Exactly one month from today, I’ll be getting ready for Convocation followed by Graduation a day later. How weird to think about! So many thoughts about jobs, the real world, and moving floating through my head and I’m positive I’m not the only one. It’s exciting to hear about all of the different places in the country or even the world that people are ended up after college. It feels similar to when everyone announced back in high school what college they were accepted to. Lots of decisions to make but it’s also a really exciting time of uncertainty (at least that’s what I keep trying to tell myself).
The latest decisions I’ve had to make was about how to present myself to companies in the form of business cards and a resume. It’s a pretty big deal to hand a company something that you’ve crafted to tell them a story. You want the piece to be short and concise but you want it to live up to all of the late nights you’ve put in for the past 4 years. Somehow cramming all of the work I’ve done into “Graphic Design + Social Media” doesn’t seem to do it a whole lot of justice.
Business cards (and your resume/website/etc) are meant to give remind people who you are, show them what you do and get them to ultimately contact you! Graphic Design is a world where you really want to get all of your things together – who is going to hire someone who can’t seem to even brand themselves or create anything other than a resume on Word (in Comic Sans). Taking an extra hour or two to really think things over can pay off in the long run.
Another thing to keep in mind is how your work is shown online. It’s pretty clear that almost every aspect of life right now is somewhere on the Internet. This means you should be too. As someone who deals mostly with digital/web work, I make sure that my presence on Google is well… there. It’s shocking how many design majors this year don’t have a personal website or blog or even a simple Behance portfolio to show employers. You’re passing up so many opportunities for people to see your work! There isn’t a quicker or easier way to get your work out to lots of people than having it online.
[This information is just as much for myself as it is for anyone else graduating this year.]
If you’re graduating this year – How about sharing a link to your online portfolio? Would love to see!
Or perhaps you already have a job – Any tips for soon-to-be Grads?
