure your resume gets shortlisted (and that you get hired immediately) is to modify your resume according to the job you are applying for.

See what the requirements posted by the recruiter are, and use those words in your resume.

Make your work visible (online)

Now, this shouldn’t come as a surprise at all. Creating an online design portfolio is a basic graphic designer job 101.

However, making your work visible online doesn’t just means that you make a portfolio on Behance, dribble, Pinterest, Fiverr, or any other similar platform.

Making your work visible online also means expanding your audience outreach by being present on several other important, and relevant platforms; such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

You need to understand that a lot of recruiters and hiring managers look for their perfect candidate on such platforms.

Additionally, you can always join relevant graphic design forums and, even create a static (but professional) website.

In fact, having your own website would be a testament to your graphic design skills and expertise. 

Here are 25 pro tips to create a winning graphic design portfolio

Try getting an internship

One of the best ways to grab a job offer with your dream company is to try and get an internship first with them.

Internships work as a great doorway to finding a full-time job offer.

It’s like having a foot in the door. While you’re still not completely inside the room, it keeps it open for you to have a good chance to enter.

Through internship associations, firms get a dedicated resource to work for their design projects, and you get to show your design skills as well as other professional traits that could help you bag that graphic designer job offer.

Through internships, you become the first priority for the hiring managers as it reduces their load for looking out and interviewing other candidates.

Of course, in terms of pay, the scale is low. But, hey! You are way ahead of thousands of other candidates in the race already.

Additionally, completing a good 2-3 months of internship period with a reputed firm not only gives you the required industry experience but, also can help add weight to your job resume.

Be real in your interview

One of the worst things you can do to shatter your chances of getting hired for a graphic designer job (or any job for that matter) is faking it during the interview.

Remember that the interviewer is an experienced professional who has conversed with thousands of candidates in their long professional career of hiring. It would be a walk in the park for them to catch your sham behavior in a jiffy.

It is understood to portray yourself as the ideal candidate with high work ethics and saying what you think the recruiter wants to hear. But, honestly, it’d be much better to be real and stick to originality.

Yes, there are a few common questions asked by every interviewer. But, that doesn’t mean you give rehearsed answers for them.

If you be honest (even if that makes you look inexperienced) it is highly likely that the recruiter would appreciate that in you and get you hired immediately.

Keep learning and improving

“The secret of life is to fall seven times and to get up eight times.”

Even if you are not a fan of Paulo Coelho, it is not that difficult to understand the message behind this quote.

So what if you applied for a job and didn’t get it on the first attempt? Maybe a few weeks later you find the same job position open again. You need to ensure that you are ready to break at this time and get that job offer.

But, in order to do that, you need to understand where you falter the last time and how you can fill those gaps.

You need to keep learning and updating yourself with the latest design trends and regulations so that when the opportunity strikes again, you are ready to weigh in.

In fact, if the recruiter remembers you from the last time, and sees your improvement and dedication to work, you become an immediate favorite; escalating your chances to get hired immediately for the graphic designer job.

Check out these free graphic design certifications and courses available online. 

To conclude…

Making a career in graphic design is worth it but, only if you really have the dedication and interest to be the creative person you claim to be.

These were some of the tips that each one of you budding designers can follow to get hired for a graphic designer job; almost immediately.

Since you are here, why not check out this blog on one of our most experienced designers who shares his thoughts on whether to make a career in graphic design worth.