“Perhaps it’s a good opportunity to take any ‘corporate’ work out of your deck”

Creative Career Conundrums is a weekly advice column from If You Could Jobs. Each week their selected panel of professionals from the creative industry answers your burning career questions to help you navigate the creative journey.

This week’s question:

“I’m currently in a role I really hate, stuck editing boring brochures and presentations. This is the second out of three roles that have been like this, I try to upskill, work on personal projects, apply for new jobs but feel like I’m getting nowhere. It feels like I’m in a loop, never having the right experience recruiters are looking for. Am I stuck in these kind of boring roles forever? How do I break into more creative roles?

Am I stuck in corporate design?”

Katie Cadwell, co-founder of branding studio Lucky Dip and The NDA Podcast:

It sounds like you’re doing all the right things – and vitally, you still have a goal in mind for the type of work you want to do.

I’m assuming your portfolio reflects the career you’ve had so far, which might be the culprit for finding yourself into similar roles. There’s a saying “only put the work you want to do out into the world”. It’s like a version of manifesting – projects you share will likely reflect the projects or job offers you receive. So perhaps it’s a good opportunity to take any ‘corporate’ work out of your deck and see what’s left. Is that a robust enough portfolio to apply for jobs, or do you need to flesh it out with more creative work? Do the same cut throat curation of any work you have online. Build a portfolio for the job you want, not the jobs you’ve had.

Perhaps you need to jump off the Mac and lengthy email chains with recruiters, and meet some people. It’s a brilliant time of year to get out and chat to other creatives. The industry calendar is busy right now with OFFF, D&AD, Birmingham Design Fest, and so many more great events. There is such power in building in-person relationships to break into the studios you admire. Even if those conversations just lead to portfolio reviews or nice online interactions. The industry is built on recommendations, so start building your network.

Hopefully the right role is just around the corner for you (but don’t be surprised to find there are brochures and presentations in any design job!)

In answering your creative career conundrums we realise that some issues need expert support, so we’ve collated a list of additional resources that can support you across things that might arise at work.

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