10 Essential Tips to Get a Job as a Toy Designer
Is becoming a toy designer your dream job? Let me tell you, being a toy designer is an extremely rewarding, inspiring and creative job. But the big question is, how do I get a job as a toy designer? You may find yourself also wondering; What do I do to gain toy design experience? How do I cross over from other industries if I already have experience as a product developer, graphic designer, or industrial designer? Whether you are making a change from a different industry to come into the toy industry, or looking to change roles in your already thriving toy career, these 10 tips are sure to help you land the job in toy design that you've been dreaming of!
1.Search The Top Toy Job Boards In The Industry
Finding a job opening in the toy industry can be tricky, but it’s a lot easier if you know where to look. While you might find a few listings on general job search sites like Indeed and Linked In, why not go straight to the top toy industry job boards that companies like Mattel, Hasbro, Just Play and many more share toy job opportunities.
Two great resources to find a toy industry job posting are toyjobs.com and the Women in Toys job board. Toy jobs has a public job board but the Women In Toys Job board is only open to members! But don’t worry, if you are a student you can get a membership for free. If you aren’t a student, use the promo code, TOY COACH to get a discount on your Women In Toys Membership. Both of these toy industry specific job boards list only toy industry jobs. Keep coming back to these two sites and you’ll likely find an exciting opportunity for a job in the toy design field.
Listen to this incredible episode all about Women In Toys to learn more about this fantastic non-profit organization.
Episode #16: The Benefits Of Joining Women In Toys Licensing and Entertainment
Bonus Tip!
You can also use these listings to find out what skills you might need to acquire or improve to get the job you want. Pay attention to those job descriptions!
2. Load Your Resume With Keywords
Technology has involved simplifying mundane processes in every aspect of our work and personal life — even resume sorting. Larger companies often sort through toy resumes by keywords. So when you’re applying for a toy job, it’s important that you really analyze the job posting, and add the keywords from the job posting that you want, to your resume. Yes, this means you’ll be adjusting your resume a bit for each job you apply for.
Don’t just fluff up your resume with flowery meaningless terms that you pull from a thesaurus. Use the exact keywords that toy companies are expecting for someone who would be working a job in toy design so that your resume will make it through any automated systems used in the hiring process.
3. Highlight Relevant Experience, Even From Unexpected Places
Many skills and positions are transferable to creative jobs, such as jobs in toy design. Highlight any experience you have with licensing, product development or branding in your resume and cover letter. Experience with China communications developing product from outside the toy industry is still extremely important. Don’t discount your experience just because it isn’t toy specific!
4. Customize Your Portfolio for Each Interview
Your portfolio is another important part of the hiring process if you're looking for a job in toy design. This showcases your work, even if it is a portfolio of personal projects. Curate your portfolio for each interview based on the research you do in tip #6.
Make sure you have some design examples that match or build on the aesthetic the company has, as well as the products they sell. Curate your portfolio so you show off your technical ability while also allowing your personal style to shine through. This is especially important when applying for jobs in toy design as it shows the toy company how your skill set and vision can add to their toy products.
5. Include Process Work in Your Portfolio
Process work includes showing how you come up with a concept. Include some preliminary sketches to give your potential employers an idea of how you work. This is another important part of attaining a job in toy design as it shows employers the step-by-step process you take to get to your base ideas or results. This then helps them decide whether you are a good fit for them as their latest toy designer.
Include product research, as well as plan drawings of the front, sides, and back of a product, to show you can really take a product from a concept to a factory. Finally, include a final rendering or a photo of the actual product you created.
This information can help to set you apart from other candidates for the job.
6. Research, Research, Research
You want to walk into your toy job interview knowing as much as possible about the toy company you are interviewing with. Do your best to know the toy company’s top brands, and the people who work there. This level of research may help you in the interview process, and it will help you to curate your resume and portfolio before you get to that point. Since you're aiming for a job in toy design, be sure to research information regarding their toy design process, the kinds of concepts they tend to stick to, and the toy designers who currently work there. This will ensure you have the appropriate knowledge to decide whether the company is right for you, and how your skills and toy design process will prove useful for the job.
Unsure where to start with research?
Follow these 4 research steps:
1) Start with the history of the company.
2) Next, research the team you’ll be potentially working with for your job in toy design and the company culture.
3) Then, research the products the company makes. Focus on core product lines. Don’t just view the company’s own website. Look up the toys on Amazon and other retailers. Read reviews and look up sales information.
4) Finally, study the job listing and make sure to use the same points in the interview.
7. Find Commonalities Between You and the Interviewer
You never know what is going to be the thing that gets you the job. You want to really do the deep research that is not only going to help you ace the interview, but is going to make you seem well put together and well-prepared. Finding commonalities gives you extra things to talk about and can really impress the person interviewing you.
8. Practice Until You Can’t Get it Wrong
I have to thank my old salsa teacher for this point. She always said: “Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong.” Even though it was advice for dancing, it’s also great job hunting advice!
Go on YouTube or search on Google for the top interview questions for jobs in toy design or design in general. Spend time preparing answers to the hard questions. Do mock interviews with a friend or mentor until you feel confident you can answer any question that gets thrown your way.
9. Go The Extra Mile
Depending on the job you’re applying for, you may be asked questions about higher level plans. If you’re applying for an executive position, you may want to go as far as creating an entire marketing strategy or PR plan for a product to show how you work. It may seem like a lot of work, but it is worth it for your dream job!
10. Listen to Episode #78 on How To Be A Toy Designer, and Download My Top 15 Toy Industry Interview Questions Guide
If you enjoyed this blog post, then you’ll really enjoy this podcast episode, How To Be A Toy Designer. You can also download a PDF of the top 15 toy interview questions if you are a member of the Podcast Insiders Club! Head over to club.thetoycaoch.com to become a member today.
Are you looking for a job in toy design in the toy industry? Leave a comment below and let us know what toy company you want to work for the most.
