#AskDesiree: How to stand out in ecommerce & digital design

Digital Design in ecommerce is one of the many specialisms we focus on here at cranberry panda. Looking at the amazing design jobs the consultants are working on at the moment, you’d be forgiven for thinking the volume of opportunities will make finding that next role a piece of cake. Not necessarily…

Welcome to the latest slice of #AskDesiree, where today I decided to pick a much more specialised question. A digital designer working within the ecommerce industry reached out to me, as they are currently in the middle of a job search. However, competition is high amongst the creative ecommerce professionals…so how do you stand out as a digital designer in the ecommerce industry?

Study digital design job specifications

Looking at job adverts for ecommerce digital design roles is a great way to kick start some research into the current trends and desired skills. I’m not saying you don’t study the job adverts you have applied to, but I know it’s sometimes easy to quickly apply without a thorough look through everything.

So, I would recommend going on a handful of job boards and seeing what is quite common across the adverts you look at. Is there a particular tool that employers want the candidates to use? Is there a need for a portfolio? This will arm you with the tools you need to start your job search knowing exactly what people want.

The importance of a design portfolio

Your design portfolio isn’t just a museum of your past achievements…it’s the first impression the employers will get of you. Make sure this is always kept up to date and details your most successful work in your career.

Don’t just let the designs do the talking either. Annotate your portfolio, take the readers through your thought process and make notes of the success you had with these designs. Last, but not least, show pride in what you’ve done and speak about your highlights from these projects.

The key design skills to highlight

Having looked through many a job description for digital design positions, no two roles are ever the same. However, there are recurring skills I’ve noticed throughout them. So, look at the below and really highlight your experience in these…

• HTML/CSS: Some knowledge of HTML/CSS is quite common throughout design job adverts, even if it’s just a basic grasp. Any coding skills will come in useful in a design team…in fact any skills you have should have a place in the team.
• Teamwork makes the dream work: Not only do you have to show you’ll be a useful member of the design team, but an overall great addition to the company. A designer who can work coherently with marketing, CRM, analytics and product teams to achieve the best results, is a designer a company will want to snap up.
• Knowing the audience: You have to show that your designs have the customer in mind at every turn. A great way to demonstrate this is to give an example when content and designs were not getting the best response. What did you do to get this rectified?
• Brand knowledge & commercial awareness: Every brand has its own voice, with a diverse group of customers who buy on the ecommerce site. How have you used your brand knowledge for a successful ecommerce campaign? Checking out social media will give you an idea of audience responses. You also need to show that you are up to date on all the latest trends and trying to stay ahead of the competitors.

Good luck in your digital design job search

I hope my latest slice of ecommerce career mentorship will give all the designers out there some food for thought. If you’re looking for a new opportunity, you can click below to see all the latest digital design, UX & UI jobs from cranberry panda!