How to make industry connections

Introduction

I spent my teenage years in a small town, Beith, in North Ayrshire. Extra brownie points for anyone who has ever actually heard of it before. My dad still lives here and I consider it my hometown. It’s also home to the man who discovered fingerprint identification (Henry Faulds) and a random statue of a large wooden bear in the centre of our town called ‘Woody’ that everyone gets their picture taken with.

I didn’t come from an academic family. My parents worked extremely hard to support us which gave me the opportunity to be the first in my family to attend university. I remember feeling a lot of pressure at this time in my life. I was comfortable (and possibly ever so slightly naive) with the thought of moving away from home and becoming completely independent at 18. It was a steep learning curve and both the most extraordinarily wonderful and terrifying year of my life so far.

I was naive to think it would be easy, but I was in no way unprepared for the journey. Like everything I do, I had thoroughly researched every aspect of what was to come and had plenty of sleepless nights for everything I didn’t know or couldn’t find the answer for on google. I like to prepare for every scenario. It’s what makes me good at my job and has given me crows feet at 28.

I felt as though everyone else already had a head start. This was in no way true, but most of my friends had older siblings in University and someone to look to for advice. They also all seemed to know people in their chosen industries already.. whether that was a parent or an uncle or a family friend, I already felt like I was underachieving.

Something I continuously tried to research and couldn’t find a solid answer to, was how do I make industry connections!? How do I get my foot in the door and get my name out there when I am a nobody? Yes, while other 18 year old’s are stressed about how many drinks they can buy at Hive with a fiver that weekend and why their crush isn’t texting them back right away (although I still found time to worry about these things too..) my main concern was how to become noticed in my industry before I had even started.

For those of you still searching for an answer to this, I’ve outlined the steps I took when I was starting out. This is not intended as a guide to people already in the industry. It’s advice I’ve given students over the years to help them get the step up I was desperate for at their stage. Take what you need from it and make it your own, and if you have any of your own tips please get in touch if you would like to share!

Your Tutors Are Your Allies

It may feel like they are your worst enemy when they are criticising your work and what they are saying just makes no sense what. so. ever. You put a lot of your time and creativity and even a little bit of your soul into that project and they have now just taken it to pieces, metaphorically and sometimes physically, in front of your entire class. These people are professionals. Most of them will have their own practice as well as teaching and you will be surprised how often you will bump into them at events after graduating. The design world is SMALL. Everyone knows everyone. You want a reputation as someone who takes criticism constructively, and is always engaging and inquisitive. One of my tutors was obsessed with screws. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why I would ever care about a grub screw.. but you will. Ask questions, care about their feedback and their opinions. They may offer you a job after graduating or recommend you to someone else they know, and you can always ask for these opportunities too. If you are difficult to work with, it could impact your potential employment opportunities before you’ve even started. Remember to keep in touch after graduating, you won’t just need their advice while studying. A good relationship with someone with so much experience in the industry will always be worthwhile, and they don’t seem so mean and scary once you’ve spent enough time with them!

Opportunity Is Everywhere

In my first year when I was 18, I worked in a hairdressers where I met a man called Allan Mackay. Making small talk as I washed his hair, he showed an interest in my studies and mentioned that he knew someone in the industry he could introduce me to. He put me in touch with my first employer, and I truly feel I owe my success and the experiences I’ve had so far to the kindness of this man. Allan has since passed away. If you are able to make a donation to Marie Curie in his, or any of your loved ones memory, it would mean a lot.

Do It Yourself (Yes, Really!)

When it came to my third year, I was determined (and also in a bit of a blind panic) to find myself a work placement and get some real experience. As mentioned previously, when I was put in touch with my first design company by Allan, I dropped his connection an email explaining that I was a student who was eager to learn and would he please PLEASE spare me some time to answer my never ending list of questions. He obliged and gave me and my notepad a whole thirty minutes of his time, and I sent his company a basket of mini muffins as a thank you/bribe. Over the next two years I found the contact information for various design companies online, in various sectors, and asked for 10 minutes of their time. All of them managed to meet with me. Some could only spare a few minutes, some took me out for coffee and talked about everything from design to politics to their pets favourite cuddly toys, all of them passed on their wisdom and invaluable advice for which I will forever be grateful for. I cannot recommend this method of making connections enough. When it came to finding a placement in third year, the competition was tough and spaces were sparse. I contacted everyone I had already made a connection with (and made an effort to maintain a relationship with since), and all of them offered me some form of position in their practice. I was told this was because I had already shown them I was pro-active and eager to learn from a young age. Everything else can be taught, but you have to show your willingness to learn.

Maintain The Relationship

Once you’ve managed to convince people to meet with you, you have to ask the right questions. Go to the meeting prepared, engaged and really listen to everything they have to say. Be prepared for them to ask you questions also, like interview practice. I met with an exhibition designer who asked me what my current favourite exhibition was - queue thoughts of nothing except monkeys clashing cymbals together in my brain - you don’t want to be caught off guard with something like this. Do your research and know the person/company prior to the meeting in order to make the best first impression. Keep in touch, some of these connections may well turn into long term friendships.

If you would like any further advice or have any comments to share on this piece, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.