Tips for Breaking into Design: weathering a competitive hiring landscape

Lets not beat around, the design job market is brutal in the UK right now, and it’s not much better in the wider world as Chris Becker reported when he joined the conversation from LA

In the UK, it’s not uncommon for junior design roles to attract 500+ applications. That’s a staggering number, and the cycle of applying, waiting, and facing rejection can wear anyone down. I have been reading linkedin posts from people taking their first step into the design industry and its tough read.

But the design industry is an incredible place to work, the people are supportive and I wanted to help ace folks out there looking and getting that fist foot into the creative job space. So asked the Design Education (DE) collective who have been through the process from both the hiring and hiree side, and a few friends who established themselves in the last few years and feel closer to it for advice.

One thing from my experience of being on the hiring end, rejection isn’t always about you. Often, it’s about timing, competition, or internal decisions beyond your control. The key is to stay in the game, adapt, and find new ways in, and please do not lose heart, keep talking to people and surround yourself with folks that lift you up when you feel down, as I will not lie, there are sometimes hard down days.

Here are six top tips from the design community to help you navigate this landscape. (trust me there was more, but I wanted to keep it to a manageable blog post!)

1. Reframe Rejection: It’s not personal (Though at times it will feel personal)

“There’s lots of roles to fill and quadruple talent to fill them. Never take the rejection personally, although at times it will feel as such.” Lovish Saini

Rejection stings, but it doesn’t define you. The hiring processes are often chaotic and unpredictable. Despite your qualifications and talents, success frequently hinges on factors beyond your control: who happened to be interviewed first, how well you match the team’s personality dynamics, or simply good fortune. and sadly sometimes a bit of nepotism (the first rejection I had I was rung by one of the team who told me I was first choice but the role had gone to the bosses cousin, 30 years on still smarting from that one)

• If you don’t hear back, follow up in a month, your application may have been lost in the pile, and not all hiring systems are that great!.
• If rejected pre-interview, don’t ask for feedback, they don’t know you well enough yet. Instead, try to connect with creative directors, recruiters, and founders to get meaningful insight.
• After interviews, it’s free(erish)-game, thank the panel, and ask to be considered for future roles. Leaving a positive impression matters.

2. The numbers game: Apply smart, not just hard

“Once you understand you probably need to send 100+ applications before you get a job, it removes some of the stigma of failure.” Luke Tonge

The reality is, job hunting is a volume game. But volume without strategy is just noise. Instead of blindly applying to every open role:

• Track your applications — use a Notion board, spreadsheet, or simple list.
• Make every application count — NO ChatGPT copy-paste, no “Dear [XXX]” slip-ups.(genuinely got this personally, sloppy mistake this one, I get your firing out lots of CVs, but be detail driven, BUT we all make mistakes folks)
• Be proactive — reach out to companies you admire before they post a job. Ask for a portfolio review or advice, it’s easier to get a “yes” for a conversation than a job request. AND if you ask for portfolio advice ask for specific feedback, not the whole portfolio, remember people are busy, make it easy for them to reply.

Building on this, try to understand the difference between all the different organisations, if you get an interview you are interviewing them as well. Think about where you want to work, where you can thrive and grow, where will add a great step on your career ladder. Think about what brings out the best in you. Not all orgs are the same, start ups, large agencies, small agencies, in house, founder led, public or private sector… they are all very different environments, try to understand the ones that will help you grow and support you.

3. Do the work you want to be hired for

“Show your work! Publish it to your linkedin. Design is a visual medium and resumes and cover letters mask our talents. Showing your work to the world wont get you a job right away but you can build a following and a reputation over time that does. This is true for user researchers too — you can do user research on almost anything. No one can stop you.” Scott Berkun

Many designers fall into the trap of creating polished case studies instead of work that actually excites them. If you’re struggling to find work:

• Create personal projects that showcase your passion. Whether that’s branding, UX, motion graphics, or illustration, don’t just design what you think recruiters want — design what you want to be known for.
• Redesign something real. Existing websites or services, underwhelming apps, signage in your city — solve a real problem and share it.
• Publish your work openly. Whether it’s on LinkedIn, a personal blog, or Instagram, show your process, not just the polished outcome. Most people are kind, frame your work as WiP and that you are learning as you go. Find your way of getting things out in the world, it could be design, writing about design, talking heads, animations, story boards, you do you…

4. Expand your network: People hire people they like

“Forget titles. Hit people up for coffee, hold time, swap skills, become part of their orbit.” Lovish Saini

Most jobs aren’t found through applications, they’re found through people.

• Get involved in communities. Join design Slack groups, go to meetups, build your own network.
• Engage without expectation. Instead, engage for a long-term connection. Share insights, help others, and be someone people want to work with.
• Understand what makes people tick. For example, If you’re talking to a creative director, learn what they value. A little bit of friendly ‘following’ goes a long way. Use this to your advantage
• Find a mentor, talk to a few people over coffee first and find a good fit. A good mentorship relationship feels good both ways and often they they might even be happy to invite you into their network.

5. Stand Out by Being Useful

“Build something with others, contribute to a group, and make something better for someone newer than you.” — Melissa Eggleston (Melissa suggests the book Helpful by self proclaimed introvert Heather Hollick

Instead of just hunting for jobs, create opportunities.

• Run events, share insights, start conversations. Check out Jaheed’s work. Fuse MCR grew from a student project into a global platform — not because he waited for a job but because he built something valuable. As Kyle Soo said “Creating one-off events with others is useful. I put a lot down to PechaKucha to helping give me confidence to run things and work with others”
• If you’re more on the introverted side, find low-pressure ways to connect that suit you. Week Notes, small meetups, or even just engaging in LinkedIn discussions can help you stay visible.
• Help others. It might not seem like an immediate career move, but being generous with your time, knowledge, and support builds goodwill that pays off later.
• Chris Becker added “Keep practicing your skills and making new things. Join hackathons, experiment with new tools (ai), and keep growing your portfolio. A portfolio is never really “done” but it can highlight your “niche,” Penny Lee loves a ‘niche’ if you want advice, Chris equates this niche idea as “Focus on your “signal”.

6. Be ready when the opportunity comes

“Make your work easy to find. Put your portfolio website URL on Linkedin, and add your Portfolio URL to your resume. Try to not make hiring managers do any extra work.” — Chris Becker

When the right opportunity comes, be prepared to grab it.

• Keep your portfolio link everywhere. On LinkedIn, in your email signature, even in your CV.
• Get past AI filters. Many companies use resume-screening software, so make sure your CV includes relevant keywords without being robotic.
• Have a strong personal pitch. If someone asks, “Tell me about yourself,” be ready to give a clear, engaging answer in under a minute.

Final thought: Play the long game, sadly this does sometimes feel like a longgg game

Breaking into design isn’t just about getting a job, it’s about building a career.

• Keep showing up, keep making things, and keep putting yourself out there.
• Rejection isn’t failure, it’s feedback or redirection, listen and build on your learning.
• Do the work that excites you, and find your people.

The right opportunity is out there — you just have to be ready when it comes.

And one last point from Chris Becker which was echod by the team
Be kind to yourself (mental health) — Commit only timeboxed moments to job hunting ( searching > applying > following up, etc). Applying for jobs SUCKS! But being hard on yourself makes it worse. Try not to get your hopes up too high, but make a list and celebrate when you achieve things like applying to ‘x’ jobs etc. But be persistent.

Huge love and thanks to everyone who contributed:

Lovish Saini, Luke Tonge, Scott Berkun, Melissa Eggleston, Chris Becker, Kyle Soo, Michelle Ruiz and all the brilliant folks sharing their wisdom in this space.

Double thanks to Lovish for helping with editing!

As always this is the tip of the iceberg — share your thoughts and any roles in the comments please — lets keep this advice ball rolling