Meetups and user groups are unique and underrated assets in making the transition from student to working professional. 

What makes meetups and user groups unique, and why should they be part of your career pathway from beginning to… wherever it leads?

The old adage “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is one-sided. You might be the best friend of the coach of the United States women's national soccer team but if you can’t play soccer, you’re not going to make the team. Better put: It’s not just what you know, it’s also who you know.

As a communication designer or developer (or both), your portfolio is your calling card. It is the first thing potential clients or employers want to see, to find out what you can do, why you do what you do, and how you do what you do (for more on how to prepare your portfolio for job hunting, see Why Your Design Portfolio Should Emphasize Process, Not Just Content).

Being a dynamic job seeker does not just mean approaching the mission with energy and enthusiasm. Those qualities are important! But there is a specific, scientific meaning to being a dynamic as opposed to a passive job hunter. 

In today’s world, job seekers and employers connect through online job boards and networks. Job boards and online job networks overlap but are not the same thing, and a proactive (as opposed to sit-around-and-hope) approach to job hunting requires understanding the difference and the relationship. Let’s break that down.

Let’s start this exploration of job hunting networking with some good news for coding and design students: If you are entering the job market with coding or communication design skills (or both), you are entering at the right time with the right skills. 

Once you have assembled your design portfolio content, the remaining piece of the puzzle is to find a place to post it for review online.

Let’s quickly run through the main components you need for your portfolio.

Your design portfolio and your resume are a team. Together, they introduce you to potential employers and clients.

If a potential employer or client is looking at your design portfolio, they saw or heard something that made them want to examine your work and learn more about you. 

The foundation of a good design portfolio is good projects, nicely displayed. But that’s not enough. Employers and clients want to know how you created those projects, what skills they demonstrate, and what those projects reveal about you.