Often In-House Graphic Designers are overlooked when it comes to advice and content—unless it’s advice telling them they should become freelancers. Today we’re going to look at some ways that In-House Designers can be successful in their careers and grow as Creative Pros!
Communication is Still the Strongest Skill
How you communicate and present your ideas can often count for a lot more than the ideas themselves. If you can communicate well across the board (not only through your designs, but in writing emails and proposals, as well as in presentations and meetings), it will make a tremendous impact on how your superiors perceive and value you.
If your communication skills are lacking, career advancement will be very difficult for you. If you have an introverted personality, consider leveraging written communication and presentation decks as much as possible, while building up the confidence to speak up.
Always Increase and Demonstrate Your Value
If you want to get a raise or a better salary offer from another company, you need to constantly increase your value and make your value very clear. Some creatives are afraid of tooting their own horn and have been beaten over the head with the phrase “stay humble.”
If you want something, you need to be comfortable asking for it, and part of that is creating and demonstrating “tremendous value”. If you don’t add to your skill set or improve your output 6 months to a year after you’ve been hired, you’re not going to be comfortable asking for a raise.
But if you are increasing the quality and range of your work, and taking the appropriate credit for that work it will be much easier when you want to ask for something beyond comments like “Nice Job,” or “Great Work.”
If you make yourself a commodity, people will treat you like one.
Building Your Reputation Outside the Office
Become a champion of quality work. Create an association between yourself and successful projects and amazing results. You need to become the person that can be relied on above all others to get things done and create a great experience in the process.
The way you accomplish this is asking good questions, and not being afraid to put in the work needed to take something from good to great, while not being brash or overbearing. Cultivate good relationships by helping out, regardless if someone has asked you to or not. Take a genuine interest in what other people are doing, and bring your skills to the table to make their job easier.
This should also go without saying: avoid gossip, try never to complain when you address your concerns and always look for a way to create a positive outcome.
This is how reputations are built!
Don’t Be Lazy About Networking
Many creative individuals are outright lazy when it comes to networking and engaging with others. They can get tunnel vision, bury themselves in work, and often use being introverted as an excuse.
To get the most out of your career, you’ll have do some things that are outside your comfort zone, and for some folks, networking is one of those things. We give opportunities based on trust, credibility, and intuition and we rationalize it with facts and figures afterward.
Yes, the quality of your work should count for more than anything else… but how does someone know the quality of your work, or that it is even your work if you’re invisible to them?
Make yourself a presence, make yourself known, be a blip on their radar. This will dramatically increase the odds of you being considered for an opportunity. You also shouldn’t limit this to your current workplace either. Network with people within your industry whenever possible. There is always the chance you may get a much better offer, or that one day you may need to seek employment elsewhere.
Stack the deck in your favor, and make sure that the moment you’re available that you have offers!
Have a Career Road Map
Many designers don’t know what their next step looks like. As a result they never move forward. You need to know what your end game looks like. Work backwards from the end of your career and think about what you want to have accomplished.
This is more important than what you want you last job title to be. You need to put a lot of thought into what it is you actually want to have achieved by the time you retire.
You should also consider the lifestyle you want to have. If you eventually want to start a family, or move to a different city, you should factor this into how you approach you career and the choice you make.
Keep Your Resume and Portfolio Up To Date
Don’t get comfortable and neglect your portfolio of work and your resume. You should be updating this at least twice a year. If you have an online portfolio consider updating this on a quarterly basis, as time and you volume of work allows.
Showing your abilities and that you are active and growing is important. You may need to find another job at some point, and if this information is up to date you won’t be scrambling when that moment arrives. Also it is a good way to attract new potential opportunities and create leverage when negotiating raises and salaries. Keeping other companies interested in you is a great way to make sure you are being valued where you are at.
Source: creativepro.com