Developing a Networking Strategy for Designers

Stop (only) applying for jobs. I'm serious. While everyone will help, here is what actually works: ✅ Spend that time building relationships with people at companies you want to work for. Here's the math no one talks about: 100 applications = 2-3 callbacks (if you're lucky) 10 genuine connections = 5-7 opportunities How do I know? Hiring and getting hired are very similar. So far, all my hires were referrals and introductions. All my clients came through the same. I've placed hundreds of designers. The ones who got hired fastest? They weren't the ones with the most applications. They were the ones who: → DMed designers at target companies about their work (I've hired people who did this at Miro) → Commented thoughtfully on posts from hiring managers → Asked for 15-minute coffee chats, not job talk at first → Built relationships BEFORE they needed them (that's the actual gold here) Real example from last week: The designer spent 3 months engaging with the design lead's content. When a role opened up? She got a DM: "We have something perfect for you." Never even posted publicly. Meanwhile, 847 other designers are fighting over the LinkedIn posting 👹 But here's the part no one teaches you — WHO to reach out to: ✓ Someone I aspire to get to know ✓ Someone's career I aspire to have ✓ Someone who works where I'd like to work ✓ Someone who may be going through similar challenges ✓ Someone I will have lots to talk about And here's how I prioritize companies and roles: First, I map out my network: → Find all my previous colleagues — where do they work now? → Find all open roles — what's relevant and what sounds like the best fit? → What can I see about those environments from JDs and career websites? This gives me a targeted list of: ✨ Companies where I already have warm connections ✨ Roles that actually match my skills ✨ Environments I'd thrive in (not just survive) Smart networking > no applications > successful hires. Every. Single. Time. The best jobs aren't advertised. They go to people already in the conversation. So stop being application #248. Start being the person they think of first. Your time is better spent building one real connection than sending 20 applications into the black hole. Trust me on this one. 💬 How did you get your last role: application or connection? Tell me and let's do some market research together ⬇️

People ask me all the time how to network. Here’s a short, tactical guide on how to actually do it - grounded in real data, real results, and 3,500+ jobs found through relationships. 🎯 The #1 misconception Networking is not: “Let me ask you for a job.” It is: “Let me have a real, human moment with someone in this industry.” ✅ What actually works This is how you build meaningful professional relationships - the kind that lead to real opportunities: 1️⃣ Be around. Events, Discords, social posts, games projects, ticket giveaways, community coaching - just show up. Start by being visible. Over time, become memorable for the right reasons. 2️⃣ Don’t pitch. Connect. Ask questions. Be genuinely curious. You’re planting seeds, not harvesting. This takes months and years. There are not shortcuts to building real relationships. 3️⃣ Look sideways, not up. A junior colleague can often help you more than a C-level exec. Build trust, first, with people at your level or just above it. 4️⃣ Follow up like a human. Send messages that matter: “Just played [X] - loved the level design.” “Your GDC talk really stuck with me - thank you.” “Noticed you moved from QA to design - would love to hear how.” 5️⃣ Give before you get. Share insights, leave helpful comments, support others’ work - anything that builds trust and makes you recognizable. 6️⃣ Say hi when there’s nothing to gain. That’s the best time. No stakes, no pressure - it’s when real relationships start. 7️⃣ Don’t just “shoot your shot.” ❌❌❌❌❌ Never reach out with “Can you get me a job?” That closes doors, fast. Lead with curiosity and conversation, not a transactional, cold ask. 🔥 If I wanted to be provocative… I’d say this: Applying to jobs without connective tissue is very inefficient. Particularly for early career and more senior folks. Instead of asking, “What should I apply to?” - ask, “Where can I build a relationship?” Posting about hundreds of applications is understandable, but it misses the point. Focus on how many real connections you’ve made - then work backward to the right applications. 🧠 Avoid the Dream Company Trap Too many people focus only on the one studio they love - and end up pinging the same five people as everyone else. I always ask: Where do I already have network strength? Where can I go that everybody else isn’t going? We track 3,000+ game studios. 1,000+ of them hire. Go outside the top 50. 🪜 Think in ladders and sidesteps Instead of aiming straight at your target studio, look at who owns that studio. Think conglomerates. Think sister teams. Adjacent verticals. 📊 The data backs it up. Across our community: Cold apps: ~1–2% yield Apps with any warm connection: 10–20x+ better odds 🧭 The shift is simple Spend more time building bridges than sending résumés. Relationships are the infrastructure of hiring. Build that first. The first thing I ask anyone who's stuck is: Are you spending 80%+ of your effort building relationships? If not, do that.

Breaking into UX now isn’t harder, it’s just different. If I had to start over today, these are the exact steps I’d take to stand out faster. 1️⃣ Build one strong case study not four weak ones You don’t need a museum of projects. You need ONE project that proves you can think clearly. I’d pick a problem I actually care about, focus on a real user need, and build a clean narrative: What was the problem? What did you learn? How did it change your decisions? What outcome did it drive? Quality >>> quantity in 2025 2️⃣ Talk to real people way earlier I’d grab 5–7 actual users and have quick, scrappy conversations. Not a full research plan just targeted questions like: "Walk me through how you’re doing this today” or “What’s the most annoying part of this?” Those insights become your differentiator. 3️⃣ Learn how to tell a story, not just show screens The designers getting hired aren’t the best at Figma. They’re the best at explaining their thinking. I’d practice saying my story out loud until it flowed naturally clear problem → thoughtful process → backed-up decisions → real outcome Screens impress. Stories convert. 4️⃣ Treat LinkedIn as your portfolio’s “loudspeaker” In 2025, visibility matters as much as skill. I’d post 1–2x/week about: What I’m learning A small redesign with reasoning A mistake I made (and how I fixed it) People don’t hire ghosts. They hire the designers they see and remember. 5️⃣ Build relationships, not cold messages Networking isn’t DM-ing 100 people “Do you have any roles open?” I’d start by: Following designers I admire Leaving thoughtful comments Sharing insights from mentorship calls Celebrating other people’s wins The goal isn’t to get a job today it’s to become someone people think of when roles open tomorrow.

I love talking about Design. Careers. Our industry. I am typically happy to chat with anyone, support them, and offer advice. It is the least I can do as someone who has been hugely fortunate in their career. However, the best way to reach out to someone remains a recurring question. Here are a few tips based on the many, many people contacting me: Don’t connect and immediately ask for something. It is very off-putting. Try to connect and build rapport, or at least take time to view each other’s posts or comments. The same goes for portfolios. A large attached pdf is also very off-putting. It’s like driving by someone’s house and throwing it through a window. Try to open a conversation. Create context. Then ask to send work. Links are far better. Research the person. Before reaching out, take the time to learn about the person’s background, work, and interests. This shows you appreciate their specific expertise and aren’t just sending a standard message. Leverage connections. If you have mutual connections, consider asking for an introduction. This can add a level of familiarity. Personalise your message. Tailor your message to the individual. Mention specific aspects of their work, thinking or practice that you admire or have found helpful. Be specific. Focus your request or conversation. General and broad requests require a lot of work to handle. They also mean you fall into a sea of sameness with other people. So find something specific or an angle of attack that is useful to you but also helps the person shape their response. Be smart. Consider what you are asking or needing and whether you could answer it yourself. Many requests have self-evident answers, and asking for something easy to answer elsewhere shows a lack of initiative. Pick something only that person can help with or add greater value to. Be positive. Things may be challenging, but a heavy, worry-laden request is emotionally hard to help with. Focus on the positives and what the person can help you build on rather than a list of problems or things you don’t have. You will get more out of them. Be succinct. People’s time is precious, so be wary of rambling. Be additive. Have an opinion. Bring thinking to the chat. It is far more engaging. Be inquisitive. Try to ask open-ended questions that encourage a more thoughtful response. Be patient. People may be busy and not be able to answer immediately. Do not chase people too quickly. It shows little respect or empathy for them. Be realistic. Express understanding if they are busy. Be polite. Remember, the person you are contacting, though potentially further along in their career, is still just a person with fragilities, doubts, and worries of their own. So treat others as you would like to be treated. Be fun. Engaging. Add a dash of your personality. Show appreciation. Expressing gratitude shows that you respect and value the person’s opinion. :)

As an industrial designer from India, my path to international opportunities wasn't paved with connections. It was built email by email, one cold outreach at a time. I've sent between 300-500 cold emails to date, most during my college years. Fast forward a decade, and I've been on the receiving end of just as many. Whether you're hitting 'send' or 'reply', there's an art to cold outreach, and probably a bit of science too. Let me share what I've learned from both sides of the inbox. Buckle up, it's long af. 7 Cold Email Strategies that Simply Work 👉 1. Name-check and Research: Get the name right. Period. Then, go a step further. A quick 2-liner on why and how you know the person is often the difference between silence and a reply. It shows you care enough to do your homework. 2. Find Common Ground: If you have no obvious connection, create one. Share content, ask a thoughtful question, or reference a project (not yours) they might be interested in. An intriguing article can be a great conversation starter. 3. Follow Up (Nicely): Being persistent can double your chances of a response. People are busy, not ignoring you. But there's a fine line between persistence and pestering (my sales friends will probably not agree) but don't lose your sanity over it. 4. The "7 Touches" Rule: Aim to appear in someone's feed at least 7 times before sliding into their DMs. Engage with their content, comment thoughtfully, make yourself a familiar face. When you finally reach out, you're not a stranger anymore. I, like most people am much more inclined to reply and connect with familiar faces. 5. Make It About Them: People love talking about themselves. Lead with genuine curiosity. Ask insightful, nuanced questions that can't be Googled. (If I can find the answer to your Qs easily on Google, I'm less inclined to reply) 6. Build Community Credit: Actively contribute to your professional community. I post regularly on LinkedIn and Instagram. It's not just about visibility though, I have always tried to create value. With enough 'credit' built up, doors open more easily. 7. The Interview Approach: This one's gold. Interview people and introduce them to new audiences. In 2019, I started doing this on Instagram when the live feature was getting popular. Not only did I make new friends, but I also connected with amazing designers like Joey Zeledón, Tony Elkington and Sam Gwilt. It's a win-win: they get (more) exposure, you get insights. Alright, Now even if you follow these dilligently, there is still a high chance that most of your reachouts will go unanswered. Sorry, thats just how it is. But the ones that land? They will change the trajectory of your creative career. I promise. That's it for part 3 of 4 in this Networking for Creatives series. Stay tuned for the final part where I'll dive into overcoming the fear of putting yourself out there. Trust me, if I could do it, so can you!

“I’ve applied everywhere. I’ve heard nothing.” If that’s you right now... Let’s pause. Let’s pivot. Because what if the answer isn’t more job boards... but new doors you haven’t knocked on? If you're a May 2025 grad (especially on an F-1 visa), job searching in the U.S. can feel like running a marathon in a fog. But here’s a secret: You don’t always need access to the C-suite. You need a crack in the door. And cracks? You can create them. Here are networking strategies you haven’t tried yet—and how to do them in real life. 1. The “Alumni Stack” Strategy Instead of a one-off message to one alum, build a chain. How to do it: Search for alumni from your school on LinkedIn Use filters: industry + location + company (e.g., “Data Analyst” + “Bay Area” + “Visa Inc.”) Reach out to 5 with a message like: “Hi [Name], I’m a May 2025 grad exploring roles in [field]. I noticed you’ve made a transition I really admire. I’d love to hear 2 mins of your journey—no pressure to respond, just grateful to learn from alumni like you.” Once you speak to one, end by asking: “Is there someone else you’d recommend I reach out to next?” That intro makes the next conversation 10x easier. It’s like referrals—but for insight. 2. Start a “Career Curiosity” Newsletter (Even if it’s just 5 subscribers) When you share what you’re learning, you become a magnet. How to do it: Pick a free platform (Substack, Beehiiv, LinkedIn articles) Once a week, share what you're learning in your job search: 1 resource (course, tool, podcast) 1 insight (“What I learned from shadowing a UX designer”) 1 question for your readers Share it with people you admire: “Hi [Name], I’ve started a small newsletter where I unpack career tools and lessons as a new grad. I mentioned your work in the latest edition—thank you for the inspiration!” Suddenly, you’re not just searching. You’re creating conversation. 3. Offer to “Intern” for 1 Week (Unpaid & Project-Based) It’s bold—but bold gets remembered. How to do it: Identify small companies, startups, or nonprofits you genuinely care about Find a task you could help with (BIM audit, website UX review, blog writing) Reach out with: “Hi [Name], I’m a recent grad learning [skill]. I’d love to offer 1 week of help—free—on a micro-project your team’s too busy to finish. I’ll treat it as a capstone, and you get a finished piece of work. Open to it?” Even if they say no—you’ve made a lasting impression. And if they say yes? That could turn into a referral or a role. Final Thought: Most people think networking = asking for jobs. But real networking? It’s creating a reason to stay in someone’s mind—long before you ever apply. Your goal isn’t to impress. It’s to connect. To show up with curiosity. To leave behind a feeling that says: “This person is going somewhere.” Try just one idea this week. #JobSearch2025 #NetworkingWithoutCringe #InternationalStudents #GradLife

I thought I was just helping Product Designers get jobs. Turns out, I'm teaching them to think like entrepreneurs about their own careers. Three Product Designers. Three different problems. Same solution: Stop playing by everyone else's rules. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 #𝟭: Spending hours applying to jobs on LinkedIn like everyone else. We shifted her strategy to target companies where her specific background actually matters. Now she'll have real conversations instead of sending applications into the void. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 #𝟮: Great portfolio, but interviews weren't converting. The issue? She was trying to prove she deserved the job instead of showing how she thinks about problems. We flipped the script. Now she'll walk into interviews like a consultant, not a supplicant. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 #𝟯: Had a referral at her dream company but was paralyzed by perfectionism. We turned her application into a mini case study that demonstrated her thinking process. She stopped trying to be the "perfect candidate" and started being the person who could solve their actual problems. Here's what's wild: None of this required them to be "better" designers. They just needed to think differently about positioning themselves. The best candidates don't just have skills. They have a point of view. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Let’s talk about networking. Most designers do it wrong. → They DM random people asking for referrals. → They connect without context. → They treat LinkedIn like a vending machine. “Press connect, get job.” That’s not networking. That’s vending machine thinking. Here’s how I teach it instead — and how I got first-round interviews without applying cold: 1. Start with trust, not asks Don’t start with “Can you refer me?” Try: “Hey [Name], I admire your work at [Company]. Would love to hear your journey — especially how you navigated the switch from [X to Y].” It’s human. Curious. Non-transactional. 2. Focus on alumni — they already trust you → Shared school = instant bridge. → Shared bootcamp = shared pain. → Shared hometown = unspoken rapport. Reach out as a peer — not a pitch. 3. Lead with insight, not requests Referrals work best when you earn them. Try a UX audit: → Find one UX gap in their product. → Mock up a fix. → Share it with context. “I noticed [X]. Here’s a 3-slide breakdown of how I’d approach it.” That one message? Will get you a reply. Because you’re not asking for help. You’re offering value. Be honest — are you networking for trust… or begging for access? Start with relationships. End with referrals.

Why Your Portfolio Is NOT Enough Relying solely on a design portfolio to land clients, work opportunities, or job roles is a shitty strategy. If portfolios were the magic key to success, why are so many incredibly talented designers...with proper stunning portfolios...struggling to find clients? Pouring energy into your portfolio isn’t a waste of time... but if that’s where ALL your focus goes, it’s time to rethink the game you’re playing. Here are some hard facts... Market Saturation: There are thousands of talented designers showcasing portfolios... The sheer volume makes standing out incredibly challenging. Decision Drivers: Research in marketing psychology shows that relationships and trust are the real decision-makers for clients. People hire people they feel connected to. Hidden Hiring Practices: Did you know that up to 85% of jobs and opportunities are filled through networking (thanks, LinkedIn)? Conversations and connections are the key to business success. Perception vs. Reality: Clients are more influenced by interactions than by portfolios alone. Your ability to connect and build rapport with someone in conversation often carries more weight than static visuals ever could. So, let’s play with some theoretical data: Say you spend 15 hours a week perfecting your portfolio, tweaking your website, and crafting Instagram posts out of your work. That’s 780 hours a year. Compare this to a strategy where those hours are spent networking: 10 meaningful conversations per week = 520 potential leads/year. Even if 5% convert, that's 26 clients—a far higher success rate than hoping for portfolio discovery. I know... it’s scary if you’re an introvert. But remember, most humans are an introvert around strangers at first. Here’s your 2025 challenge: make networking your top priority. Spend your 780 hours: - Talking to family and friends about the work you do. - Asking them to introduce you to a friend of theirs to do the same. - Repeating this process indefinitely. You’ll get more clients this way than waiting for your “dream client” to stumble across you on Instagram, Behance, or some logo award you paid to enter. Your portfolio is just a tool. Don’t hide YOUR brilliance anymore. People work with people, not portfolios. #design #designer #designeducation #graphicdesign #creative

Applying online is not a strategy. It’s a lottery. And the odds? Not in your favour. Especially when hundreds of others are doing the same thing. When I coach designers, I teach them to *engineer* luck: → Build a target list (startups, VCs, founders) → Research recent funding rounds (use Crunchbase, TechCrunch) → Craft outreach based on relevance, not desperation This isn’t networking. It’s *business development* for your career. And when done right? ✓ You bypass job ads ✓ You reach decision-makers ✓ You create opportunities instead of waiting for them So stop “applying.” Start *positioning.* 💬 What are your tactics? ------ Essentially, this is relationship building BEFORE a role appears. #design #careers #tech #ai #ux #startups