I just graduated in May and I’m building out six case studies in Figma and InDesign — any favorite sources for real-world style briefs or challenges that recruiters respect? For entry-level roles, are Behance job boards, LinkedIn, or niche sites like Working Not Working worth it, or should I put more effort into emailing local studios here in Portland? If you have a portfolio example that landed your first job, how many projects did you include and how deep did the case studies go?
If you’re in Portland, grab a real creative RFP from the city’s bid portal (https://www.portland.gov/bids), treat it like a mini RFP, and build one tight case study around your process and 1–2 deliverables — it’s like training with real groceries instead of foam props. Recruiters respect the constraints; pair it with one small pro bono piece for a local nonprofit to show real feedback — what kind of work are you targeting, brand or editorial?