Voxpop

What advice would you give to those graduating designers who are preparing to apply for jobs or launch their careers in the design world?

As one graduate among thousands, you will be relying on your quick wit, strong communication skills and often CAD monkey ability to land you that first job. Don’t waste precious time on redrafting portfolios or avoiding that inevitable first cold call to potential employers. Your industry is broader than you think, so be willing to look outside the top ten consultancies in your field, as often you will actually get to design much quicker in the lesser-known firms, and they also pay better.
Jimmy MacDonald, Director, Tent London

Thoroughly research the groups you want to work for – why blanket e-mail CVs to 400 consultancies when you really only want to work for three of them? Be proactive – show them exactly why you should work for them. Do placements. Don’t expect to just walk into the perfect job. If you want to work on your own, network like mad and look at working with partners who may have skills that you do not. Getting into the industry is partly luck, but mostly dedication, talent and hard graft – and remember, don’t give up.
Rhiannon James, Graduating creatives manager, D&AD

It may seem very obvious, but most people who approach Digit don’t follow these simple rules: decide on a few consultancies where you’d really like to work; research those groups – find out about their work; find the right person to approach and spell their name correctly; write a letter on paper, make it interesting, informative and simple, and post it – yes, this really does make a difference – then e-mail it, too. Consultancies are busy, so give them a bit of time to respond before chasing them, and have some insightful and interesting questions ready for your interview. Good Luck.
Daljit Singh, Creative Director and founder, Digit

First, be active and passionate about targeting people you really want to work with and be clear about why you want to join them. Then, be ready to show the thinking behind your creative approach and your ability to interrogate a brief and focus on the outcome rather than the creative process. Finally, a sparky, open and curious approach to the world shows how you’ll stay fresh and creative once you’re shackled to a job…
Jayne Mayled, Managing director, Jupiter Design