Breaking into a new field of work is always challenging. However, both aspiring newbies and veterans of other fields, looking to transition into the instructional design (ID) must use slightly different approaches to land their first job in their chosen profession. In this post, we’ll cover some of the prerequisites for newbies entering the ID, or those making the transition from other roles, and share some tips on how to make getting that first gig easier.
Preparing for a Career in Instructional Design
Start exploring your potential as an Instructional Designer early, ideally when you’re about to graduate from high school. While there are various paths to entering the field, many ID professionals start formal education with either a diploma, bachelor’s, or master’s-level studies. Alternatively, you may already have some technical skills or certifications as part of your schooling. You could leverage those credentials and opt for specific tech-based specialization – such as eLearning course design, or learning content tools certification – that’ll give you a foot into the profession.
Pursuing formal education and certification is the best way for a newbie to break into a brave new career as an Instructional Designer.
Transitioning into Instructional Design
But not every successful instructional design specialist begins from the ground up. In other words, you might not be looking to begin a professional career in ID; but you may already be in mid-career in some other (related) field, and are now looking to transition into instructional design. For example, you may already have a successful career as:
- An educator, teacher, or learning instructor
- A training assistant or Supply teacher
- A Web developer
- A Content designer and/or developer
- A consultant marketing and selling learning tools
Some of these roles include functions that a typical instructional design project might entail. For instance:
- As a teacher or instructor, you’ll already have a strong understanding of curriculum design
- As a web designer or content developer, you’ll know what it takes to deliver “sticky” user experiences
- Education tool specialists are already familiar with the features and functionality that sound instructional solutions require
Unfortunately, when applying for your first ID role, you’ll inevitably be measured by what you’ve accomplished in your previous work life. However, your experience and expertise in those areas, and exposure to the principles and practices involved, will make it easier for you to now transition into an ID role. In fact, now that you’ve had some experience in different (related) roles, you might have a better (more well-rounded) appreciation of what’s required to embrace your new career.
You’ll probably need to take a few online courses to bridge some of the knowledge gaps. If you don’t have any training/education-related work experience, you might even need to enroll in a related Bachelor’s degree or Master’s program (most are available as part-time or distance learning options).
Landing Your First Gig
Whether you are a newbie, stepping out of academic life and into a career, or a seasoned professional in some other field making a transition: Everyone must start from somewhere, and it’s the same in the instructional design field. But what will it take to land that first gig?
Here are some tips for freshmen and transitioning pros:
- VOLUNTEER: For newbies, whether it’s during their education or shortly after, volunteer to take on related projects and work. For instance, step forward to design a course for the school or educational institution on, say, “How to fill out an online application”, or “Planning your project submissions”. Or, offer your newly-learned talents to community organizations to create learning content for community outreach.
Don’t worry that you won’t receive any compensation for it – this may be your ticket to getting your foot into the professional world, and getting paid for work later!
- DOCUMENT: Create a well-laid-out resume, appropriately tailored for the specific job you’re applying for, that highlights all that you’ve learned, done, and accomplished. As a newbie, looking to land your first ID job, ensure your resume showcases in detail the practical aspects of your learning, including practical projects and volunteer assignments.
If you’ve recently transitioned into a career in ID, and are looking for a first job in the field, remember that typically: Commercial entities place greater emphasis on relevant work experience. So, highlight how the skills in your prior career are relevant to the ID job you seek. Also, draw attention to the formal learning you’ve undertaken to bridge professional and academic gaps that now make you eligible for the transition.
- SHOWCASE: Crete an online profile of all relevant work you’ve done, that you believe makes you a perfect fit for the job/gig. Make sure you use all your L&D knowledge and skills to design that online presence so that it speaks volumes about your abilities to produce inspiring (and riveting!) content.
- PROPOSE: Your instructional design proposal plays a huge role in successfully landing that first job or project. Most prospective employers search for keywords and phrases relevant to the tasks they want their new employees/contractors to perform. Make sure your proposal includes the following elements:
- Tailor your proposal according to the job or project you are applying for
- List the most relevant qualification, experience, or skill sets, higher up in the proposal
- Use your cover letter to highlight your instructional designing value proposition as succinctly as possible
- While not skimping on details, don’t overwhelm prospective employers/clients with too much information in business proposals. A good way to structure proposals is to provide a summary (highlighting keywords/phrases/buzz-words) of what you can do; and then offer optional supporting information (web links, downloadable documents, etc.)
- FINANCIALS: All things being equal, prospective employers and clients will typically look to hire someone, who has no or little direct experience, only if it makes good financial sense for them. So, if you believe the work you are applying for is worth x-dollars in compensation, quote (or ask for) a slightly lower rate. Given that this is your effort to break into the field, foregoing some financial reward now, is worth the practical experience you get – that you can capitalize on in subsequent jobs/projects.
- VALUE-ADD: Offering “freebies”, as part of your effort to land that first gig, is a great strategy. If the role you aim for is, for instance, related to course/curriculum design, volunteer to do something “extra” as part of the role (without increasing the budget or resource commitment to the prospective employer). You could offer to also help with storyboarding or providing inputs for developing eLearning content to support the curriculum you design.
In my Instructional Design for ELearning program, I show you how to master your instructional design skills and teach you everything you need to know to become a successful instructional designer.
Want to build a successful freelance career? join my Becoming a Six-Figure ELearning Freelance Consultant course where I cover everything you need to know about running a freelance eLearning business, from finding your niche to setting up your business, finding clients, pricing your projects, and marketing your services. Additionally, you will get 20+ templates you can adapt to your own business!
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