As a graduate graphic designer, do you find that clients constantly question your experience or lack of it?

If so here's a thread with some advice for you to RT, share and comment on

First of all, don't be dismayed by this seeming obsession with "experience". This term has long been deployed in the context of internships and it's harmful in that regard.

You should do an internship (they say) to gain experience...

...yet if you've done internships, all of a sudden, that "experience" no longer counts as experience?!?!?

It's bullshit. It's manipulative and you don't need to worry about it in that context.

Experience will matter when you apply for many in-house roles as companies will be looking for very specific skills in specific contexts, but as a freelancer, our feeling is that experience isn't something that needs to hold you back.

If your work is good and it's solving a client's problems effectively, who cares if you've done a job like that before?

What clients actually need in order for them to employ your services, is to TRUST you. Experience is just 1 factor that can contribute to that sense of trust.

There are lots of other things you can do to earn their trust. Most of them involve you asking questions, listening carefully and understanding the core nature of the challenge that they're facing as a business.

If you can display your diligence & care, that also builds trust.

Competitors with more experience might spend less time listening to the client. They might not dedicate as much of their time to them. Think about ways that you can offer value and build trust in the context of who you are and how you work.

Don't get hung up on "experience".

Every client relationship is unique and it evolves. Trust is always a vital component though, so focus on that instead.

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