How to find a job as a design student
Recently I’ve graduated from the Trier University of Applied Science and got a bachelor degree in Intermedia Design. Although I’ve already studied Computer Science in China and worked as a developer for five years, I aimed to become a designer and had to find a job in Germany as a fresh design graduate.
It was a far more difficult journey than I imaged. The software and Internet industry is very hot, even people outside this area know gossips of Mark Zuckerberg and famous startups. Hence you could effortlessly find a job as a developer if your coding skill is not that bad. I thought job seeking should be easy and I’ve lived in that echo chamber for a long time. Until 3 months ago.
In May, while I was stilling working on my bachelor thesis, I started to search some design positions on Internet and sent my CV to several employers. No response. It was fine, I was not in a hurry. I had to focus on my thesis first. After finishing 80% of my project in June, I put more effort into job search. I designed my own CV template, completed the LinkedIn profile, and made a portfolio website. This time I sent my CV and cover letter to all the job openings I could find.
Almost all responses are negative. The refusals were formal and cold, obviously generated from a template. At first I would read the email carefully, but soon I lost my patience and just scanned the content to check if there was a “we are sorry…” or “unfortunately…”, then switched to LinkedIn to search another position.
Sometimes I was invited to Skype interviews, though by headhunters. Usually they would say that they didn’t have suitable openings for a fresh graduate like me, but they’d like to have me in their database. That’s the notorious predicament for graduates: The employers and headhunters only want experienced workers, but how can you gain experience if you can’t find a job?
However, I was still glad to talk with headhunters. I was not confident with my English and German and I didn’t feel quite comfortable with Skype interview. Any opportunity to practice my language and interview skills were welcome. In order to build a professional atmosphere, sometimes on the interview day I would put on the suit, at least the upper body, in order to show that I’m a good candidate whom should be taken seriously.
By then I’ve learned, in the hard way, that job seeking is painful, especially for a design student. Unlike coding or physics, design is often very subjective. You could hardly defend yourself against a simple word: “It’s only your personal taste.” And — I just can’t understand why — everyone thinks they could design, because “my friend said I have quite a sense of color”. If a lots of people think anyone can be a designer, of course they won’t pay you much.
So I lowered the salary expectation, polished my portfolio, and began to apply for the positions every day. I refreshed LinkedIn and XING (A German business social network, like LinkedIn) frequently and eagerly clicked the “Apply” button on the page of every new job opening relevant to UX Design.
Thanks to my crazy application strategy, until now I’ve received more than 150 refusals and dozens of interview invitations. And most interviews didn’t bring good news to me. But eventually, in August, I got an offer.
Why did the other companies refuse me and my current employer give me a job? I don’t know. I believe that I’m qualified for most positions I’ve applied for. I really do. I’m a good designer and quick learner(Yeah, I know, every designer says they’re good and learn things quickly, but I’m telling the truth! XD ), yet they just don’t give me the chance to prove it. And I don’t know how to persuade them. Oh, if you could see inside my heart.
Why could I find a job? Because I had good luck. There is no other reason.
Neil Gaiman’s speech at the University of Arts is one of my favourite speeches. In the inspirational speech he told the graduates: “People get hired because, somehow, they get hired.”
It sounds cynical, but it’s true. Though all companies declare that they have strict recruiting rules and their HR team is super professional, find a good fit for a position is always difficult. There is no perfect mechanism to prevent you from getting an unqualified candidate. Just think about Donald Trump.
The company must face two constraints that can’t be broken. First, the resources are limited. HR team has limited members. Each member has only 24 hours a day. And there is a deadline. So they can’t check every available candidate in the market carefully.
Usually they’d like to have some “filters”, such as “Bachelor degree in Graphic Design” and “At least 2 years work experience”, then focus on the selected candidates. However, the “perfect fit” for the job opening may have no degree.
Secondly, recruiters and managers are also human beings. As we all know, human beings are far from flawless. We are emotional. We have biases. We make stupid mistakes, continuously. Thus we shouldn’t be surprised if recruiters and managers decide to hire someone inadequate.
So if you can’t find a job, it doesn’t mean that you’re not good or unqualified for the positions you’ve applied for. Perhaps you’re just unlucky. Or you just can’t pass the recruiting filters. And the companies just want to find a good fit for the position. In other words, if they have found a good fit, they don’t care whether other good designers can find a job or not.
Don’t be hypercritical to yourself and your work. What you may need is probably some kind of internships or contacts to help you pass the filters and get an opportunity to prove yourself. Or you just keep applying for other positions, like what I did.
By the way, many companies claim that they “only hire the best”. They can’t. Because “the best” may not want to work for them. They can only hire the best of their candidates. So don’t be afraid, just send your CV and you will possibly be the best that they could have.
I wish you good luck.
Hi, I’m trying to improve my English writing, any feedbacks and corrections are welcome!