7 May, 2025 We asked design recruiters about the current state of the job market, and what they wish designers knew to help them secure their next role. For many designers, the job market feels quite broken right now. Applicants seem to be up, openings seem to be down, and the hiring process is fraught with controversy, from unpaid – and sometimes extensive – design tests in interviews, to being ghosted, sometimes after multiple interviews. We spoke with three recruiters – one agency, one in-house and one independent – to find out what they wish designers knew. What is the main thing designers should understand about the job market right now? The main thing all of the recruiters stress is that it is a really tough time to be job hunting right now. “The main thing I’d like to make clear is that the lack of work people are experiencing is not a reflection of their abilities,” says Naomi Dacosta, who runs boutique recruitment consultancy NDC Creative. “There are so many factors at play here – the economy, the rise of AI, the tech layoffs – all had a significant impact. I speak to so many designers who have lost so much confidence and are questioning themselves, their ability and their skills.” Shaun Stephen, who leads recruitment for Sky’s in-house Creative and Studios teams agrees. “It’s saturated and slow,” he says. “There are a lot of amazing people looking for work and if you’re struggling to find something, it’s not because you aren’t good at what you do. He understands that looking for a job can feel like a full-time job and the current market makes that especially tough. “Be kind to yourself and network,” he says. “Whilst not the sexiest platform, LinkedIn is your friend.” Koto’s talent director Kerrie Rayner says that while it might not feel like it, agencies are hiring and she encourages applicants to think about how the wider context of any new job opening. “It’s important to remember that when looking to recruit, agencies are ultimately hiring to solve business problems, whether that be turnover or growth. If you are the person who presents themselves as a solution, you’re in with a great chance regardless of the level of competition out there.” The key to presenting yourself is to do your research, so you can “talk about your work in a way which can be paralleled to the process and deliverables of where you’re interviewing,” Rayner explains. There is a lot of easily available material, she points out, from company values to case studies and an agency’s social feeds. “Use this to your advantage as much as you can,” she says. How important is a designer’s personal brand, as opposed to something like their portfolio? The answer to this seems to depend on the type of recruiter you ask. For the in-house roles Shaun Stephen oversees at Sky, a personal brand is “not particularly” significant. “Whilst we don’t want to recruit clones, we’re looking for bodies of work that showcase a craft and conceptual thinking that we can see working for our brand,” he explains. “We’re looking for a skillset that has the ability to push us into new directions with the ever changing landscape and customer demands.” Koto’s Kerrie Rayner agrees that the work comes first – as demonstrated in a “well-presented, relevant and curated folio.” “That needs to pique my interest before I decide whether to investigate elsewhere, particularly at a time like this when volumes of applicants are high.” But she says, personal brand is “more important than ever.” “It’s never the case that I wouldn’t progress someone if their LinkedIn or Instagram don’t blow me away – you just gain a little advantage if you’ve done it well.” “Clients want to see more commercial awareness, not just that you created something beautiful.” Naomi Dacosta admits to having “mixed feelings” on this question of personal brand vs portfolio. “There are so many great designers just beavering away quietly creating greatness without fanfare,” she says. “However, a personal brand gives you a voice, a space in this tough-to-navigate market. It helps ‘your people’ to find you.” And she says the more she can learn about someone from their socials, the better able she is to understand if they’d be a good fit for a role. “A good recruiter will do the digging,” she explains. “We’re tenacious, curious, and not afraid to make noise to build a full picture of you. But if you’ve already crafted that story yourself, it makes the process way smoother.” What is a common mistake designers make in interviews? Naomi Dacosta has noticed an uptick in hiring managers say that designers, “struggle to relate how their design solved a business communication challenge.” “Clients want to see more commercial awareness, not just that you created something beautiful,” she explains. “They want to know how you got to that final design, what insights guided that journey. Also what did you learn, and what might you have done differently? Koto’s Kerrie Rayner makes a similar point – she says designers should discuss their work with more depth. “People can often skip on detail with the process undertaken while talking through projects. Storytelling is a hugely valued skill in our world and should be interwoven into the work and in turn the presentation: it’s a waste not to demonstrate it. “We want to know about your interaction with the clients from brief, the designers around you, the strategy team,” Rayner says. “It often strikes me that the value of depth of thought is underestimated by candidates in our industry and an interview is the ultimate opportunity to show this off.” For Sky’s Shaun Stephen there is a very simple thing designers often overlook. “They don’t ask if there’s anything that’s been discussed or shown that would prevent us proceeding to the next stage,” he says. “Doing so makes us give a direct answer and the candidate the opportunity to answer/challenge there and then.” For those hiring designers, what are their biggest recruitment challenges right now? Despite it feeling like a hirer’s market, Koto’s Kerrie Rayner has a different view. “The pool of relevant candidates is much smaller than you might initially think,” she says. Brand work, she points out, encompasses “different experiences which require different approaches and often different skill sets” and this makes finding the right people extremely tricky. And, Rayner explains, “ the higher you go up the ladder, the shallower the pool gets. “For example, a studio can’t take as much of a calculated risk on a creative director, who will immediately lead projects with a confidence that the team can get behind, as we could a sparky, smart mid with bags of potential.” For Naomi Dacosta, the biggest challenge is the “sheer volume of applicants.” And many of those are almost immediately discounted. “I cannot tell you the amount of messages I get that just say ‘hi’ and have a link to their work,” she says. “Or the message says they’d be great for this role, but doesn’t tell me why. “For me the ones that stand out are those who can tell a focused story about their work, the projects they have worked on, its impact and how that relates to the role they have applied for.” Shaun Stephen agrees that the numbers make things tricky – “high volumes, low matches,” as he puts it. “If you’re applying for a role that pivots from your background, tailor your application and include a short cover letter that acknowledges the difference and assures us by outlining transferable skills,” he recommends. What is the worst thing a designer can say to a recruiter? Naomi Dacosta – “‘What do you know, you’re not even a designer.’ A common response when I give feedback on why their application has not been successful.” Shaun Stephen – “‘Hi, any roles?’ Be more specific about what you do and what you’re looking for so we don’t have to do all the work for you. “We love when candidates show excitement and a love of design for their own as well as other people’s work, just like we do. In interviews, we’re not just interested in what you think about us, we want to hear your thoughts on what others are doing.” Kerrie Rayner – “Just leave any negative energy at the door. “In every industry, it’s a well-known fact that you shouldn’t speak badly of past employers during an interview process and I understand that in a time of recent redundancies it could be easy to trip up on the subject. This makes it even more important to be super careful – be real, be you, but please don’t show you’re dwelling on something which has stung you in the past.” Industries in this article Brands in this article What to read next