How to Get an Entry Level Job or Internship, v2.0

We've had a ten-point "how to" for internship-seekers posted over at Core77 for a while now, but have lately realized that with all of the changes in the creative professions and the communications landscape--online in particular--many of the best avenues for finding work today weren't even conceived of five or six years ago. To that end, I've been tasked with re-writing our "How to Get an Entry Level Job or Internship" article, with a special focus on utilizing online resources and digital media. If you, like many readers, are a recent entrant into the land of creative employment, read through this one and tell us what you think. If you've recently completed such a search, read through and tell us how you did it.

Nearly or recently graduated and looking for your first big break? The right internship or junior level job can be the gateway you need into the thrilling world of design! Follow our simple ten step program, and you'll be well on your way.

Research

1. Make some decisions about what you're looking for.

If you've been staying current in your particular branch of design during your studies, then this should be the easiest step. Start by thinking about firms and/or cities where you're interested in working, paying special attention to recent work that's been produced there. Magazines, websites, books, professors and fellow designers are all good resources here, and can help to round out your impressions and keep them realistic. While it's true that some types of creative work tend to cluster in certain cities (New York for periodicals and publishing, LA and Detroit for automotive, the Bay Area for tech, Portland for sporting goods, etc), be careful not to limit yourself unnecessarily--a lot of interesting work goes on in unusual places, so cast your net broadly.

2. Make a list of at least ten different firms and designers that you want to contact.

The truth is, many places you contact probably won't write you back, so it's important to hit several places at once. Rank your top ten, using criteria like reputation, level of interest in their projects, kinds of skills you'd learn working there, location, and degree of specialization. Then plan on contacting them in reverse order, lowest rank first, and on up. By the time you hit your most desirable target, you'll be an old pro at this.

3. Find out everything you can about the designers and firms you've chosen.

If you want to work there, chances are they receive dozens or hundreds of portfolios a year, and one of the best ways to differentiate yourself is by doing your homework. Before you contact a firm or designer, you should know everything there is to know about their process, philosophy, history, location and recent work. You'll use this information to tailor the cover letter and teaser portfolio you send.

The array of resources available for researching a company is massive and growing. There's the official company website, of course, but that's just for starters. You should also look them up on a couple social networking sites, read their blog if they have one, and search for articles that have been written about them in the last couple of years. Coroflot and Design Directory are also great sources of information--in addition to a company profile, many staff designers working at a firm will have their own corefolios or their own personal websites, and you need to look at those as well.

Contact

4. Write a brief letter of introduction.

This should be brief, interesting, and to the point--nothing's more irritating to a busy designer than eight paragraphs of fawning, stilted prose. The tone should be confident but not cocky, and cover at least the following points:
- Who you are
- Where you go to school or where you currently work, and what you're doing there (major or job description)
- Why you're contacting them (you want an internship)
- Why you're interested in them in particular (this is where that research comes in handy)
- What you hope to get out of working there (skills, exposure to interesting projects)
- That you're eager to relocate to their city (if applicable)
- How to contact you if they need more information
- A link to your corefolio or portfolio website, if you've created one

5. Include samples of your work!

A PDF document a few pages long makes a good first impression. If you can impress the reader and adequately depict your range of skills in one page, do it; if not, take another page or two, but do not send an 18 page tome loaded with text, showing a dozen projects. Optimize it and keep it under 5MB.

Images should stop readers in their tracks: your best 3D rendering, a dramatic "hero" shot of your best completed project, a stunning graphic layout, some clean scans of your most energetic sketches. If you have particular talents, like sketching, motion graphics, or CAD work, emphasize them in your samples. Five or six images should be enough to whet their appetites, include more if you have enough quality projects and images.

6. Include your CV or resume.

Keep this to one page, no matter what. You're a designer, so be a little creative with fonts, colors, and layout, but never to the detriment of readability. If the reader can't figure out who you are, where you've worked and gone to school, and what software packages you know within ten seconds, they're probably throwing it away.

7. Don't over design this little package!

Don't spend hours working on your personal logo or picking obscure fonts. Don't try any crazy layouts or stunts to make your package stand out. Just be sure you:
- Make it clear
- Make it short
- Include pictures

8. Get a contact name.

Once upon a time, finding out who to send things to meant cold-calling, but there are more ways than ever now to get around this. Many design worlds are small, so asking colleagues and professors if they know anyone who knows anyone can often yield a name. If you come across the name of a senior designer or design director while doing your research, jot it down and search out more information on that person: chances are good they're a reasonable first contact.

Then, send it off! Even if the firm isn't officially hiring at the moment, send off your package anyway. Especially at smaller firms, the need for juniors and interns can change from one week to the next, so having your information on file could turn into a job next month.

If you're contacting a large corporation, they almost certainly have a detailed application system that handles job-seekers; even interns. Don't side-step this. Instead, register there and jump through all the necessary hoops, then find a specific contact and write them too, informing them that you've already submitted your application and would love to work there.

Follow Up

9. After sending out your application packet to all the firms on your list:

- Call or email the person you sent it to a week later to confirm they received it
- Be prepared to answer any questions they might have about your skills, interests and background, and to supply additional images
- If they request an in-person interview, and need you to travel a long ways for it, try and set up a few other visits to make the trip more multi-purpose. This is a great excuse to arrange an informational interview, on the premise that "I've always loved your work, and will be in town between these dates. Might you be able to meet for coffee?" etc.

10. Repeat Step 9 every month or so.

It pays to be gently persistent: stay in contact with your target firms, and send them more work as you produce it.

photo: I, Timmy