We won’t sugar-coat it: landing a job is tough right now. But creatives are fortunate to have ingenuity and individuality on their side, coupled with classic methods of landing a job. Whether you’re highly focused on full-time work, or part-time work, or are fine with freelancing, the journey toward your first creative job is similar! It takes a lot of planning and focus, but here are the steps we recommend toward landing your first creative gig.
1. Create A Portfolio That Sets You Apart
For creatives, your portfolio is even more important than your resume. While you still need both to land an interview, your portfolio is the one that does the work of selling your expertise continuously online. Decide which 3 to 4 projects should be case studies (we have an article for that). Make sure your case studies are focused on the industries and skills you want to continue to use in the future. Make sure your strong homepage speaks to your values, experience, and in-demand services that you bring to companies. If you need help, there are plenty of super slick AI platforms and other trusted sites like Behance that can have your portfolio up in no time. But! Please beware letting AI take your personality out. Edit anything that an AI platform creates for you and make sure it still feels natural to you. For designers, Squarespace seems to be the best website builder. Copywriters may enjoy WordPress more for its text-forward design. Remember to update your site regularly, as search engines prioritize websites that remain active.
2. Develop your own Brand
After building your portfolio, it’s likely that you’ll notice patterns in what makes you uniquely you. Your values, aesthetic/style, soft skills, modes of communication, and how you work on teams are all traits that make up your brand. So define it and present it everywhere! After creating a portfolio that puts your brand front and center, continue to put your branding out there in the form of vlogs, blogs, educational materials, and social media. Embed and link all your content as an extension of your portfolio so the connection to your work is seamless. Keep all your communication professional as potential hiring managers might view your content. Eventually, you’ll find that you’ll land at a company that shares your values because, as the saying goes, game recognizes game.
3. Network Non-Stop
Start with your closest circle by letting everyone know your desired career moves, including your portfolio, your available skills, and the type of work you desire. Remember to return favors to colleagues who help you—everyone is struggling right now. Attend events if you can and, along with a link to your portfolio, bring a friend if you’re feeling introverted. Cold-email people you want to meet and ask to take them out for coffee or hold a virtual meeting at their leisure. If you’re a designer, ask for portfolio reviews of people you trust, who know a bit about you and where you want to go. If a potential mentor is available, ask for a mentorship. And, as we’ll get to next, offering up work also contributes to building your network.
4. Volunteer or Freelance
In the beginning, it is always slow-going and tough unless you’re hired straight from an internship or freelance gig. Be patient! In the meantime, bolster your portfolio with real-world experience. Start by offering your services to local businesses on their budget. Have a serving or admin job? Offer to update some of their existing designs or copy. Then add it to your portfolio immediately. To discover which businesses might need your assistance, go door-to-door or search for businesses on LinkedIn or Alignable. If you’re looking for non-profit work or to use your skills for a cause, volunteer for charities you believe in. Pitch your services to smaller clients and build up your portfolio this way with real-world experience.
5. Be a Continuous Learner
Getting hired is not easy and can take months or years. To increase your chances, help you to remain competitive, and not turn to despair, it’s super important to be a continuous learner. In between your job hunting, take online classes and build up your skills. Look at what the top professionals in your desired career are able to do and learn how to do the same things well. Embrace new technology, like AI or VR, and learn all you can! Consider becoming a specialized generalist, too. Carve out and practice the skills you’ll one day do on the job. When the time comes for you to be hired, you’ll be one of the indispensable ones.
To recap, the above five pieces of advice will definitely put everyone on the right path toward landing your first gig. How long it takes to get hired depends on so many factors. Remember: all you can do is control your part of job seeking, which means investing time into your portfolio, your brand, skill-building, networking, and getting real-world work that you can speak to in interviews.
If you are looking for a job or might want to talk with a recruiter, this is why we’re here! At Artisan we pride ourselves in placing the best candidates with top-tier companies. Sound like something you’re interested in?
