Over the past four months, I have been combing several job search engines for open graphic designer positions. There seem to be plenty of requests for them, and one would think that they would be able to land a graphic design position quickly. The number of requests is deceiving.
I've noticed that many hiring employers requests do not know who they need to hire. Employers are searching for various skill sets but are lumping them into graphic design when they are not.
The first time I ran across this, I didn't pay much attention. A local service bureau print shop with several franchise businesses throughout my area posted an open position for a graphic designer. They even required that I send work samples, which I did. A couple of weeks later, I received an email from the shop manager, and he tells me he likes my work but that if I was looking to do actual graphic design, the job entailed only 20% graphic design, and the rest was all pre-press setup. I replied that I would be okay with that because I have more than a decade of experience and was looking forward to discussing the position more. There weren't any more discussions, and the job opening was closed.
After that experience, I started paying closer attention to job postings. I noticed that eight of the other business branches were hiring as well. Of the eight, only one was hiring a Pre-Press Technician, which the shop I had applied to needed. "Pre-Press Technician" was the headline of the job post. The post's content was almost identical to the post I responded to and all the others, but with one difference. It mentioned that the work was "70% print setup and 30% minor graphic design and layout." Of the remaining eight jobs posted from those printing franchises, that one closed the earliest.
One employer sent me a direct request to apply for a "graphic design" position within their company. Knowing that I was not qualified, I obliged. Although the posting was for a graphic designer, the job description required videography, video editing, scriptwriting, storyboarding, and video graphics. One of the application questions even asks applicants if they owned personal video equipment. I said to myself, "they need a 'videographer/editor.'"
Several postings request graphic designers to write articles, shoot and edit videos, and manage company social media accounts. "Oh, they need a 'content creator.'"
And it goes on and on:
"They need a 'marketing director.'"
"They need a 'project manager.'"
"They need a 'copywriter.'"
"They need an 'architect.'"
"They need a 'customer service representative.'"
"They need a 'receptionist.'"
(Repeat)
The most egregious post for an open graphic design job required the "maintenance of 90+ social media accounts" and "write clear, compelling copy for the various mediums." Shoot and edit video was in there. Finally, they briefly mentioned graphic design at the very end. I forgot to say the job was part-time.
Just because the job may involve graphics, that does not mean it's a job for a graphic designer.
