There are several excellent reasons to support your decision to move from graphic design to motion design.

Learning motion design is usually at the top of designers’ to-do list surveys. And that’s a good thing, too: the market is exploding. We see video everywhere – not just on device screens, social media, web videos, and tv/movies; notice the prevalence in retail store displays, museums and attractions, sports and music events, bus stop kiosks, supermarket checkout lines, and even highway billboards. Also, brands are increasingly expanding their implementation of video in their marketing and branding efforts. Design-wise, we live in a moving world.

You’ve done your homework: your portfolio site looks great, friends and colleagues have reviewed your resume, and your LinkedIn profile is complete – your personal brand marketing tools are ready to deploy! The next step is looking for a job or assignment.

You need a job as a graphic designer. You have a collection of projects you’ve created in (or outside of) school. Your portfolio is one of the three key tools in job hunting (along with your resume and your LinkedIn Profile). So how do you leverage your collection of projects in a portfolio? 

There is no set formula for getting freelance graphic design work, but there are two basic tracks:

• Job boards, where projects are posted and you apply for them (or you post your skills and people hire you).
• Do It Yourself (DIY) outreach, where you leverage your connections and reach out through social media and other avenues.

The best strategy for getting your foot into the doorway to a graphic design position, is to push out on two tracks. 

You might not be into fishing. So why start a post on how graphic designers exploit LinkedIn to land jobs with a fishing rod and reel? Because when people fish, they cast a line into the water, attract a fish, get that fish on the hook, and reel it in. And in job hunting for graphic designers, LinkedIn is critical in “reeling in” your objective (which in this case is a good job, not a fish!).

An effective search for (and landing!) a junior graphic designer position requires a three-part strategy:

1. Finding and applying for jobs on job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn and Craigslist
2. Job boards that focus on graphic designer positions (often run by associations like AIGA) that provide different resources for graphic designers
3. Informal networking within the graphic designer community

What’s with the elevator photo? This: A graphic designer’s cover letter can be thought of as a written version of an “elevator pitch.” If you haven’t been exposed to that term, it refers to a pitch to a potential employer or client that is short and focused enough to make an impact in the time it takes to share an elevator ride.

Your resume is the first thing you step out with on your journey from graphic designer student to working graphic designer. It is the key that unlocks the door to having your LinkedIn profile and your portfolio reviewed, and ultimately getting an interview and… a job!