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I am 71 years old and I've been in the creative services business for a long time. If I had to do this all over again. based on today's highly competitive environment for creative work as well as the compensation, I would choose another career path. Let me tell you why. Back in the 1990's when I started out doing creative work (computers were just starting to become a major component of this type or work), the generally accepted hourly rate for creative work was about $100-$150/hr. Extrapolating that into 2025 values, the pay today should be about $250/hr. Instead, Indeed and other similar sites advertise jobs for freelance creative work as low as $18/hr. And in spite of that pitiful pay, almost as soon as the job is posted, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of people vying for that "coveted" project work. Let me put the pay issue into further perspective. My 30 year old son and daughter-in-law have a 1 year old baby. To watch our beautiful granddaughter while they work, they pay a babysitter $25/hr. On top of all of the above, many of the creative jobs posted list skill set and experience requirements that would require many years of education and on-the-job training.
If you still have a burning passion to do creative work, I'd recommend pursuing a creative position within a decent size, reputable company where at least you'd enjoy a steady income and ancillary benefits. Just my $0.02...
Please don't feel like you are alone in this situation, coming from a fellow graphic designer.
I, too, wanted to go down the freelancing route, so what I did was I launched a Redbubble shop to upload my designs to sell on print-on-demand merchandise. You can also look into setting up a Contra profile, and they do this webinar like every other week or so called Contra Maxxing, and it teaches everything you need to know about promoting your work on that platform. Either way, it may start off very slow, but with enough publicity, you can end up getting some small traction.
If worse comes to worse, don't strictly pursue graphic design jobs. Instead, cast a wider net by pursing adjacent fields like digital marketing, web design, UI/UX design, branding, and motion graphics. If possible, look into relocating to locations where visual/digital media or even tech in general is highly desirable, like NYC or LA.
We all have to start somewhere, and not everything will go according to plan. Right now, the best thing you can do is to keep trying and never give up, even if it means becoming a freelancer.
If you're not getting any interviews, it's possible your resume or your portfolio just aren't clicking. Perhaps you should get someone with a good eye to give them a look and make suggestions. It's not a great job market currently, but you might be able to pick up some freelance work. Places like Upwork might have posts from people who need a designer for a project, so that's worth considering.
I looked at your portfolio site and resume and the date on The bottom of the homepage says 2023. (I googled your name then graphic design, so this is in reference to the first site that pops up under that search) People/hiring managers/companies will want to see current projects. Also on your resume it says the last design position you held was in 2022 and all experience is listed as an internship.
I’d do some case studies maybe with figma and a general slide deck, long form publication work in indesign, and some of the most relevant projects that graphic designers get hired for and list any freelance you might do for experience.
Thankfully with graphic designers, working freelance for a duration of time is standard and if it adds 3 years of non-internship experience to your resume with some projects to show for it, it might land you an interview.
Getting started as a designer is brutal but your work looks good so keep at it. You’ll find your groove.
I don't do freelance anymore, but when I did, I would often find jobs through Fiverr and Upwork! You'll have to prepare for some very underpaid work while you build your profile and portfolio, but it gets better with time and effort.
I have been looking since Jan. The market is bad for some reason. I've only had 2 phone interviews since. But like the previous comment said it could be your resume or portfolio.
I've had 2 interviews so far. So it's pretty rough right now. What's also delaying my job interview call or email is my portfolio. I have an outdated set projects from college, not current design work. Unfortunately, my laptop is on its last leg so I can't really update my design work..
You’re not alone. I’m a designer with over 20 years of experience with a solid portfolio as some people have told me and an ATS optimized resume, and I’ve been looking for full time work since September of last year. I’ve applied to over 400 companies and have had only 11 interviews with no offer. I moved to Vegas last year before being let go and because Vegas is a smaller market compared to the Bay Area where I’m originally from, I’ve had to look for remote rolls. Remote roles are almost impossible to get because you’re competing against hundreds maybe thousands of other applicants. I recently signed up to Upwork just to hold myself over until I find a full time position. The market is the worse I’ve seen ever. Millions of experienced, skilled and talented designers are looking for work and vying for the creative positions available. At this point you need a top tier designer. 🤦♂️
Do you think it's due to ai?
Would you like to share your portfolio url? I'd be happy to give you some feedback on it. In today's job jungle, it's a combination of having a relevant portfolio + a solid, diverse network of past co-workers that can help get your foot in the door for an interview (references!!). I also did some pro-bono work in the past (freelance years) that led to paid work. It kept me working and I felt like I was at least designing and staying productive (kept my morale up). There was no better feeling in my career than of getting the freelance ball rolling...was the most rewarding times to be your own boss and have artistic freedom!
I also want remote job.
The entire job market regardless of industry or position is bogus right now. Across all the job board platforms, 1/3 of jobs are fraudulent just mining data, 1/3 are valid companies but no actual open position just gathering a pool of candidates so they are not empty handed when in need, and the final 1/3 Get 500 applications for in person, or 5,000 applications for remote work for one single open position. There’s a reason the current administration stopped sharing the jobs reports monthly.
I agree with much of the advice given here. There is a way. Try our free career critique a one hour review of everything you can do to help get the job you want. Https://jobpropulsionlab.com/free-resources
Find a niche. Push the envelope. Have a pal - making big bucks - just doing dog portraits. It's spendable cash - right?
My daughter is making solid $ doing fun animated snipits for video tutorials. Look for an open or ignored slot.