INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: companies need you, they just can't find you

The average job posting gets 250 applications. Over 75% are unqualified. Many are not even real. AI auto-apply tools now let people send hundreds of applications without reading a single job description.

Hiring managers are buried. They want to find you, but they can’t see you through the noise.

This is the worst ID job market in my 20 plus years. It’s not you, the system is broken. But the cheat codes are the problem. Every easy-apply shortcut puts you in the same pile as the bots.

The old way is still the best way. Pick a few roles that you actually match. Research each company. Look at what they make and who leads design. Then do what nobody does anymore. Write a short genuine note that proves you actually looked. Reference a specific product. Reach out to someone on the team with a real question about the work.

If you are a qualified industrial designer with a real portfolio and experience that fits the role, you are already in the top five percent of any applicant pool. You do not need to apply faster. You need to be impossible to ignore.