A survey is being conducted by the School of Design and Architecture at Swinburne University of Technology with the support of the DIA. It aims to understand how prospective employers evaluate graduate designers.

We need your input! Swinburne is researching what employers prefer when recruiting graduate designers. We know portfolios are crucial to gaining employment as a designer, yet industry expectations of portfolios are extremely varied and often unknown. Employers’ preferred processes when recruiting graduate designers are also often assumed.

What do you look for in a portfolio? We invite you to share your thoughts on portfolios and recruitment processes to help graduates prepare to enter the workforce.  

The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and can be done in a single or multiple sessions. Participation is voluntary and anonymous.

If you have personal involvement, past experience or a close understanding of design graduate recruitment we invite you to complete the survey here.

Sharing your opinions will support students and graduate designers as they enter the design industry. The DIA forever supports a vibrant learning program connected with the broader ecology of design practice, networks and community. The survey will help us to advocate for these essential issues.

If you would like to receive a summary of the survey results, contact details can be found at the end of the questionnaire. Further details of the project can also be found here.

For more information please contact Dr Emma Fisher, School of Design and Architecture, Swinburne at efisher@swin.edu.au.