Episode #78: How To Be A Toy Designer
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Today’s episode is for all of the aspiring professional toy designers out there who have reached out at one time or another for advice on how they can get a job in the toy industry. Perhaps you have a degree in industrial design, graphic design, or illustration, and you’ve recently discovered this podcast and realized—wait a minute. I want to be a toy designer.
Well finally I have the perfect episode for you. By the end of today’s episode, you will have uncovered a few resources to find jobs in the toy industry, you will know what it takes to land an interview at a toy company both big and small, you will know how to make a great first impression and have a clearer understanding of what employer are really looking to see in your toy portfolio.
This episode is your guide to transitioning into the toy industry even if you have no experience in it at all. You will also learn the specific steps I took over my 10 year toy career to over prepare myself for my toy job interviews. If you want to jumpstart your toy career, then this episode is a must listen.
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[00:00:00] Azhelle W: You are listening to making it in the toy industry episode number 78.
[00:00:04] Hey, there toy people Azhelle Wade here and welcome back to another episode of the toy coach podcast making in the toy industry. This is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com Are you ready for some toy education? Let's get into today's topic and I've gotta be honest toy people. I cannot believe I'm 78 episodes into this podcast.
[00:00:39] And today's topic has not been on my agenda yet today. I am going to teach you how to be a toy designer. If you are currently a student interested in working in the toy industry, or if you're working outside of the toy industry, but you're looking at a career switch, then volume up because this episode is made for you.
[00:01:02]By the end of the episode today, you will know what it takes to land an interview at a toy company, how to make a good first impression and what employers are really looking to see in your portfolio. To kick things off. Let's talk about what it takes to land an interview at a toy company.
[00:01:22] And what it takes is going to vary depending on the size of the company and the position that you're applying for. If the company you're applying for has a large established HR department, having an optimized resume should be your number one focus. And what does it mean to have an optimized resume?
[00:01:47] Well, it means to have a resume that is stuffed with keywords that fit the job that you're applying for. This is because these big companies get so many resumes. Each time a new job goes up, they utilize automations to filter through them. So you want to make sure that you spend time analyzing the posted job descriptions of the job you're applying for and highlighting the keywords that keep popping up as relevant for the position.
[00:02:20] Then you want to make sure you have those keywords in your resume. If you're applying for a job that's design-related you might notice the words, graphic design, Adobe Photoshop, rendering, or packaging popping up. These are abilities that you've got to have to be successful at those types of jobs. So as much as you may want to fluff your resume and change around those key words and make them something fancy or interesting.
[00:02:48] Don't do it. I know from personal experience that listing something like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe illustrator, Adobe InDesign can seem repetitive and it can take up valuable space on that single page of your resume. But each of those keywords are actually more valuable in your resume in helping it stand out. Then if you were to add in fluff words, like excellent communicator, Now one more note on prepping for big companies, some of these companies might have an entire online database that frustratingly will require you to enter everything on your resume.
[00:03:28] Again, line by line, into separate fields. It can be annoying, but do not skip or rush through this step. If anything, this is actually an opportunity for you to include anything that couldn't fit on your resume. The one page rule doesn't apply here because this online database is sorting you by the skills and the experience that you enter into it.
[00:03:54]So make sure you add as much relevant and impressive skills as you have into any of those online databases, and also make sure you keep that database up to date. There was a big company I worked for once and I applied for years through their online database before finally getting a call back.
[00:04:15] It was so interesting because I remember going into that database and seeing the application I'd uploaded years prior when I was fresh out of school only to later get a job when I was more experienced in my career. And I'd been updating that database with my relevant experience Now if the company that you're applying to is smaller and they don't have a full HR team managing the hiring process, your potential boss may be the first to review incoming resumes.
[00:04:49] And when a creative director or design director, or even a VP of a company is tasked. Hiring and reviewing resumes. You can bet they don't have a lot of time to do it. So when you're applying for a position, that's actually focused on something like design, what becomes more important than your resume is your portfolio. Your portfolio has to immediately communicate that you have an understanding of the toy industry. You do that by showing kids products, licensed products and toy concepts in the early pages of your portfolio, don't make someone dig for the information that they want to know the most. And your resume needs to be easy to read and even easier to understand your education or relevant experience work-related experience should be at the forefront of your resume. At the very top and you should utilize bullet points to make it clear that you have all the skills needed to do the job without someone having to read an entire paragraph.
[00:05:55] Okay. Let's talk about experience. If you don't have any toy experience, licensed product experience can be your way. While it may be easy to create a ninja turtle tray, for example, because you've done it. And you know, it's a really simple process and you don't think that it's something worthwhile putting in your resume. But when a higher hiring manager sees that you've actually designed for well-known licenses, it communicates attention to detail, ability to take critique and an excellent set meeting deadlines, not to mention the notoriety that any well-known licensed brings with it if it's put on your resume. Now the licensing side of the toy industry is notoriously stressful, filled with layers of approvals and strict design rules. So don't discount yourself and your past experience by thinking a simple trade design for a well-known IP isn't worth putting in your resume because sometimes it is.
[00:07:00] If you have any licensing experience at all design or product development or branding, make sure you highlight that work especially if you don't have a ton of other toy industry experience. Now, if you're having a hard time landing, your very first toy job, I want to recommend that you look outside and along the sides of the toy industry early in my career, I set job alerts for terms like toy designer, kid designer, kids products, child products, youth designer, and many more slightly related to the toy industry, job titles, just looking to edge my way into the industry. Don't think that your next job has to be your last job. It's okay. If your next job is just a step toward the industry and that step could be a small step, like one where you're working with children's bath towels or one where you're working in stationary, it can all eventually lead to the world of toys if you position yourself right and if you intentionally take projects while you're at that job that are most related to the toy industry.
[00:08:17]Now, in case you're wondering toy you should be going to look for toy jobs to apply to. I'm going to give you a couple of great resources to check out. Number one, check out toyjobs.com Toyjobs.com is a great place to start looking for jobs in our industry. What's also great about that website is they also share jobs that people have gotten by applying through their site.
[00:08:43] And the benefit of that is you can actually see what other jobs are in the industry. See what the skills and requirements are, and really design your career to make sure that you're acquiring all the skills you need to one day land, your dream job. Now I talk about women in toys often on this podcast.
[00:09:04] So another great place to go to look for jobs in the toy industry is the women in toys, job board, you can get a discount on your women in toys, membership. If you use the code, the toy coach, it also might be toy coach. So try those both out and see which works best. If you have any problems, you can contact women in toys and they will help you out.
[00:09:29]Next. I want to talk about how to make a great first impression because once you land that toy interview go, you, you did it. But once you land that interview, even for your very first meeting with HR, you want to make an amazing impression. And the best way to do that is to go in over prepared for the interview.
[00:09:52] We have a really competitive industry. And if you want in, at a corporate level, I mean, you really want in, in the toy world, you've got to show your level of commitment. So first thing you need to do is research the company. And I don't mean light research, like Googling their name and reading the first thing comes up. I mean, really, really research the company. If you're applying for a job at a junior level, this research is going to help you curate your portfolio to show that you fit the company dynamics and style. But if you're applying for jobs at a more senior level, having an understanding of where the business stands for the toy company you are applying for is going to come in handy.
[00:10:39] When they start asking you hard questions, like how you might implement global marketing budgets of a million and a half dollars. Okay. Now, you know, that research is super important.
[00:10:50] Azhelle says, I got a research. So you're running over to Google right now and starting to research for your next interview. But now the question is, where do you start with research? What do you look up first? Now? I like to start with a history of the company. This is a great tip, particularly for smaller companies and the information that you actually find during your research process is going to become more and more useful as you make your way through the interview process.
[00:11:20] And that's because knowing how the company started and showcasing some knowledge of that and appreciation for what the founders of the company have built is bound to set you off on the right foot, in an interview. Smaller companies in particular want to know that you want to be a part of helping them grow and scale their business for the longterm.
[00:11:44] So showing an interest in researching how their company got started will express that to them. From there, you should shift your research into looking in to what team you'll be applying to larger companies are often looking for a cultural fit.
[00:12:03] So it's going to help. If you can find out either through the job posting or through deductive reasoning, what team you might be interviewing for. From there. It's really important to move your research into knowing what type of products the company makes and what products do the best for their business.
[00:12:25] Toy companies have core product lines, seasonal product lines, and hero items. Get to know the core products. Don't worry yourself too much with the seasonal, but really get to know their core products. You can start this search on their website and then take the info that you've gathered over to amazon.com.
[00:12:46] Search the same items and really analyze the customer reviews and the sales data that you can find. Once you feel confident that you know, their core products well, and you know, what sells best for them, then you're going to know what they're proud of. You're going to know their ideal product design style and their ideal product price point.
[00:13:10]And finally, and this, this one point of research, most people don't do, but finally you want to study the job posting and make a point to reiterate what they say they want in that job posting during your interview. Someone at that toy company spent time putting together that job posting so many of us are so eager to apply that we scan it and we move on, but the job posting typically holds a lot of clues for what they're going to expect to see in candidates that they interviewed. Now, there are so many resources online for interview questions, particularly on YouTube.
[00:13:53] So you need to be going on YouTube, finding and writing down potential interview questions and performing mock interviews, practicing and practicing. There's an old mantra that my salsa teacher used to tell us. Don't practice until you get it right practice until you can't get it wrong.
[00:14:13] Make sure that you craft your interview question responses so that they communicate that you have what the job description stated that the company is looking for. And if you don't have particular experience in that area, express your passion for learning it. And if you can showcase the ways that you've already started doing that learning.
[00:14:37] Now I have to tell you, I have notebooks and notebooks filled with preparation notes from my many toy interviews over the years . For executive level jobs, I'd gone the length of building out entire marketing strategies and PR and product development plans.
[00:14:55] I've scoured the internet to find commonalities between myself and my interviewer. And I put all of those notes down in a notebook that I could reference time and time again, throughout the interview process, because the higher you go up in this toy ladder, the longer that process is going to be.
[00:15:13] So you need to keep your notes, or now I'm not saying. Now, I'm not saying you have to go this deep in your interview prep process, but I am saying that if this is your dream job, you've got to fight. Now you may be wondering what specific interview questions might you be asked for toy design job? Well, if you are a member of my toy coach podcast, insiders club, I've got a special treat for you. I've created a fantastic download just for you today. Head over to your members area to grab a PDF of the top 15 interview questions you might get asked by a hiring manager when interviewing for your next toy job, if you are considering joining my toy coach podcast, insiders club now would be a great time head over to club.thetoycoach.com to learn more. Finally, let's get into what employers are really looking to see in your toy portfolio. Even if you have no toy industry experience, you have got to include some toy related work, and this can be personal work that shows your design process. And more importantly, shows that you have an eye for toyetic toy design.
[00:16:29]When looking at your toy related work, the hiring managers at a toy company are first looking to see that your design style can match or add to what their company already creates. Style is most easily explained by the age and category of the toy. So if you're interviewing with a preschool toy company, you don't want to come into the interview with only highly detailed renderings of collectibles for the adult market in your portfolio.
[00:16:58] While this work can show your technical ability for sure. You'll want your portfolio to lead with work that shows that your style is with work. That shows that your style is on par and in line with that of the company you're interviewing with showing the process.
[00:17:18]Now one thing people don't think is as important is showing process work, but showing the process of your work in your portfolio can be just as important as showing the final product. Now, why. It's because it's hard for potential employers to tell how well they will be able, or their team will be able to work with you when all they're seeing in your portfolio is the final product.
[00:17:48] So that's where showing the process of how you arrived at your final product can set you apart as a more ideal candidate, even when you aren't the highest skilled. candidate Okay. So how do we describe process? What should you actually include when showing your design process and how much of it should you include?
[00:18:11] Well, you should include a page or two of sketches of the concept showing how it has evolved and grown as you experimented with different shapes and sizes and play patterns of a particular toy idea. You should include research that shows your attention and awareness of relevant trends and competitors to the product that you're developing.
[00:18:38] You should include plan drawings, which are front and back and side views of your final design with measurements. This shows your ability to prep, a project to send off to a factory for production. And from there you end with your final product rendering or photo of a final sample of a product that you created.
[00:19:03] Every toy company is searching for the next big toy idea or once the next big toy idea to come from their in-house designers.
[00:19:10] So if you have a creative way of thinking or researching that generates unique concepts, time and time again, highlight that it could get you the job. Now, before I jump into my summary of today's episode, I'd like to take a quick break and give a shout out to a listener of this podcast. lilduck1996 lilduck says great content.
[00:19:35] Azhelle is a wealth of knowledge on the toy industry. She invites great and diverse guests to speak on all aspects of the toy industry. This podcast is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about toys or start working in toys. Thank you so much for that. Awesome review lilduck If you also love this podcast and you haven't already left a review.
[00:19:59] What are you waiting for? Whenever you submit any review my phone lights up, letting me know that it comes in and it puts a huge smile on my face and keeps me motivated to keep providing valuable toy advice each every week. Okay. Let's wrap up everything we've learned today in a quick summary. And then I'm going to give you some action steps to take this week if you're looking to get a job in the world of toys. So first we covered how to land a toy interview. We learned the importance of your portfolio and the keywords that you use inside of it. When applying for a job at a larger toy company. Plus we touched on the databases that really big companies use to house your resume information and how important it is to keep that updated with all of your relevant skills.
[00:20:51] For smaller toy companies in which your potential boss may be doing the hiring or vetting, remember to keep things easily digestible. Your portfolio is going to matter more because it's something they can review quickly. So make sure it's clear in the first few pages that you are appropriately skilled for the position you're applying for.
[00:21:12] Second, we covered how to make a good first impression. The next most important thing you need to do is research to prepare for your toy interview. I like to start with a history of company, then researched the team that you'll be applying to.
[00:21:30]And from there, it's really important to know what types of products that the company makes and which products do really well for them. finally last but not least studying that job posting and making it a point to reiterate what they are looking for during the interview is going to make you stand out as a star candidate.
[00:21:53]And the last topic we covered is what employers are really looking for in your portfolio. And that is process. We learned that showing the process of the work in your portfolio is just as important as the final product. It's hard for your potential employer to tell how well they will be able to work with you or how well you'll fit into the workflow of the team when all they're seeing is your final product in your portfolio. So mix in a little bit of process. Here is your action item to do this week toy people. I want you to take time and research your dream toy company. Since I know it can be hard to get into the mood, to go deep into research for every company you apply to.
[00:22:42] I want to charge you with a task to start with the one company you admire the most. Go through all of the phases of research that I mentioned in this podcast episode as practice. I want you to get used to the process of learning more about a company in preparation for an interview, learn more about potential teams you could work and you might even be able to find a current job description that you can analyze as if you were applying for it. When you're done. I want you to send me a message on Instagram and tell me something unexpected that you learned. I will respond and cheer you on.
[00:23:22]If you are a student who is aspiring to join the toy industry and you're applying for jobs and you need help and you need advice, I really want to recommend that you check out club.thetoycoach.com. It's a membership that will allow you to ask me your toy questions at any time along your journey.
[00:23:43] As always, thank you so much for spending this time with me today. I know your time is valuable and there are a ton of podcasts out there. So it means the world to me that you tune into this one until next week, I'll see you later. Toy people.
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