Desperate for a design job? Keen to become a creative? When you’re starting out, you can’t boast a ton of experience or a huge portfolio, so it’s tricky to get yourself noticed among an avalanche of CVs.

Owen Turner, managing director of branding and design agency United by Design, sums up the approach that he favours: ‘When selling work to clients, we are in the business of making a difference, standing out from the crowd, having a positive impact and being excited about what we are doing. I’d recommend the same approach for making an impact with an agency or in-house design team.’

‘You have to do it ‘your’ way, being individual, but also do the basics right and demonstrate that you can do great work. Show that you think smart and would fit into a team of people.’

Kate Eady, Creative Director of Space Creative, a graphic design agency believes the key to standing out from the crowd is to ‘Show enthusiasm... amazing how many don't.’

Together with Owen and Kate, we put together our top 10 tips to make the right impression and land the role of your dreams.

1. Stop! Before you do anything, give yourself a digital MOT

On Facebook, either delete those embarrassing snaps or ramp up your privacy. Make sure you Tweet intelligently - not just about how drunk you were the night before.

Build a busy LinkedIn profile, using plenty of keywords and filling in lots of fields. But stick to relevant experience - prospective design employers don’t need to know about every crummy Saturday job you’ve ever had. Provide recommendations for former colleagues or people you studied with - and ask them to do the same for you.

Get your work out there - Dribble, Cargo Collective, DeviantArt and Behance are all good places to put work - but link them back to your blog or online design portfolio.

2. Make your CV speak for you

The days of the plain white A4 paper CV are long gone. If you’re a graphic designer, show what you can do with typography, white space and layout. If you’re great at infographics, represent yourself as visually as you can. If you’re an illustrator, include a beautiful pencil drawing.

Chuck all the rules out the window - this is your big chance to bash them round the chops with your amazing creativity.

(PS. White paper might be old hat - but good grammar and spelling isn’t. Get it checked and make it perfect.)

Kate says ‘In the design world - how your cv looks is vitally important - think of how you can show your creativeness - an A4 2 sided sheet will not stand out.’

3. Do more… and more and more

Once you’ve got all your ducks in a row, take a critical look at your body of work. Are there any glaring gaps, or areas you could improve?

You don’t need to wait for someone to set you a project - get busy and design fabulous creations that will boost your portfolio.

Kate commented ‘Qualifications are not everything - a fantastic portfolio or website to showcase your work is worth as much - take your time and get it right, we don't need to see everything - select your best work.’

Do as much work experience as you can afford. It’s the best way of making contacts and you’re likely to land jobs that aren’t even advertised. If you can’t afford to work without pay, that’s OK. Simply sign up to one of the many freelance designer sites - you never know what jobs you might land.

According to Kate, regarding work experience ‘Ask if you can show what you can do as it can often lead to a job - if not it still looks great on your cv.’

4. Draw up a hit list

Perhaps you’re prepared to move to the ends of the earth to work for your dream agency, or maybe you know you need to stick to a certain geographic area.

Research all the possibles, asking friends and contacts for ideas and recommendations. Pick ones that do the kind of work you want to do, the ones that seem to fit your own values and ideas and who work for great clients.

Narrow it down to about 10 and then scour the web, books and magazines until you know everything there is to know about your potential targets.

As Owen adds: ‘Analyse them and then reflect on you and your portfolio of work and CV – does it stack up – are you someone that will make a difference in their company? You may have fine tune things, change things or completely overhaul your approach. Do not be afraid to have a slightly different way of presenting yourself for different organisations.’

5. Add the personal touch

Owen says: Being able to construct a good letter or email for example is sorely underestimated when looking for work! So many people do it badly.

‘You need to do your research, pay attention to detail and make sure you think about doing things properly. I receive too many emails that are generic and are just sent to ‘someone’ at the agency – they stand out a mile. It doesn’t take much to find out who you need to speak to about vacancies or work placements and send communications to them in person.

‘I would recommend picking up the phone, writing a letter and sending something in the post – not just using online/digital. There is a whole sea of communication but all are appropriate for different channels – sometimes the good old fashioned ones really make a difference. Some of the best applications I have received have come through the post – people forget we need to communicate effectively – print is not dead and just some additional thought can go a long way.’

Include that great, brief CV you put together earlier. Include examples of your work and links to your online presence, if they want to see more.

Kate agrees, saying ‘Do your research on the company - one cv does not always fit all and it shows initiative - BIG tick. Always find out the appropriate name of the person to send it to - never ever put sir/madam; yes people still do that!’

6. Follow up

If you don’t hear anything after a week, call or email the person you contacted. Check they’ve received your application and ask if they have any questions or would like to see more work. See if you can get in for an interview or chat.

7. Don’t give up

Even if they’re not hiring, stay in touch. You’ll show them you really are keen on their company and generally want to work for them.

Owen explains, ‘Keep things open-ended, rather than just giving up on a ‘no’ or not managing to speak to the ‘right person’ when contacting companies.

‘If there are no jobs available, ask questions such as; "Are you looking to expand the team in the near future?”, “Could you recommend any other agencies to contact?”, “Do you know any specific people in your network of designers that maybe interested in seeing my CV?” or perhaps “Would you consider me for freelance work?” – all these questions are valid if you are speaking to the right person. Don't give up!

‘Use networking – it’s an amazing way of getting to know people in your sector and the wider business community – this may even lead to working directly with companies or gaining valuable experience that you can leverage to get in front of people. Recommendations work and have gravitas.’

8. Remember people work with people

Once you finally land that face to face meeting, remember to be nice. Be confident but listen and speak up. Show the interviewer that you’d be a great addition to the team and that he/she and their colleagues are going to like you.

Owen agrees: ‘Although good work is vastly important in the creative industry, I would always say that we employ ‘people' – we do not bring on individuals specifically just for their skills and talent.

‘Granted, these are important and will stand anyone in good stead but ‘people’ and their personalities, experiences and passion are key in building a fantastic team and a brilliant business.’

9. Think what they want - but be yourself

If you were hiring, what kind of person would you want? Keen, self-motivated, driven, reliable and versatile are all words that spring to mind.

Stay focussed and relevant - remember why you’re there.

Most design agencies don’t need you to wear a formal suit - but neither will they be impressed with dirty or scruffy clothes that you fondly imagine show your personality.

10. Once you’ve got the job - keep it

As Owen says: ‘Don’t forget the willingness to roll your sleeves up, dig in and put the graft in. Getting and keeping a job is not easy. This has never changed and never will.’

To help you find your dream design job, check out all the vacancies at Gabriele Skelton.