6 actionable tips to help you get a job as a graphic designer (My story) — E29

Getting a job as a graphic designer in 2023 is simple, but difficult.

There are numerous job boards, social platforms and websites to apply for roles, but the competition in the market today is quite fierce. If you want to get a job, there are a couple of things you need to have checked to put you in a good position.

In this article, I will walk you through the steps I took to get a job at an airline as a graphic designer. This will be useful to you if you’re looking for your first design job, or someone looking to transition into a new position.

To add some context

Prior to this new role, I had been working at Benjamindada.com, an Africa tech media publication (my first role) for about a year and a half. I felt I had accomplished my goals at that role. I had really learnt a lot but was seeking a new challenge in my career. I began to take major steps to position myself for a new role which we will dive into below.

1. Upgrade your portfolio

I took out old projects and added 2 new case studies to my portfolio. I put in a lot of effort into making them standard projects with the help and guidance of Briefbox. These projects got some good reception on social media which gave me a confidence boost that my portfolio was in decent shape. With this boost, I began applying for jobs.

2. Learn new skills

I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to work but I knew the skills I needed to improve on which were Layout, Use of Colour, UI Design and Motion Design. I also saw that many job descriptions nowadays require more of a designer. If you want to get a job, you just have to try your best to pick up more skills beyond standard graphic design (layout, typography etc.)

I began taking courses on After Effects and registered for the UI/UX Bootcamp by Joseph Brendan. This helped me get up to speed with the tools and processes in these sections of design. Although to be honest, it became overwhelming juggling all these with a design job so I had to pause for a while (Classic designer problem ??). But at least it helped me have some understanding of animation and UI design. It was also instrumental during my interview because I had to do some UI design and GIF animations.

3. Position your LinkedIn account for success

LinkedIn can be a tricky platform with so much to do, but here are some steps you can take to position yourself better to recruiters or talent managers.

• Update your profile picture and header image (a chance to show off your projects/skills)
• In the About section, write about your current position (or activities), your previous experiences, your unique skills, your side activities and a means of contact at the end (email preferably).
• Update all your previous experiences and put detailed descriptions/pictures.
• Update your skills section with new skills, licenses and certifications gained from Point 2.
• Update your Education section. Many designers tend to leave this out because they didn’t go to design school. Still, go ahead to add it because recruiters want to see it.
• Put key posts in your Featured Section (About you, recent projects, accomplishments etc.)
• Put a keyword of the position you’re seeking and add the link to your portfolio or website in your bio.

Doing these steps will really help upgrade your LinkedIn and position you better towards recruiters. You don’t have to post every day but share projects you’re working on based on your frequency.

4. Put key achievements in your resume

During my interview session at my current job, my recruiter pointed out a key achievement in my resume, where I helped my previous company make huge sums of money through design. That immediately caught their attention, and they were really interested in the fact that I had an awareness of the business side of design and not just aesthetics.

When writing achievements, try to write what you did and the result it brought in. For example, “I re-designed the landing page of a website which helped attract 23,500 more customers.”

5. Be humble, honest and open to learning

When I started my new role, one of my recruiters mentioned to me that the reason I was hired was because I was honest and open to learning. During my interview, I was asked if I could Illustrate. I said, “No not really, but I can learn it.” I never knew it would be a saving grace for me. They mentioned that I had a good attitude, one which was open to always learning.

I will always encourage you to be honest and humble during interviews and life in general. It will take you places, trust me.

6. Keep close contact with your friends/colleagues

The job application for this current role was shared with me by a friend of mine back at the University. I still had to work really hard as the interview sessions were tough but if I didn’t see the link, there’s no way I could have applied, meaning no job.

Once in a while, try to spark conversations with old friends. They most likely know you’re a designer and if they see any opportunities, they’ll most likely share it with their friends, in this case, you.

All in all, I wish you success. Keep working hard, believe in your faith and I’m sure you will be getting that job in no time.

Here’s my first day at work at Green Africa Airways HQ, a value airline based in Lagos, Nigeria.