Deidrea Niece
Jul 28, 2017 · 3 min read

…..Deciding what to do next.

That has been me trying to figure out where my career is going. Ever feel like you don’t know what you’re doing? You did all the things. College, internships, volunteer work, rounded up references that will say nice things about you, and you even land a grown-up job and put a few years in. Then one day it dawns on you. What next?

I have a lot of interests and am constantly learning. Which is good and bad but I digress, my skills have followed this trend as well. After discovering User Experience Design all these things (content strategy, service design, digital marketing) finally started to make sense and I felt a sense of direction.

For years I’ve been doing bits and pieces of UX unknowingly. Meshing old skills with new I’m taking the next step and hopping in with both feet to find my new career home.

Solving problems and telling stories on meaningful projects is my mission.

Two-week breakdown
Total jobs applied to — 15
The goal is to apply to 10 positions a week. But this is proving to be a little difficult since I’m trying to customize each application package. Not all of these positions wanted a resume/cover letter combo instead an email or form was requested.

Follow-ups — Three

This means the employer or client contacted me for more info in the form of questionnaires, pretests, etc.

Three positions followed up with me requesting more info. I completed two “on-the-job” assignments, and one questionnaire.

Total rejections (womp, womp) — Two

One was a flat rejection the other was after completing an assignment.

Interviews — Two

Yay! Two interviews scheduled for next week. Interview one is a preliminary interview and I’m expecting this will determine if I make it to the next round. The second interview is for a freelance position. I’m excited for both and have been preparing like a madwoman the past two days.

What I’ve learned

Job searching is hard. It can be disheartening, it’s difficult, and takes strategy. From what I can see companies are putting more value in the job seekers time and dedication to submit their interest. This shows in the easy to apply forms, and application process. Some are not too interested in credentials. At least not at first. They seem to value the aspect of hiring a human first that is teachable, has a personality that would match the company mission and values.

Then there are some processes for applying that are an absolute nightmare for job seekers. An endless amount of entering information, websites that are difficult to navigate, and pre-qualifier exams that make you want to pull your hair out.

*Currently mapping out my job hunt

*Hi! Note about this article: My goal is to document my career change journey and share my passion for user experience. More to come.

Deidrea Niece

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Creating experiences, solving problems, and telling the story.