Kritika Bali’s Post

I'm designing my portfolio...again After struggling for years with that task, I decided to share some tips that may help you. My first portfolio led me to an internship in college. The plot twist: it did not guarantee my position, but a 2-day visual identity project did. The hirer said that my portfolio was awful! I spent 3 months just to create the website 🥲. How I presented the process of this 2-day visual identity project was eye-catching (an award for the research phase) - his words, not mine. This project was in my portfolio until now and helped me get 3 other jobs. Lessons: 1. Don't overthink- 3 alternatives for each idea are enough, so choose one of them. 2. Don't try to recreate the wheel - Templates can be very useful. That’s it for now. Next Monday, I'll share lessons from my Portfolio 2.0. Do you have any advice? Let’s discuss it in the comments!

If you are struggling to get your first creative internship/job, keep reading... Breaking into the creative field can be daunting, especially when you are starting. Sending out what feels like a thousand applications. Here are some key areas to focus on that can make a real difference: 💚 Build a Strong Portfolio When I first started, my portfolio sucked. Employers can see last-minute college work from a mile away. Your portfolio is your strongest asset. Make sure it showcases a variety of your best work and demonstrates your versatility. Create professional personal projects - even if it's spec work. 💚 Network Relentlessly This is not school. This is the "real world". No one will knock on your door with a golden opportunity. Connecting with professionals in your field can open doors. Attend industry events, join relevant groups, and engage with people on LinkedIn. (The last one is my favorite for curbing social anxiety) 💚 Tailor Your Applications It's a chore but... Customize your resume and cover letter for each position. Highlight the skills and experiences that align with the job you're applying for. 💚 Seek Constructive Feedback You won't know what to improve unless an outside source (that's not your mom) gives their 2 cents. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on your work and applications. Use it to refine and improve your approach. I’ve helped three talented creatives land their first roles as a Video Editor, Graphic Designer, and Print Shop Assistant by focusing on these key areas. If you need specific guidance or have questions about breaking into the creative industry, feel free to send me a DM. I’d be happy to help!

Insights from last week’s (Monday, September 30th) Speaker Series with Bex Creatives: Q: What are you currently working on? A: Right now, I’m focused on photographic work, including concept creation and managing contracts. The skills I’ve learned from the program, like organization and time management, are now essential in my business. Q: What internships have you taken? A: I took a web design internship because that's the direction I wanted to pursue. It was a freelance position for an organization in Oakville, where I worked one day a week for 7 hours. The internship helped me manage my time better, stay organized, and use the connections I made with professors. Q: When applying for internships, do you recommend a website or printed portfolio? A: I recommend a PDF portfolio. Include 5-6 pieces but no more than 5 pieces in each category. Make sure to show the step-by-step process, including sketches, wireframes, user testing, and research. Q: What are some portfolio tips you shared? A: -Include 5-6 pieces, no more than 5 per section. -Show step-by-step processes with sketches, wireframes, and user testing. -If it’s a physical portfolio, keep it small and cohesive. -Don’t overload with too much content—it can water down your message. -Focus on projects that represent your branding; if a project doesn’t align, scrap it. -Personal projects stand out more and help make a lasting impression. -Start building your portfolio early—it’s constantly evolving as you grow. Q: When did you land your internship? A: I landed my internship later, closer to the end of October. If you’re waiting to apply, don’t delay—just do it. Start emailing small businesses and get your name out there. Q: How important is your resume for an internship? A: Your resume is very important because it highlights skills that might not be in your portfolio, like volunteer work or unpaid gigs. These skills can show you have valuable experiences outside of graphic design. Q: What if you’re considering changing streams? A: Whether or not you change streams depends on your goals. Having knowledge and skills in multiple areas can be useful and fun. It allows for more versatility in your career. #mohawkcreativeindustries #connectthedots

I lied on my first internship In 2020, I got my first social media internship to save up for my first phone. Before COVID, having a smartphone was a luxury for us, and my family couldn't afford it. During those two months, I learned graphic design, video editing, content strategy, and writing, even though I exaggerated on my resume. After six months, they offered me a full-time job, but I wanted to freelance. The real question is: how did I learn all those skills in just two months? It's the "do first, learn later" method. Instead of long tutorials, I tackled tasks step by step, figuring things out as I went. It's all about making things simpler and focusing on real practice.

When did the creative industry get rid of all its junior positions? 🤔 I am not one to write LinkedIn thinkpieces, but I feel no one is addressing the pressing issue of the complete loss of junior roles in the design industry. My name is Bianca, I am 25 years old and I have recently finished a Master's. During my studies, I was lucky enough to do two internships in creative agencies and work more than a year as a freelancer. With the internship I'm currently doing, my experience should add up to a solid 2 years within the six I've been actively studying and practicing communication design and art direction. This range of experience would technically position me as a sturdy junior (going onto midweight) designer and creative. However, during the job hunt that followed my graduation, I couldn't pursue that position, for the only openings I've seen were either for internships (often curricular), or seniors with 3/5 years of required experience. I know that studies proved that women are more likely to be subject to impostor syndrome and I'm aware that, career wise, I might have played some cards wrong. You live and you learn, right? Despite this, I strongly believe that this lack of opportunities to penetrate the industry and grow as a creative is a telltale sign of the structural problems that rule our sector. Internships are often just opportunities to get cheap manpower and do not necessarily imply a chance of being hired after the end of the period. Internships also very famously don't provide living wages, a very political issue that creates a competitive, toxic and elitist environment where the most fortunate, that perhaps already have the incentive of private and prestigious schools supporting them, remain favoured for being able to be severely underpaid. Work has always been the most political of issues and we, as designers, are severely underrepresented. Silence not only serves no one, but contributes to the poisoning of our professional lives.

🌟MACS Spotlight Series: Exploring Media Through the Eyes of Our Members 🌟 Design Edition ✏️ 🖥️ 🎨 Welcome to our Spotlight Series! Meet Ava Toon – Design Officer at MACS – who’s kicking us off with her perspective on mastering design in an increasingly digital world. Here’s the scoop: “I’ve always loved reading about, analysing, and creating art and design. Studying design and media communication allows me to blend these skills with digital media techniques, giving me a wider range of capabilities." Design is more than just creating visually appealing content—it's about communication, storytelling, and the challenge of constantly adapting to new media. "My skills have improved as I've put my designs out into the real world, learning to balance aesthetics and accessibility. It's also helped me strengthen my collaborative skills, work under deadlines, and gain a greater understanding of marketing as a whole!" As digital design continues to rise in popularity, Ava recommends getting across the platforms used by professionals in order to be as adaptable and employable as possible. Ava’s advice to those interested in design is simple:  💡"Create as much as you can! The only way you can improve and build your skills to create things that you're proud of is to practise." 💡Have a digital portfolio or website to showcase your work, collaborate with other designers, and gain as much professional experience as possible, including internships. 💡"Have a broad range of examples of different types of design: from social media and web design, to posters, to animations– the list goes on! Also having other skills that are related to design is really valuable, particularly copywriting and video editing that you can feature as your work." Like what you see? Follow Ava Toon (@avalouuise) on Instagram to keep up with her latest projects. Don’t forget to follow MACS for more insights and stories from our talented members! #monashmacs #MACSSpotlightSeries #MediaAndCommunication #CareerAdvice #DigitalMedia

Story Story -- storrryyy A while back, I was given a task to conduct a case study research, create content, and present my findings in a Canva design template. As usual, I jumped right into it—after three hours of research, I submitted my draft to my supervisor for feedback. To my surprise, I went through four rounds of corrections! I was honestly confused, like, "What am I doing wrong?" At that point, I decided to stop everything. I went offline, took a nap, ate as if there wasn’t a task waiting for me 😂😭. When I got back to the work, refreshed, I completed everything in just one hour. This time, my supervisor replied in 2 minutes: "APPROVED ✅." It made me reflect—maybe I had been diving into the work too quickly without pausing to truly assess what was needed. That break was crucial for me to clear my head and approach the task with a fresh perspective. Sometimes, you need to step back to see the bigger picture. Lesson learned! I’m really enjoying this internship and I'll be sharing more about my favourite tasks here. Also, I’d love to connect with other content writers—let’s grow together, learn from each other, and support one another. Have you met me? My name is Bunmi Egbuson. I’m a content writer, a B.Sc. Economics graduate, and I’m passionate about writing—it's such a powerful form of expression! #BunmiEgbuson #ContentWriting #InternshipJourney #ProfessionalGrowth #WritingCommunity #TakeABreak

Hello folks, I’m sharing a request I did, a few weeks ago, because we didn’t find the talent we were looking for. Those we wanted to hire were already with other companies. We need 1-3 interns to begin working with us, by 8 March 2024. Please write to us asap, with your CV and samples of work (if you have them), through [email protected] and [email protected], if you are an undergraduate student, a graduate, a person with a master’s degree, or finishing a post-graduation course who is 1) very quick and creative with social media content. You have to know how to manage a social media page, and if possible, write content and make reels too 2) a creative social media writer. Again, knowing how to make or edit basic reels, is critical 3) a graphic designer or an art director. Reel and video making or editing skills are essential for this role Please know, the traineeship with us, will be for 2-3 months, and can be longer, if we like you and you like us. Kakkoii Strategy, Communication, Design & Entertainment Aakash Chaturvedi Drashti Sheth Aditya N. Ketki Mhasawade Laxmi Krishnan Mrinal Parashar Soham Mundhe @mahi chaurasia Nikita Singh Prema Rajaram Pratap Atcham Mehak Marwah Shailendra Patil #internship #socialmedia #art #design #copywriting

Here are 3 ways I got internships as a student, without ever submitting a traditional application. Fashion Photoshoot Assistant: Whilst studying fashion at university, I was very keen to experience working in a fashion-based business. I spent a day researching smaller fashion businesses local to me, and crafting cold outreach emails to my favourites, explaining who I was, what I could offer and why I specifically liked their brand. One replied the same day, I interviewed the following week and was able to join them for a few photoshoots and office days before Covid hit. Content Writer & Creator: After deciding to build my content creation knowledge, I attended a local writing workshop. When the session finished, I decided to speak with the host, who subsequently asked me to write some trial blogs for their website. This then led to creating social media content for a month, giving me published work for my portfolio. Social Media Work Experience: During university, we regularly had guest speakers from different businesses do a one-off lecture or panel for our class. One of these guest lecturers worked for a marketing agency, so I took the initiative after the lecture to approach them and ask if there was any availability for me to shadow in their offices. After a short interview, I ended up joining the team in a part-time role to support their social media throughout half of my second year. What do I want you to take from this? Well, consider what these three things have in common... talking to people! People = opportunities, and often if you don't ask, you don't get. In my experience, lots of smaller businesses are more than happy to give you short bursts of experience (or could use an extra pair of hands), but they often don't advertise this anywhere. Now, I want you to comment one of two things... 1. If you're yet to find work experience or internships, what information/advice would be useful to you? What do you want to know? OR 2. If you've also secured opportunities outside of traditional application processes, what's your story? How did you do it? What advice do you have to give? Let's share ideas!