Tips On Landing Your First Job in Industrial Design
For over a decade, Product council’s principals Greg Foster and Robert Sheldon have lectured the Professional Design Practice class at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Industrial Design department. The class concentrates on developing presentation and communication skills that form the foundation of a successful design career. The emphasis is placed on familiarizing students with professional practices as it relates to preparing for the “real world” and landing that first job.
The following tips, strategies and observations are a culmination of 30 years’ experience hiring interns, entry level designers and seasoned professionals at our firm.
1. Build a Strong Portfolio
Your portfolio is the most important tool and should showcase your skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Include Diverse Projects:
Feature a variety of work, including product designs, sketches, prototypes, CAD models, and user-experience considerations.
Showcase ~3 diverse case studies.
Keep It Focused: A strong portfolio doesn’t need to include everything you've done. Tailor it to highlight your best and most relevant work for the specific job you're applying for.
Show Process, Not Just Results: Employers want to see your design thinking and problem-solving process. Include research, conceptual sketches, and design iterations to show how you arrived at the final design.
Strive to show projects that showcase real-world relevance. If a project was a group effort, highlight your contribution and views of the outcome.
Professional Presentation: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized, clean, and easy to navigate. Use high-quality images and provide context for each project.
Practice presenting your portfolio: Pay attention to the flow of information and timing.
2. Develop Technical Skills
Strong technical skills will set you apart from other candidates.
Essential Skills: Sketching, CAD Software (SolidWorks, Rhino, AutoCAD, Fusion 360): Most industrial design jobs require proficiency in 3D modeling and CAD.
Rendering Software (KeyShot, V-Ray, Blender): Being able to create realistic renders will help communicate your ideas more effectively.
Prototyping Skills: Ability to create low fidelity / experience models is essential as well as knowledge of rapid prototyping methods such as 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, etc.
Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator): For creating presentation boards, illustrations, and other graphic design elements.
User-Centered Design Principles: An understanding of ergonomics, user experience, and human-centered design is important for most product design roles.
Know the Target Market: Understanding the needs of the end-users and how products fit into the broader market is essential. Be able to discuss how your design solutions that address real-world problems.
3. Understand the Industry
Before applying, familiarize yourself with the industries or companies you're interested in. Industrial design spans a wide range of sectors, such as consumer electronics, furniture design, automotive, healthcare, and more.
Research Companies: Learn a company’s design philosophy, culture, recent projects, and market trends. Tailor your application to show how you align with their values and needs.
Consulting or Corporate: There are pros and cons for each path, and one needs to investigate this to determine which environment is right for you. Consulting is generally fast-paced with a variety of projects. Corporate is generally hyper-focused on a few projects throughout the year within a specific market.
Stay Up to Date on Trends: The design field is constantly evolving. Stay current with design trends, new technologies, and emerging materials. Subscribing to design journals, blogs, and attending design conferences can help.
4. Gain Practical Experience
Employers value real-world experience, so finding ways to gain hands-on experience before landing your first full-time job is important.
Ways to Gain Experience:
Internships: Internships are a great way to gain industry experience, build your portfolio, and make connections. They also provide valuable mentorship opportunities.
Freelancing or Side Projects: If you can’t secure an internship, consider taking on freelance work or personal design projects. These can show initiative and demonstrate your ability to work independently. Shadowing may be option that some companies would allow.
Collaborative Projects: Working with other designers, engineers, or even other students on group projects can provide valuable experience and help build your network.
Hackathons and Competitions: Participating in design challenges or competitions can help you gain exposure and demonstrate your skills to potential employers.
5. Networking
Networking is crucial in the design community. Many job opportunities come through personal connections and word of mouth.
Effective Networking Strategies: Attend industry events: Participate in design conferences, trade shows, or meetups to connect with professionals in the field.
Use LinkedIn: Create a strong LinkedIn profile that highlights your skills, experiences, and projects. Connect with professionals in the field and engage with content to build your presence.
Reach Out to Mentors: Seek advice from established industrial designers or professors who can guide you and critique your work, and help navigate the job market.
Showcase Your Work on Social Media: Platforms like Behance, Instagram, or Dribbble are great for showcasing your work and gaining visibility.
6. Tailor Your Resume and Cover Letter
When applying for industrial design jobs, make sure your resume and cover letter are tailored to each position and company.
Tips for Resume and Cover Letters: Focus on relevant skills: Highlight your technical skills (e.g., CAD, prototyping), design process, and any industry experience. If you have experience in product development or user-research, emphasize that as well.
Quantify Achievements: If possible, quantify your achievements (e.g., Student awards / recognitions, recognitions outside of design, etc.).
Personalize Your Cover Letter: Show enthusiasm for the company and the specific role. Explain why you’re interested in that company and how you and your skills and experiences would be an ideal candidate and good fit.
For a designer, your resume is a design statement in of itself. Make sure it reflects your design sensibilities with a smart layout.
7. Prepare for the Interview
The interview process for industrial design roles typically involves presenting your portfolio and screening both technical and behavioral questions.
Know Your Portfolio: Be ready to walk through your portfolio and explain the design process for each project. Be prepared to discuss design decisions, challenges, and the impact of your work.
Brush Up on Design Principles: Be able to discuss design principles such as form vs. function, ergonomics, sustainability, and user-centered design.
Prepare for Design Challenges: Some companies may ask you to complete a live design challenge or case study. Practice thinking on your feet and explaining your thought process clearly.
Research the Company: Be prepared to discuss why you’re interested in the company and how you can contribute to their team.
8. Follow Up
After the interview, send a thank-you note or email to express appreciation for the opportunity. This not only shows good manners but also reinforces your interest in the position.
9. Be Persistent
The job search process can be long and challenging, especially when you’re just starting out. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t land your ideal job immediately.
Persistence Tips: Keep improving your skills: If you don’t get a job, take the feedback, improve, and apply again. The more you grow as a designer, the better your chances.
Stay Open to Entry-Level Opportunities: Your first job may not be your dream role, but it’s an important steppingstone. Any experience in the field will help you build your skills and credibility.
Reassess and Pivot If Necessary: If you’re not finding the right opportunities, consider other areas of industrial design or related fields, such as UX/UI design. display design, product management, etc.
10. Random Tips
Dress code: Know the culture of the company. Generally, dress is business casual.
Interview Time: Show up 5 minutes before your interview. Remember the saying: "If you're early, you're on time... if you're on time, you're late... if you're late, don't bother showing up."
If you are running late, call immediately to make sure the interview is still on. Bottom line: allow plenty of time to get to your location.
Suggestion: Remain standing in a lobby if you are waiting for the company representative to greet you. It looks better!
Make sure your computer screen is clean along with all your other support materials. Booklets are considered fine for presenting your work.
When your interview begins, confirm how much time you have. This will help your pace and allow time for questions.
Educate yourself on the business, its history and the people that work there. Be prepared to ask questions about the company, how projects are handled, and what the expectations are for the position.
11. Video conference calls
Allow time to test your equipment: Camera and microphone, camera angle, adequate lighting, room background, etc.
Consider the “Blur” background effect if your room is not presentable.
Be aware of background noise and anticipated distractions. Consider muting your mic when not talking.
Generally, the company who sets up the meeting needs to “share” their screen that will allow you to show your portfolio. Either way, it’s prudent to know how to “share” your screen.
Be prepared to speed up your presentation should your presentation run long. You want to be respectful of everyone’s time and you certainly want to make sure you have time to present your best work.
12. Face-to-Face Interviews
Many points have already been addressed that are pertinent to face-to-face interviews
Smiles, firm handshakes, enthusiasm and good eye contact are all important on making good first impressions.
Not only do companies want a talented person, but ideally they want a team player, someone who is easy to work with.
Remember, everyone is nervous interviewing and interviewers know this, so try to relax and focus on what you came to do, and that is to land the job!
Consider a leave-behind. This could be a business card and/or some graphic card showing casing some of your work.
If you desire a specific location to work, be mindful of what other opportunities might be in the area should you decide to change jobs. Generally, urban areas offer more opportunities.
13. Emailing Portfolios
Do not send “zipped” files
The preference for work is PDF landscape.
File size [<10mb]. Larger files may bounce.
Make sure your links work!
14. Getting your foot in the door
If a company is not hiring, see if someone would conduct a curtesy portfolio review with a 15-20 min. window. Depending on schedules, you may be granted one. This is a great way to make an impression for a future job in a low-pressure situation.
Conclusion
Preparing for and landing your first industrial design job requires a combination of technical skills, a strong portfolio, industry knowledge, and effective networking. It’s essential to keep learning and adapting as you go. Stay persistent, be proactive in seeking opportunities, and continuously refine your craft to make yourself a strong candidate for the job you want.
The following page was authored by Robert Sheldon with AI assistance.