The Website Design Blog

This advice is solely based on my own experience of trying to break into the employment market straight from university at the peak of a global recession. I was in the concluding months of my BA web design degree at Teesside University when it suddenly dawned on me that I should really start looking for a job!

It was April and I was swamped with my final year project / dissertation (hauterfly ecommerce website). Finding the time to compile a portfolio of work and apply for jobs involved an array of energy drinks and strong coffees. But hey, that’s what it takes!

I began at the beginning (obviously)…

Step One – The CV

I figured that the most important thing for a web designer was a good CV. I think most young web designers are mislead into believing that having an online portfolio is the be all and end all of succeeding in the employment race. Having said that, having a good online portfolio can only put you ahead of the competition!

The way I understand it is that employers are looking for the correct personality and character in a graduate rather than their Photoshop skills. Your prospective employer is looking for somebody that they can shape into a team player that has some talent but more than anything – is willing to put the hours in and learn the trade.

Step Two – The Portfolio

Although I don’t think that it is completely necessary, it is good to put in an extra few days of work in and get a comprehensive collection of work together that will help your application. Employers want to see that you have the raw talent as well as the personality. Your portfolio can say a lot about who you are and your personality and often does so.

Please avoid adding those pieces of work into your portfolio that you completed at the start of your degree or college course. I doubt that they are your best pieces of work! I am only saying this because I learned the hard way. I went for an interview with an insurance company to become part of their web team. Happy as Larry I went to the interview and all was going great. I then proceeded to talk them through my portfolio…

One of the pieces of work that I had selected was a web animation celebrating the centenary of Lee Cooper jeans. The animation attempted to show the birth of Lee Cooper jeans in a somewhat abstract manner. See for yourselves…

It definitely achieved one thing – a very awkward interview. Perhaps in some interviews something like this would be a good ice breaker but not in the one I was in. I think the moral of this story is to think things through and ask other people’s opinions (preferably not your housemate’s).

Step Three – The Search

I tried to search using the popular job websites like monster and fish4jobs, amongst others but I rarely heard anything from them and when I did it was from a recruitment agency and in my experience, they aren’t very helpful.

I soon got fed up of this approach and moved on to google. Luckily, I knew the geographical area in which I wanted to work and therefore I googled “web design agencies lichfield” amongst other similar variations. My thinking was to email every single design agency regardless of whether they were employing or not – what’s the worst that can happen?

I must have emailed 50 companies. I got about 15 replies and 2 interviews and from those interviews I got a job! So my advice would be to contact as many people as possible! You will get rejections- that’s just how it goes – but in the end, with a bit of perseverance you’ll get a result.

I’m now happily working for an Internet Marketing Company and thoroughly enjoying the challenges that being a web designer brings. So good luck and if I can answer any questions I will!