A few weeks ago I announced my new social adventure with Dribbble, the playground for designers to share their upcoming work. (Want to know more? See their FAQ).
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Well, last week I managed to land a job at a design agency here in NYC because of my profile on Dribbble, here’s how.
A senior interactive designer at the design agency where I got the job (to be announced later Alexander Interactive) was prowling the site for designers to work on an upcoming news website. (Quite a smart move seeing though it’s an invite only site.)
The designer, let’s call him John, simply typed “news website” into Dribble’s search engine and because I had tagged one of my shots with “news” and “website”, my shot came up first in the search results. John read the comments on the page, clicked through to the site “The Fiscal Times” that I had redesigned the home page for while freelancing for The Wonder Factory and saw what my capabilities were. John then clicked through to my website, checked my other work and then contacted me.
I sent him my CV & PDF portfolio and the next day I found myself at their studio having an interview with him and the creative director. The next day I got a phone call and they offered me a three week on-site freelancing contract. I took the job and I start there next week, with an opportunity for further work if we are a good fit for each other.
I only share this story with you to show that it’s possible to get a stroke of luck at anytime and it can happen more than once. For this “luck” to happen you need to have an active, up-to-date profile in as many places as you can manage because, it’s important to be everywhere.
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Have you ever got a job via social media? Please share your story!
Dribble ball artwork by Dave Mott.
PS. Sorry, I have no Dribbble invites.
PPS. What is even more uncanny about me being in the same location as this NYC studio, is that the senior designer who found me actually studied at the same University as me, back in Australia, a good decade ago! Small world!
Woah man! so awesome. And did you make that angry dribbble logo? Awesome!
Can’t wait to get on dribble 😛
Cheerio!
Sidharth,
Nah, Dave Mott did as credited at the bottom of this article. G’luck on Dribbble!
Yes – to be honest, I didn’t think it really happened until it happened to me. I got a message on LinkedIn from an agency owner who said they’d gotten used to seeing my comments on the Six Revisions blog, had clicked through to my website, started following me on LinkedIn and Twitter, and thought that LinkedIn would be the most appropriate way to talk to me about doing some digital planning stuff for their clients. A few months down the line, we’ve found that we’re a good fit for each other and I’ve had a steady stream of digital planning work, a ton of design work, and a pretty nice gig… all from a few blog comments.
Congrats, btw – I’m so glad you’ve gotten another chance in NYC 🙂
That’s amazing Rochelle, great to hear another success story coming out of LinkedIn & social media in general! Thanks for your congrats too!
Wow, this is amazing Jacob! Congratulations on that interesting job / great outlook!
I love stories like that, where you’re discovered in a sort of way. Thank you for sharing 🙂
I have my current job through social media. A friend of mine worked at this start up company and they needed a designer. He asked on Facebook if anyone would like to intern and get some experiences. I immediately commented saying I am interested. I got an interview and my first gig was to design a logo and see how things go from there. I designed the logo, then a hang-tag design, and then some more designs. I’ve been with the company for over a year now. So the internship that I thought I wasn’t even going to get paid for turns into a real job…with pay. I love social media.
Wow, outstanding Jacob! thanks for your info………
That’s cool, congrats with the new job Jacob. Good to hear that your time spent on social medias paid off. I’m not so good at that, i’d rather design than socialize (:P), but I guess i should become more active. Especially when hearing yours, and the other stories above. How much time do you think that you’re using on social medias, approximately?
Awesome to hear, Jacob. Truly, there is power in being out there! I didn’t fully grasp that concept until a couple of years ago. After playing around with social media just for fun, I landed some freelance gigs via Facebook and Twitter. One of those jobs turned into a long-term client. Plus, I was surprised to obtain a full-time job via craigslist.
Now, any pointers or getting a Dribbble invite, Jacob?
Interestingly enough, I got a flat out job offer from my Dribbble profile based on where I am located. Something I was never expecting! I turned it down because I just started focusing on my own clients, but who knew!
Thanks for the tip on tagging shots. 🙂
Great to read our story here Jacob! Looking forward to you coming in to work for us tomorrow!
Rock on!
“John” 🙂
I was a bit low on work during the credit crunch here in the UK so I thought why not and posted on my facebook **LOOKING FOR DESIGN WORK…WILL WORK FOR FOOD** …I got three well paid freelance jobs from that post… Happy Days!!
Leonie!
What the hell! Ok this world is too small. You are contributing to a blog commentary for a designer I just hired here in NYC. And you used to work for me in London!
Next thing I will find out is that you both know each other…
Richard aka “John”
doh! facebook link….that is how Leonie found me! urghhh…
Ahhh Richard…yes it was a facebook link…yet another example of the power of social media!!!….
yes.
Yes.
YES!
Glad to hear the news. I’m actively looking in NY as well, if I ever get there, we’ll grab a coffee — my treat.
Congratz on the new gig Jacob, you are having an awesome string of luck man…oh wait nah you just got skillz like that – ha ha!
Loc,
Thanks for sharing your story, congratulations!
Marius,
There is a balance between social media and design… they go hand in hand. Without socialising I can’t design 😛 I only spend about an hour a day socialising, but really it’s just commenting and sharing links that I think are worth sharing.
Rob,
Check out Cribbble.com!
Sonia,
Congrats and yeah it’s not something you would expect eh?
Leonie,
Happy Days indeed, congrats and thanks for sharing!
Victor,
Let me know once you’re here!
Kendell,
I guess it was my time, since all that Visa rubbish.
Excellent to see how you developed through the economic downturn
Well done and good luck.
Congrats! Jacob.
I hope you are having a swell time on the Dribble generated gig!!
Thanks for the great tip of Cribbble.com!
Rgds
Remy,
Still working there, so yeah enjoying it! Thanks and g’luck with the invite!
So if anyone wants a vagina they’ll get Pedja to do the work! 😀 lol, what a nice story :D.
Good story man. Since the corporate 9-5 hustle has spurned me YET again, I just recently launched my own site and plan on trying to freelance. It’s tough out here but stories like this keep me motivated. Thanks for sharing!