Party ends, caps with tassels fly, dorm is packed up, and resumes are distributed, on to the bigger and better! After school, the next step for most grads is the grand job (or should I say “career”) search.
For many, however, this is not the simple transition your professors railed on about.
If you’ve been looking for work since graduation in spring, you’ve most likely read a job description or two. Your heart probably skipped a beat when you read “Entry Level Designer” in the header. As you read and the requirements seem as if they were copied directly from your resume, your brain simultaneously scans your closet inventory searching for that “first day” outfit you KNOW you’re going to need after applying to this job. Then the last line quotes: “2 years experience required.” Dagger.
We’ve all been there. The moment you read that line and think to yourself, “How the hell can ‘entry level’ be for someone who has already ‘entered’ something for 2 years?” It’s the classic need to work to get experience but need experience to get work.
It’s a frustrating Catch 22 that sticks you squarely between “needing experience” yet not being allowed the “opportunity” to gain those essential years.
Well, it’s not going to be easy but here are some tips for getting experience without being handed opportunity.
Freelance
Easier said than done. Yes, I know. But it’s possible. You may need to take gigs that aren’t “sexy” OR that don’t pay much, if at all! See our previous blog for the lowdown on this.
Intern
Same goes here. You may work for free for a bit. But c’mon, weren’t you just a college student? Aren’t they all broke? What’s another couple of months of ONLY happy hour Pabst? Truly though, lots of companies do take at least one intern a summer and lots of them will pay you a little. The key to this is starting your search early. If you’ve hit graduation already… you may be too late.
Don’t Be Picky
This is huge, people. Every graduate has a thought bubble that follows them around holding an image of their future self in it. Of these, I can feel 99.9% sure that none of them picture an entry-level production artist at unknown agency. Well here’s the news flash: if you imagine yourself a famous art director, chances are even they started their career doing the little stuff. You HAVE to be willing to do the grunt work. This is not optional, even if you are the top of the class and the most talented person you’ve ever met. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with doing the production or Photoshop work on an ad! It doesn’t go to press without it!
Don’t Get Discouraged
After you’ve sent your resume and portfolio to 30 companies, and the best response you’ve seen is a generic bounce back, it’s completely normal to feel a little bummed. Heck, go indulge in one’na those happy hour Pabst we talked about earlier. Then tug back on your big kid pants and start again. The truth is, it’s not you. It’s the fact that your resume is probably in a pile of 700 other resumes. That poor HR person fielding those resumes most likely just doesn’t have the time to let everyone know why they weren’t right. Keep going though!
Follow Up
Of the 700 resumes on that HR person’s desk, you may be one of 25 that actually take the time to follow up. Guess what? Now you stand out! At least you know you’ve done your part. Even if it’s another email into an abyss, do it. You never know what may come of it.
Tip ideas originated at http://velvetant.net/blog/
Tags: creative jobs, freelance jobs, graphic design jobs, jobs new york, jobs portland, marketing jobs