How to shine on Behance and attract new opportunities

With over 60 million members, Adobe’s Behance is one of the most widely used social platforms in the creative world. But if you’re a newcomer, knowing how to stand out isn’t always easy. As part of our partnership with the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, we’re sharing essential tips from two in-house experts and a Behance-savvy creative. Read on to discover how to boost your visibility on the platform and take your first step towards applying for the apprenticeship.

So you’re fresh into your creative career and ready to make your mark. You’ve put yourself out there, networked with fellow creatives and braved the job hunt – but somehow, it still feels like your work is getting lost in the noise. If only there were a platform built just for people like you: creatives who want to be seen, heard and hired.

A space for career-boosting opportunities

Luckily, you don’t have to look far. As the world’s largest creative network, Behance is one of the best places for emerging talent to showcase their work and get discovered.

Take it from freelance illustrator Linda Baritski, who’s used Behance to grow her career. “The platform really has global reach and visibility,” she says. “I’ve been able to work with a great variety of clients.” According to Eunsan Huh, a marketing and communications manager at Adobe, and Lindsay Redmond, a community manager at Behance – it’s this ability to connect talent with opportunities that has enabled so many creatives to jumpstart their careers on the platform.

With the launch of the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship earlier this year, Adobe is strengthening its commitment to emerging talent – with many elements of the initiative hosted on Behance. The programme offers placements with leading creative companies based in UK, US and Canada; as well as providing helpful career resources, mentorship and paid freelance commissions with Adobe. Importantly, having a strong Behance profile is essential in applying for the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship – so be sure to follow the expert advice below to boost your chances of landing this brilliant opportunity.

Linda Baritski’s Behance profile

Nail the basics to boost discoverability

First impressions matter – both in life, and on Behance. So when it comes to your personal profile, don’t shy away from making it shine. Eunsan and Lindsay recommend going beyond the basics of filling in your name, occupation and location, to also including:

If you’re actively looking for work, you can take it a step further on your profile, by adding in:

The final touch to completing your Behance profile? Connect it to PayPal or Stripe. This unlocks your ability to send proposals to clients, get featured on Behance’s hiring page – and even land an Adobe Commissioned Project, which is a crucial step in applying for the Creative Apprenticeship.

All these small details will help you shape a polished and professional Behance profile that Apprenticeship employer partners and prospective clients are on the lookout for. “Make your work easy to find,” Linda says. “This is the “boring bit”, but it really helps.”

Upload work you’re proud of

Once your profile is live, it’s time to start adding work. But which projects should you highlight, especially if you have several to choose from? Eunsan and Lindsay stress that, on Behance, quality always beats quantity.

Potential clients or collaborators will judge your style and skills based on your profile, so focus on curating work that gives a clear sense of what you can do. Make sure you showcase:

That doesn’t mean you should only post professional or commissioned work though. “Definitely post self-initiated projects,” Linda says. “Most of my self-initiated projects have brought in real client work after a creative director or project manager came across them.” So if you’re a packaging designer who’s mainly worked with beauty brands but wants to create candy wrappers, don’t hesitate to share your experimental mockups – they might just lead to new opportunities, and will definitely strengthen your programme application.

Tell the story behind the images

You know the saying “show, don’t tell”? Well, on Behance, it’s best to show and tell. According to Eunsan and Lindsay, creatives have the highest chance of landing a commission or role when their projects are not just visually strong, but also narratively driven. In other words, don’t just show the product – explain the process.

The same goes when applying for the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship. As part of the selection process, Adobe teams and Apprenticeship hosts will want to see the final product – but they’re just as interested in your process, as it gives them insight into your approach and practice.

Behance makes it easy to do this, with features that let you pair visuals with written commentary, videos and prototypes. As Linda puts it, “Instagram and LinkedIn are great for giving people a taste of a project – but Behance lets me showcase bigger, more complex projects in detail.”

So tell the story behind your work. That context will help people understand how you bring ideas to life, solve problems and create solutions – as well as what it’s like to work with you. If you need inspiration, there are examples of how others tell compelling creative stories on “Best of Behance”, a gallery of standout projects hand-picked by the Behance team.

Engage with users to build real connections

Now that your profile is up and your projects are on display, don’t forget that Behance is, first and foremost, a community of creatives. Engaging with others is an essential part of growing your career, since authentic interactions often open doors to collaborations, mentorships or new opportunities.

So support creatives you admire with “appreciations” (Behance’s version of “likes”) and comments on their work. Thoughtful, specific feedback – like praising a unique use of typography – helps you stand out and develop deeper connections. As Eunsan and Lindsay note, “Building a powerful network on Behance is less about volume and more about meaningful engagement.”

That said, the numbers shouldn’t define your entire experience. “Don’t obsess over likes – they don’t determine whether you’ll get hired,” Linda says. “What matters is whether your work is the right fit for a project. There are a lot of amazing people out there who are willing to give you a chance!”

Treat your profile as an evolving portfolio

As you progress, it’s worth revisiting your Behance page every now and then to make sure it still reflects who you are as a creative. This is especially important if you’re applying for the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship as it ensures you connect with relevant companies and opportunities. For example, if you‘ve shifted from illustration to motion design, you might want to edit, refresh or remove older pieces so that your newer work takes centre stage. “Keep your profile up-to-date and aligned with the kind of work you want to be doing,” say Eunsan and Lindsay.

At the same time, don’t feel pressured to have a perfect page. “We all start by posting projects we don’t love 100%,” says Linda. “I’ve kept some of my older work up because it’s a good reminder of how my projects have evolved and shows growth over time.” So think of your Behance profile as a living portfolio – one that improves as you do and reflects the journey along the way.

Key takeaways

Here’s a quick checklist to help Behance work for you. If you’re applying for the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship, treat this checklist as your prep guide since your Behance profile is part of your application.

✅ Fill in all the basics – Add name, occupation, location

✅ Bring your profile to life with profile and banner pics, a short bio, and connect to a payment method

✅ Add professional info, like your services, rates, availability and areas of interest

✅ Upload work you want to do more of –Think quality over quantity and don’t skip on self-initiated projects

✅ Include project details, with at least five great images, captions, process and behind-the-scenes information

✅ Support creatives you admire with “appreciations” and comments

✅ Don’t obsess over likes – they don’t determine whether you’ll get hired

✅ Keep your profile up-to-date and use your profile as a living portfolio!

Other resources

For more tips and tricks, check out these articles from the Behance blog:

Ready to apply for the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship? Placements are available with a wide range of leading creative companies across the UK, US and Canada – and your Behance profile is the first step. Read this article to get started.

This article was created in partnership with Adobe. Every year, we partner with like-minded brands and agencies to support our initiative and keep Creative Lives a free resource for emerging creatives. See here to find out more about how you can work with us.