UX Research job market advice for academics
So you’re thinking of going the industry route? Good for you! Like any literal market, the job market has customs — both explicit and unspoken — that you are expected to follow. Here’s everything that I wish someone had told me when I was first starting out.
“UX” has different meanings
This isn’t so much advice as it is a heads-up. Some User Experience (“UX) Research jobs are actually User Experience Design jobs that emphasize research. Others are more geared toward consumer insights. Still others are a mix of both of those, plus customer experience, maybe with some data science thrown in.
Job descriptions will usually give you a good idea of what the responsibilities and must-have skills are. Overall, does it seem like an environment where you would feel engaged and could use your skills? If so, go for it. Don’t ever not apply because you don’t meet 100% of the criteria. Virtually no one meets 100% of the criteria, but 100% of the people who end up getting the jobs apply anyway.
If you get to the interview stage, ask what a typical day is like for someone in that position. Ask who you would work with and what deliverables you would produce. If it turns out the position is not what you thought, at least you got some interview experience.
Work your network
Job hunting is a lot like sales, except you are the product. Being competitive requires marketing, connections, and — above all — persistence. You’re going to hear a lot of “no” along the way to “yes,” so be prepared to leverage every contact you can.
The socials
You should definitely be active on LinkedIn. It is worth your while to spend time making a profile that accurately depicts your professional persona and is informative without over-sharing. Not only will this help you find jobs and be found by hiring managers, but it’s a great way to stay engaged with the broader UX community.
Once you’ve created your profile, start connecting with people you know. Even if they’re not in UX or Research, they may know someone who is. Should you connect with everyone, even people you knew in high school and never talk to now? Maybe. Consider the following:
- “Would I feel comfortable asking them to introduce me to a colleague or hiring manager?”
- “Would they say positive things about me?”
If “yes” to both, then I add them and send a quick message saying hello (and, if I’m on the job market, what kind of positions I’m looking for).
I would also suggest following people, groups, and pages geared toward the kind of work you want to do. Don’t be shy in interacting with their posts in an authentic way — LinkedIn will show that you reacted to or commented on their content, which in turn shows that you are someone who keeps up to date with trends in research. (Some suggestions: Learners and Dr. Ari Zelmanow.) The same goes for people, groups, pages, and hashtags that are aligned with personal interests or social causes that you care about. For example, I follow my local Big Brothers Big Sisters because I volunteer there, and I follow The Female Lead because I’m all about representation. Lastly, follow any companies where you’d like to work to get a sense of their brand’s personality and values.
Beyond LinkedIn, there are active UX communities on Facebook and Twitter. I’m not as familiar with the latter, but I’ve found a few Facebook groups to be great resources. (Check out User Research Collective and PhD to UXR.) The convenient thing about Facebook is that you can keep your personal profile private while interacting with these groups. However, for Twitter, I would suggest having a dedicated professional account if your day-to-day content isn’t work-appropriate.
Informational interviews
Once you start growing your network, spend time cultivating your connections. This might take the form of a brief message exchange, a video chat, or an in-person coffee. All of these fall into the category of informational interviews — not quite a job interview, not quite a friendship. It’s essentially an informal meeting where you can ask a more established person questions about their career journey and about the industry. This is equally beneficial for those who are just starting to explore UX Research, as well as for those on the job market, because it can help you find the right career fit, get your questions answered, and get your name out there.
When I was first considering UX, I looked on LinkedIn for any 1st or 2nd connections (i.e., people I’m connected with directly or through another connection) with any relationship to UX or industry research. I ended up getting great advice during subsequent informational interviews with several people, including a high school acquaintance, my friend’s friend’s husband, a communications professor at my graduate university, and the recent keynote speaker of a local UX meetup group. That last connection forwarded me the posting for the internship that eventually turned into my current full-time role as a User Researcher. And that’s the power of having connections.
(Side note: I’ve found that UX Research has some of the most empathetic people in business, so even if you’re nervous, know that most of us remember what it was like starting out, and we are excited to meet you!)
Don’t bet everything on one job posting
Even if it seems certain that you’re going to get an offer, act as if you won’t — that is, keep applying to positions, don’t cancel any interviews, and for goodness’ sake don’t put in your two-weeks’ notice. Even if your connection at the company has assured you that you got the job. Even if your potential future coworkers added you on LinkedIn. Until the job offer is signed by you and the employer, you don’t have the job.
I’ve seen an over-assured mentality backfire. I had recommended an acquaintance from school for a job. They got an interview, which went well and even led to a second interview. When I reached out with more opportunities and connections, they said they felt good about the first opportunity and would think about the other ones…but by the time this acquaintance found out that they didn’t get the job they had interviewed for, the other opportunities were no longer considering applications.
I know it gets tiring keeping the grind up, especially when it seems like success is within reach and you have a million other things you’d rather be doing. But you risk having nothing to fall back on after getting a rejection. You’ll be back at square one. So keep your options open, and treat every opportunity as if it were your only shot.
The process
The application
Create a new resume and cover letter for each job, and emphasize the skills that align with the job you’re applying for. They’ve gone to the trouble to write out exactly what they’re looking for in the job description. Your application should leave no doubt as to how you fit the bill.
Some companies actively recruit academics and want to see your full CV (curriculum vitae), but this is rare. Typically, you’ll submit a 1-page resume along with a 1-page cover letter.
The world wide web has a cornucopia of resources on resume and cover letter writing, so I won’t elaborate too much more. In short, your resume is where you give a run-down of your employment history and skills, and the cover letter is where you introduce yourself. They should pair well together without repeating information. Upload them as PDF files so the formatting stays the way you intended it to be.
The screening call
Your point of contact with the company will likely be a recruiter or talent acquisition specialist. Their whole job is to facilitate the interview and hiring process for the company. They will assess whether you meet the basic qualifications for the job, schedule your interviews, and communicate a job offer or rejection. Your interactions with them are an important reflection on you as a candidate and should be taken seriously.
The first call with them will be relatively short. The point is to get a sense of who you are and to verify information. You can expect to be asked some standard questions, no matter the position:
- Resume details. This is to verify that you are who you say you are and to clear up any questions (like why you’re switching career tracks).
- Your availability. Be honest and realistic about the dates and hours that you would be available, especially if you’re still in school.
- What you like about the company and why you’re interested in the position. This is your opportunity to show that you are enthusiastic about the job and that you’ve spent some time learning about the company.
- Salary expectations. The purpose of asking this is to find glaring red flags, like someone who would not accept the job unless it paid some unrealistic amount. As long as your answer is within a reasonable range, you’ll be fine, and you can still negotiate later. Do some research on comparable salaries in the area, or refer to the job posting if it lists a specific amount.
After their questions, they will ask if you have any questions — have some prepared. Of course, start with any clarification questions about information that wasn’t in the job posting or on the website. What you ask next will depend on who you’re speaking with. I like the examples offered here. Keep in mind that full-time talent acquisition specialists may not know about all the day-to-day aspects of the job you’ve applied for, but you can ask them about the company, what they like about working there, etc. End by asking what the next steps are and when you might expect to hear back from them.
The interview(s)
Once you have an interview scheduled, start preparing. Some larger companies will have interview questions shared by previous interviewees on Glassdoor, so you can have some idea of what to expect. If that’s not the case, the best strategy is to make yourself comfortable talking in detail about the following:
- anything you put on your resume
- the “story” of different research studies you’ve done — This is more than “We did x, y, and z”. What made you curious about x? How did that lead you to y? How did you decide which methods to use for z? What did you learn from all of that, and what might you do differently in the future?
- a time when you overcame a challenge or learned from a mistake
- a time when you worked with a team
- what you love about research and why you want to work for the company
- yourself — It can be uncomfortable to speak to others about your personality or strengths/weaknesses, and, for some, difficult to do so without coming across as bragging, so practice this, too.
You should also come armed with a few intelligent questions of your own. As much as you may want the job, the company is also undergoing an interview of sorts — by you. This is a valuable opportunity to learn more about them. A few of my favorites:
- “What does success look like 90 days into this role?”
- “Could you describe some of the projects you’re currently working on?”
- “What are some of the challenges in this role?” (Be sure to address how you would approach said challenges once they answer the question.)
- “You mentioned xyz, I’d love to hear more about that.”
- (When it’s getting close to the end of your scheduled time) “Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?” (After that) “It’s been wonderful talking with you. What are the next steps?”
You may have several rounds of interviews with different groups. Try to provide new information and ask different questions each time, because the different groups of interviewers will talk to each other after you’re gone. Your goal is to paint a portrait of who you are and why you’re a rockstar by sharing compelling and memorable evidence every step of the way. Easy peasy.
(If you’re reading this and you’ve been through the process already, what interview questions, good or bad, have stuck with you? What do you like to ask potential employers?)
The “thank-you”
If someone takes time out of their day to talk with you, extend the courtesy of a brief email expressing your thanks, and do it promptly. This demonstrates that you are serious about the job and that you care about the connection you’ve made. If you don’t have direct e-mail addresses, you can ask the talent acquisition specialist to forward your message.
The wait
Job hunting requires as much patience as it does persistence. Companies’ hiring processes can take weeks or months. You just have to go with the flow. Don’t email to ask when a hiring committee will have a decision. Don’t call the recruiter to ask what’s up. Once you’ve been interviewed and sent a “thank-you,” any further follow-up on your end — no matter how polite — will come across as pushy and demanding, ultimately hurting your chances of getting the job. If they’ve already forgotten you as a candidate (those fools!), then it’s too late anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Should I take an online course?” and “Do I need to have a portfolio?”
In the first question, I’m referring to online learning academies like Coursera and certification modules on LinkedIn, Google, and elsewhere. Ask yourself these two questions to help decide if the course is worth your time:
- Does the course seem interesting to you?
- Does the course equip you will a skill that you can use no matter what job you end up with?
Don’t spend $60 and 10 hours of your life learning how to use a software just because it’s listed as a preferred skill on a few job postings. Chances are, you won’t even remember what you learned unless you use the software on a regular basis.
Look for opportunities to learn skills that sound cool or exciting. You’ll be more invested and more likely to take something useful away from the experience. It doesn’t have to be a formal course. It could be attending a webinar, reading articles, watching videos — there are so many great free UX Research resources out there.
Most importantly, demonstrate what you learned. It doesn’t matter if it’s on a UX portfolio website, on a personal blog or website, on LinkedIn, or wherever — just make sure that potential employers can see how you applied the information or tools that you learned, as well as the impact of the work you did.
“Do I have to start with an internship?”
Most internships require that you be a student within x semesters of graduation. If you meet the criteria, even as a grad student, then an internship is a very appropriate and sensible route, especially if you’re still considering whether you want to fully leave academia.
If you would be able to start a full-time job with two-weeks’ notice, then apply for the full-time job! Internships are nice to have, but they are not the only point of entry into the field. I would advise against taking a full-time position until you graduate, though, if you hope to ever finish the degree. Juggling full-time work and school will challenge even the most diligent work ethic. An exception might be if you’re enrolled in a program meant for working professionals, as some Master’s and MBA programs are.
If you’ve already graduated and are working in academia, it’s definitely not too late to make the switch. You’re probably more suited than you realize for a full-time UX Research job. Focus on translating your career skills to UX skills, and don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from people you trust in your network.
“Won’t they know I’m an imposter?”
Here’s the not-so-secret secret: we’re all imposters! As far as I know, there is no degree that specializes in UX Research. There’s no club you have to join to be a UX Researcher. You just have to (drum roll)… do user research!
Employers look for candidates who are excited about UX Research and who’ve made an effort to learn about it. Here are a few ways to show your enthusiasm before you even write your first cover letter:
- Describe what you like about research in your LinkedIn bio.
- Be a participant! I’ve learned so much about usability testing and consumer research by signing up for paid opportunities on UserTesting and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. The extra cash is pretty nice, too.
- Attend UX meet-ups and conferences, both in-person or virtual. Engage with the speakers and attendees. Write about your experiences on Medium. Post about it on LinkedIn. The events I’m referring to are usually free or donation-based, not the big conferences that cost hundreds of dollars. The latter are great, but in this instance you shouldn’t spend money to make money.
(If you’re reading this and a meet-up group or free conference comes to mind, share it in the comments.)
“Should I hide the fact that I have a PhD/Master’s?”
I’ve seen it suggested that having a post-baccalaureate degree signals that you don’t have the right skills or something. I completely disagree.
An advanced degree signals that you can see a project though, that you can put up with bureaucracy, that you have a desire to learn, and that you have experience presenting your work in a convincing way. I’m sure you can think of a dozen more qualities that you’ve gained from academia.
This is one area where you can use your resume and LinkedIn to your advantage. You get to spell out exactly what your responsibilities were/are as a researcher or instructor/teaching assistant, in a way that makes sense to potential UXR employers. For instance, my resume had one bullet point under “Research Assistant” that said I collaborated with other labs and researchers at my university and other institutions. Another bullet point mentioned that I supervised undergraduate researchers. That all seems par for the course for many grad students, but those experiences demonstrate that you understand that research doesn’t happen in a silo and that you can mentor and lead others. Those are powerful skills to bring to the table.
Your degree is not a barrier to your success in industry. It’s all about how you market your skills.
Go get ’em!
The job market is no picnic. It can be vague, discouraging, exhausting, and even unfair. Those things are not your fault. You are smart and capable, and you will get hired. I know this because you’re reading articles like this to set yourself up for success. I definitely don’t have all the answers or even the best advice, so keep on reading as many different perspectives as you can.
One day soon, you’ll be writing your own success story.
