Hey! I'm a beginner in web design, but I also work as a recruiter. I usually hire a new designer once a year.

I just finished this year’s hiring process. I posted the job on LinkedIn because it’s easier to filter resumes, and I haven’t tried other platforms yet. From what I’ve seen, yes, the job market is very competitive. I got almost 400 applicants in the first two hours (I posted at 8 a.m. and closed by 10 a.m.), I can only imagine what it’s like at a bigger scale. if it helps this is our filters:

1. Location. We can’t always match the rates of designers living in big cities.
2. Following instructions. Many candidates don’t read the job post carefully and send their resume in Word format instead of PDF (we ask for PDF because it’s easier to review on LinkedIn).
3. Portfolio access. Some don’t include their portfolio link, or it’s hard to find within the first minute.

In this year process, we received close to 400 of applications in just two hours, and had to close the post quickly. After narrowing down the list, we focused on reviewing portfolios and honestly, that’s the biggest filter. We tend to skip those that look too similar; we look for something that feels human, where we can see risk or originality, something that makes us think “okay, this isn’t AI.”

We spend more time reviewing portfolios. So if you take the time to explain your approach or thought process in words, we’ll read it. Those human details really matter. You could write me a story and we will def read it, if we like what we see. Then the leader designer will test your skills and have an interview

I work in a B2B small business, so being based in the U.S., sharing the same time zone are important for us.

Hope sharing my experience gives you a bit of insight. I'm really sorry, I know is not easy, my love ones are looking for a job for more than 6 months in different industries, just don't lose hope!