Finding a job can be challenging and time-consuming even if you're wildly talented. Sometimes, you can have all the qualifications in the world, and your personality might simply not be right for a particular team. At other times, you may simply be competing with a huge pool of applicants who share a similar profile. 

To increase your chances of bumping into the hiring manager looking for someone like you, it’s best to spread your efforts out in several directions. The most obvious pathway is to search for jobs on traditional job posting websites like LinkedIn and Indeed. However, this strategy will only touch the surface of jobs available to you as a designer. Keep reading to learn about additional avenues for finding digital design job postings as well as tips on making the most of your job hunt. 

How to Make the Most of Job Sites

Create a strong profile

Before applying for a job on a job platform, set up a strong profile, and don’t neglect any of the space you’re allotted. Hiring managers will likely want to look at your site profile in addition to job application materials, even if it's not mentioned in the application instructions. For an example of how to create a high-quality job site profile, check out Noble Desktop’s article detailing LinkedIn profiles for Designers. 

Ensure your portfolio pops on every device

Above all else, a portfolio with your top three projects is something to link to on your job site profile. However, if you want to beat out other designers in a job race, your portfolio has to impress, and it can’t do that if it’s not accessible on the device your hiring manager is using. Even if you double-check that everything looks good on your device, technical glitches can happen on another device, making your designs look unprofessional. Whether you’ve set up a portfolio on a job site like Behance or built it into a personal website, you need to hardwire that thing for adaptability. 

When checking your portfolio, make sure it works on:

  • Large computer monitors
  • Small laptops
  • Tablets
  • Smartphones
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Create a website to give yourself an edge

While you can certainly host your portfolio on another site, there are several advantages to creating your own website. With unlimited customization features, you can spotlight a larger range of skills, even going so far as to set up multiple portfolios. Through digital marketing strategies like SEO, you can even draw in clients who may not find you on a traditional job site. Bonus perks include the option to create your own blog and generate an alternative stream of income as an online content maker. 

Search for jobs in multiple places

For the best chance of getting a job, you need to work two job markets simultaneously. Make your presence known on mainstream job platforms like LinkedIn while also casting your nets into lesser-known job-hunting venues. If you’re not sure what these venues look like, here are a few examples:

  • The world’s biggest professional design organization (AIGA, or American Institute of Graphic Arts). 
  • Job networking resources for underprivileged communities (Blacks Who Design and Latinxs Who Design). 
  • Job workshops, networking Meetups, and Zoom classes can help you feel less alone while applying for jobs. 

Filter for the most relevant jobs

Using generalized search terms like “Digital Designer jobs” will turn up a larger variety of jobs, and not all of them will fit your unique skill set. To quickly find jobs that are a close match with your qualifications, use relevant keywords such as:

Many job sites also have filtering capabilities that allow you to limit your search to jobs in a specific location and pay range. By limiting the scope of your search, you’ll save time and more easily find what you're looking for. 

Strengthen your skillset

The digital design industry is always changing, and that means that no longer how much experience you have, you’ll always have more to learn. The time when you’re applying for jobs is the perfect time to add to your skill set because looking at job postings provides insight into what skills hiring managers are looking for. This natural exposure to gaps in your knowledge can act as passive feedback, providing an opportunity to improve. If you choose to take a class during your job hunt, you’ll have additional opportunities to seek feedback during your time as a student. 

Mainstream Job Sites

You’re probably already familiar with classic job-hunting sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Glassdoor. These websites include jobs from a wide variety of industries, meaning that you may have to sift through a myriad of jobs before finding what you’re looking for. 

Other platforms in this category that you may want to consider scouring include:

  • Authentic Jobs
  • Fiverr
  • Freelancer
  • Krop
  • LinkedIn
  • No Desk
  • Remote Rocketship
  • TopTal
  • Upwork
  • Zippia

Even though searching for design jobs on these platforms can feel a bit like bushwacking, making your presence known on mainstream job sites is an important part of finding a digital design job. 

When you’re not bushwacking, focus your efforts on hunting in less-expected venues. In addition to utilizing the venues mentioned earlier in the article, search for jobs on design-focused job sites like the following: 

AIGA

Founded in the same year that saw the rise of World War I, the American Institute of Graphic Arts is among the oldest professional design societies in the world. It all began with a small cluster of NYC designers but has since grown to a global membership of more than 15,000. In addition to providing education, campaigning for change, and offering inspiration, AIGA helps designers around the world by making it easier to find work. 

Through the AIGA design job board, you can find both remote and in-person design job postings for any experience level. If you’re still building your career, AIGA can even connect you with internships and volunteer opportunities. In addition, AIGA has many valuable freelancing resources including legal guides and advice on how to set your rate.

Before hopping on the AIGA train, keep in mind that you’ll need a membership to access their services. However, while their top-tier memberships may be out of the ballpark for your early-career days, you’ll receive numerous resources with a student or emerging designer membership ($50-150). Alternatively, you can skip the membership altogether and opt to look at job headings that appear for free on AIGA’s job board. From there, you can hunt down the same job listings on free sites like LinkedIn without all the hassle of sifting through less relevant LinkedIn listings. 

Dribbble

Taking its name from the basketball move “to dribble,” Dribbble is one of the top designer job sites and allows you to host a portfolio directly on the site. Unlike more mainstream platforms, Dribbble spotlights job postings for designers only. Dribbble also distinguishes itself from other job platforms in that membership is by invitation or after approval of your portfolio. This extra layer of exclusivity adds authority to your name as an elite Digital Designer. 

If you don’t have an official Dribbble profile, you can still use the site’s job board to apply for jobs for free. With a profile and a $5 monthly subscription, however, you’ll appear at the top of search results for hiring managers and get access to an additional job board for freelancing. 

Behance

Behance is a visual social media platform created by Adobe, the same company that brought you Photoshop. Similar to Dribbble, Behance is a Designer profile platform with a built-in job board. This platform also syncs seamlessly with Adobe Portfolio and can auto-populate your Behance portfolio with projects from your portfolio websites. All facets of the platform are completely free to use, making Behance one of the more budget-friendly ways to find jobs and set up an online portfolio. However, because the site has no restrictions on who can set up a profile, it can’t offer you the elite status that comes from having a portfolio on Dribbble.

Coroflot

Established in 1997, Coroflot shares AIGA’s New York roots and offers portfolio hosting for creatives of many types. The platform functions as both a professional networking hub and a job board with plenty of search-narrowing features. Like Dribbble, Coroflot requires a membership application, giving it more prestige than your average job site. Although Coroflot is more lively than Dribbble, its job board only features roles based in the United States. As an alternative to Dribbble’s freelance job board, Coroflot offers a salary tool that uses your skills and experience to help you identify a fair pay rate.

Design Jobs Board

The Design Jobs Board is a paid job site that connects creatives with top agencies in the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia. Though the platform offers a variety of subscription tiers, these are mainly for companies looking to hire Designers. As a Designer yourself, you can search for and apply to jobs completely for free. The platform’s search functions are relatively basic, but allow you to filter by location, experience level, and contract type. 

Digital Designer Salary and Job Outlook

If you become a Digital Designer, your salary may vary depending on where you live. According to statistics from Indeed.com, Digital Designers working in the United States usually earn between $75,000 and $154,000 per year. Additional factors that may impact your salary include your level of experience and qualifications. 

Because businesses value the impact of digital design, demand for these services is increasing by the year. In fact, digital design’s growth rate has long since outpaced numerous other design fields, including graphic design. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has projected that digital design job openings will increase by 16% from 2022 to 2032. Contrast this to the three percent (and falling) growth rate projected for the graphic design industry, and it’s easy to see which path offers better job security. As a result of this imbalance, many Graphic Designers are learning digital design in an effort to compete.

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Designer at Noble Desktop

Want to learn design in a supportive environment? Noble Desktop offers highly-rated design classes covering a range of digital design topics for students at all levels. In addition to shorter classes, you’ll find a variety of career certificates that provide comprehensive training, complete with one-on-one mentorship and professional experience opportunities. Start your journey now by signing up for training live online or participating in face-to-face classes at the school’s NYC campus. 

With the hands-on training you’ll get in the Digital Design Certificate, preparing for a digital design career isn’t hard. Even if you start with no experience, you can learn the UI design and graphic design skills you need to launch your career in a matter of weeks. Instead of sitting through dull lectures, this program will teach you practical skills through activities and projects. In addition to mastering tools like InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Figma, you’ll gain the expertise necessary to apply design principles for truly stunning results. 

Learn the skills to make websites and apps that are truly user-friendly in UX & UI Design Certificate. Working with a team, you’ll create your own interactive digital interfaces from start to finish, resulting in work you can proudly display in your portfolio. Rather than focusing only on aesthetics, you’ll learn how to research your target users and prototype to improve accessibility. This course also includes a job preparation segment designed to help you workshop your resume and create the perfect portfolio website. 

If websites are your jam, you can make it into a career by joining Noble Desktop’s Web Design Certificate program. Work toward an impressive portfolio with hands-on assignments that will help you learn a combination of design, coding, and software skills. Quicker than you know, you’ll acquire a versatile skill set that includes UI design theory, Figma, WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Before you’re through, you’ll also have the chance to build a high-quality portfolio website with help from your expert mentor.