Graphic Designer Job Search Tips & Best Practices

One of the most common ways to find job opportunities in the current marketplace is through online job advertising aggregators. These websites collect, organize, and post job openings to help connect individuals with prospective employers. These websites are incredibly useful, but they can be difficult to navigate for new users. Read on to learn more about the different graphic design job posting sites you can explore once you are ready to enter the job market.

Location #1: Indeed.com

Indeed.com is one of the largest and most commonly used job posting sites on the internet. With over 250 million unique users and close to ten new job listings posted every second, you'll want it to be Indeed if you can only visit one job posting site. The only major drawback to using Indeed is that because it is so massive and broad, there will be much greater competition for each job being offered. Plus, the website’s size means that any given search result is going to be much larger, increasing the likelihood of getting irrelevant results or dead links to jobs that have been filled. Finally, since it isn’t a specialized job site, some more advanced graphic design postings might not be listed. Despite these minor annoyances, any significant job search should include a search of Indeed.

Location #2: Monster.com 

In terms of generalist job search sites, the next major location you should consider is Monster.com. One of the earliest online job sites, Monster.com remains an important part of the online marketplace and anyone looking for a graphic design job should consider exploring Monster. While there may be overlap between Monster and Indeed, they use different internal algorithms, meaning that different jobs may be prioritized within your search. Having a wide coverage of different searches on major job listing sites can be a good way to find jobs that may have fallen through the cracks. However, like Indeed, Monster has a large enough user base and enough engagement that competition for these jobs will be higher.

Location #3: Jobs.Google.com

Released in 2017, Google’s job search feature has allowed prospective employees to utilize Google’s search engine to find nearby employment opportunities in various fields. Given the power of Google’s search engine, this feature is one that users would be remiss to ignore, particularly because it is so directly integrated into Google’s other search features. It may seem overly simple, but it is a productive step to simply punch “graphic design jobs near me” into Google to see what the search engine produces since it is now a dedicated functionality of the web tool.

Location #4: LinkedIn.com

While it isn’t primarily a job posting website, Linkedin is a great place to look for aggregated job postings because it is already a place where you should be keeping various job materials on a professional profile. This ensures that your professional profile is pulling double-duty and helping you find jobs as well as helping you apply for them. Since this is a social networking site at its core, it will be sparer in terms of options, and the search features won’t be as refined as its more focused counterparts, but since you should already be making use of the site, it is a good place to lean on for more job openings. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, this is probably not the best job search site to use.

Location #5: Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is a specialized job posting board for freelancers to find clients and clients to find freelance workers. This is an ideal place for professionals to connect with clients and find job opportunities, even when they are starting up their freelance careers. This is, however, strictly a freelance job board, so it won’t be a place for new Graphic Designers to find a job. In addition, since it is a fairly large freelance site, there are a lot of other Designers making use of it, so it may be difficult for new freelance designers to find the amount of work they need quickly.

Graphic Designer Salary and Job Outlook

The average Graphic Designer earns around $54,000 per year, but this can vary widely depending on additional factors like years of experience (Graphic Designers with over ten years of experience earn closer to $70,000) and which city they work in. Some of the highest-paying cities for Graphic Designers include New York, NY, Atlanta, GA, and Los Angeles, CA. Those who work freelance typically charge between $25 and $50 an hour for entry-level work, but more experienced designers can bill over $100 an hour. 

The job outlook for a Graphic Designer depends significantly on their subset of skills. Static images and images for print are becoming less popular as businesses expand their digital footprint, so a Graphic Designer will need to train in creating digital designs to remain competitive. In addition to the standard software programs that Graphic Designers typically use, they can ensure a more stable career path by learning to use programs like Adobe XD for user interface design or Adobe After Effects to learn animation skills. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts only a 3% growth rate for graphic design positions, digital design careers are predicted to grow by 23% by 2031.

Read more about Graphic Designer salaries.

Learn the Skills to Become a Graphic Designer at Noble Desktop

If you want to start a career in graphic design, the graphic design classes offered by Noble Desktop are an excellent place to start. Students can take all their classes remotely or in-person at their Manhattan campus. For students who want to start slow by just learning one popular design program, Noble offers an Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp, an Adobe InDesign Bootcamp, and an Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp. These beginner-friendly courses take just a few days to complete and will provide students with foundational design skills.

For those who feel ready to dive into a more comprehensive program, Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate might be a better fit. Students will complete hands-on assignments using popular design programs, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. This program is ideal for those hoping to start a career as a Graphic Designer. Certificate students at Noble Desktop receive individual career mentorship, where experts in the design industry help craft resumes and portfolios and provide helpful tips for finding lucrative employment. 

If a class isn’t feasible for your current schedule, Noble Desktop has a host of resources on its website to help start your graphic design career. You can browse their collection of articles about Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign if you’re curious about how each program works. You can also review information about other design tools to see if another field might interest you more.