Tips: Applying for Client Side Design Roles
Nick Berman • January 27, 2018
In recent years we’ve seen a steady increase in the demand for design and technical and you may be wondering if the grass is greener? If you are considering the move in-house here are my top 4 things to consider before applying:
- Get ready for a long and more formal interview process; Unlike agency departments, client-side teams primarily hire on team fit and culture. So though your hard skills will be utilised and required for the job, you will need to be incredibly mindful of your social and written communication. You are most likely going to need to be able to impress several gatekeepers through the process, with your resume and social presence needing to have significant cut through.
- Connect with/follow market leaders and industry specialists, including reading blogs and sharing interesting content. Be objective (if you like), because having an opinion is very important, though try to avoid offending people as you never know when you might be bump into someone with a different opinion. Embrace change, don’t fear it. New skills and development are not only essential to improve your ability, they also show future employers that you can add value to the environment and show that you want to always improve.
- Get prepared to present yourself in person and socially;
Putting together a resume or your LI profile is not only a history of career. It is a presentation that should sell you, your work and why someone wants to hire you. With a big emphasis on a high quality introduction of who you are, the kind of worker you and to create a bit of personality. I feel that whether you are actively looking for work or you are having a more passive search, you should always try to keep your social media/online portfolios up to date.
- What are the 3 biggest benefits of a client-side move?
- Flexible work practices – There tends to be true work-life balance within client-side roles, the chance to work from home and flexible job share/part-time opportunities.
- Being seen as a specialist – in traditional agency roles, it has been very hard to be considered a specialist, with the agency expecting a broad range of skills for every single staff member. Client-side staff will more than likely be able to become a specialist and hone your skills.
- Training, development and personal growth – most client-side companies have training budgets, have a focus on developing team members and can create a genuine career path to your personal success and growth.
This will my first of several blogs on this and other industry subject matters, so if you have anything to add or share on this subject or any other please stay in touch.
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