Tips for Design Graduates

Advice for what every new design grad should know

Design schools provide foundations for developing technical skills and practicing a design process — however the challenge comes when a new grad designer transitions to work on real problems.

Here’s some advice/tips that I’ve been given over the years for those breaking into the industry:

General

• Know and focus on your strengths
• Figure out what you want to do — as a design student this can feel daunting, do an internship or attend design networking events so you can ask for advice from others in roles/companies you are considering
• Look for job descriptions on jobs you’re interested in, find the gaps between your skills and what the job demands
• Be able to articulate what you want to do
• Don’t take an offer too soon, assess if it’s the right fit and ask more questions if needed
• Trying and asking for things generally offers you some percentage of success in a given opportunity—where as not asking offer 0% of success

Interview basics

• Show up on time
• Stay engaged in the conversation
• Show excitement
• Get contact information for a thank you note
• Be careful with spelling (especially names!)
• Tell a story behind your work
• Research the company to see if it’s a good fit — an interview is a two-way conversation
• Send an email with your resume, portfolio samples and relevant links

Interview prep

• Prepare questions to ask about the role and team
• Here’s some common interview questions in design, while you don’t need to memorize a speech it may help to be familiarized with them so you don’t get thrown off guard
• It’s totally ok to ask for clarification if you don’t understand a question
• Show the thinking behind design decisions, you have the greatest control/freedom for expression in student projects
• Ask about the job expectations, working environment, day to day responsibilities during the interview. Many times a title doesn’t tell you much about what you actually do
• Culture fit might be another factor. What working culture is this hiring manager looking for? What working culture is the company known for?

Portfolio

• Test your portfolio on different devices
• Have a clear organization in your portfolio, showing an overview and your design process
• Make sure to show and tell (show work and inform the audience the reasoning and context for the project)
• If possible, tailor your portfolio to the audience (ex. highlight mobile work for someone looking for a mobile designer…etc.)

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