I'm Jo and I'm new to Creative Jar, starting as a Junior Creative here in May 2011 after graduating from the University of Brighton's 3D Design course in 2010.

The thought of struggling on as a lonesome designer post graduation didn't really appeal, and so being part of an agency where I could be a member of a creative team, developing designs for high profile clients and exploring my love of all things visual was a much more desirable proposition. And since entering agency life, I have been able to do just that. I'm surrounded by people who are specialists in their own fields and wonderfully willing to help me learn.

Inevitably, there are some quite significant differences between working here and studying for a creative degree. But to be honest, I much prefer the former. The broad nature of my final year in Brighton was great; we had a whole year to design and make three products which, within reason, could be anything we wanted. But this was, at times, daunting and frustrating. Whilst working at Creative Jar I have found that there is much more variety and so I have been able to be a part of numerous projects, often jumping from one to other from day to day which keeps things interesting. This has also given me the opportunity to work within a team.

Where as before I would complete projects independently, which was positive for recognising my own style and interests, an individualist approach doesn't apply to agency life. You are one cog in a machine, therefore you have to work in such a way that will suit a collaborative process.

One of my aims whilst I was a design student was to tailor my work towards more commercial applications, as opposed to producing art for art's sake. But I've found that no matter how realistic you try and make a hypothetical project, it will never allow for the curve balls that clients can throw at you in real life. Work often goes backwards and forwards, to and from the client, a process which I was previously unfamiliar with.

I've also realised that at university or college, unless you are extremely driven, you end up spending so much time procrastinating. Within agency work, there's no allowance for this as, of course, time equals money. But these rigorous approaches to time keeping and quality control are sure to be making me a better designer.

Being a part of a digital agency has especially opened my eyes to more exciting creative possibilities. I've learnt that the fact is, pretty much anything is possible within digital. It's just that there are forces which come in to play which can oppose this, such as a tight budget, brand guidelines, time restraints, unadventurous clients, to name a few.

Its fast paced nature requires a constant up to date understanding of trends in web design, technology and social media, of which colleges and universities are frankly lagging behind on. Luckily, my peers are so web savvy that gaining access to this awareness is very straightforward and is fuelling my curiosity whilst filling in the gaps of my own, comparatively limited knowledge.

I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to work at Creative Jar. Hopefully diverging from the obvious (do work experience, produce a great CV etc) here are my tips for finding your creative career at an agency:

• Create a digital based portfolio to show at interview. No matter how much your college or university tries to encourage you to use a traditional format, you need to show that you are keeping up with the times. Plus work looks great on screen. And you don't need to spend much or in fact any money on one, there are many great sites that allow you to create your own professional digital portfolio for little money or for free. Behance and Carbonmade are particularly good. Or put together a trusty PDF!
• Get as much professional feedback on your work as possible. You need to get advice from people who know what they're talking and who represent your target employer so that you can make changes accordingly (which a digital portfolio will allow you to do quickly and easily). This should begin to bridge the gap between your work being “studenty” and commercially viable. From personal experience, agencies that you approach who, for whatever reason, turn you down with regards to working for them will be more than willing to offer advice on how to improve your portfolio. Calling on industry professionals to critique your work also provides something valuable to do whilst looking for work in a notoriously competitive industry at a very difficult current time.
• Look local. The bright lights of London or New York may be inviting, but also dazzling your view of what else is out there to be discovered. There are so many cool agencies tucked away in places you wouldn't expect which produce great work for high profile clients.
• During your job search, keep asking around, whether it's friends, family, neighbours… anyone. If they're aware that you're in search of a creative career they'll be able to keep their eyes open, too, for any suitable opportunities that may arise. If you're working in a bar, pub, cafe or shop in the meantime, make sure you chat to the customers. You never know who may come through the door!
• Send out your digital portfolio to agencies you'd like to work for, and not necessarily just to ones which are recruiting. If you don't hear back, phone them up to get some immediate answers, so as not to waste your time. If the answer is a no, don't be disheartened, move on to the next.
• And finally, it sounds obvious and rather cheesy but DO NOT GIVE UP. Securing a career in something you want to do makes working for a living a privilege, not a chore, and fully makes up for all the hard graft you have to put in to get there.