Are design teams supporting the development of new UX talent?
We hear from different corners of social media that demand for UX Talent is in an all time high. Some say that there are not enough designers to fill the jobs. On the other hand, some would argue that there are not enough “good” or “experienced” UX designers out there.
However, we see some of our peers in the industry like Scot Westwater raising an important issue — why is the required minimum years of experience for an entry level job defined as “3–5 years?”
Westwater followed up with a longer post in LinkedIn
How do you get experience when entry level jobs require 3–5 years of experience?
I have been asked this question numerous times over the past 6 months by people looking to get their start in User Experience.
This seems to happen in a lot of industries but it’s damn near a pandemic in User Experience. In many cases there are more openings than candidates, yet we still require 3–5 years and those positions go unfilled. I’ve also heard stories of crazy interview processes that stretch out for months and have 5–6 rounds. (NYC, I’m looking at you).
I realize how lucky I was that someone believe in my ability to think critically and pick things up quickly when I made the jump from visual design to UX.
He challenges Design Leaders to answer this question —
UX Pros, I’d love to hear your thoughts about what we can do to help people get their start and grow as practitioners. Any advice you’d give for someone looking to get their start?
Nick Finck highlights this problem and says:
There are many facets at play and we all share some degree of responsibility in this challenge, the market, the design leaders and the new designer looking for a job.
UX job market — brief look
In a quick search for UX Design jobs in some of the popular job sites, you may find that there are a lot of openings. However, not many published one are for entry level roles. Let’s take a closer look:
Indeed
- UX designer 5800 jobs
- Filter entry level 910
“Must have at least 1–2 years of industry experience (this does not include an internship)”
“1 year experience” for an internship role”
CareerBuilder
- UX 942 openings
- Filter — Internship 0 (zero) jobs published
- UX Designer roles starting with a wide range of minimum years experience required — 1, 2 and 3 years.
Monster
- UX 1000+ jobs
- UX Designer 5+ years
- UX Design Intern — 313 jobs
Some internships are very specific to a 4-year degree program like this one:
“You must be currently enrolled in a college or university program and must be returning to school the term following your summer internship”
“**Educated** — 2nd or 3rd year college student in human-computer interaction (HCI), or equivalent degree”
This is a high-level look at the job market. It does not take into account specific conditions in certain metropolitan areas. While it is neither conclusive, nor comprehensive, it shows that there are some wide differences in what employers requirements are for entry level roles including internships.
Design Leaders have a big stake in the problem
Some Design leaders take a “hire-like-me” perspective and end-up with a team that looks like them in almost every aspect, without any kind of diversity, background or experience.
Other UX leaders build and expand the teams in their organizations with an “all senior level” approach. They too, discount the diversity of what different levels of experience and educational background can contribute to the team and the company.
Design leaders have the responsibilitiy to set the right expectations with project stakeholders, sponsors, HR and recruiting to clearly define the career path for designers, the job families including the levels needed for the organization.
If we, as design leaders, do not nurture a team and organization culture that values the diversity of experience and foster the development of junior UX talent, our entire professional field will suffer the consequences.
Peter Merholz shares his perspective on how critically important it is for to do the hard work if they want to create an environment where designers won’t want to leave. He argues that design leaders have to manage in, across and up; and they have to be able to scale their teams if they want to be successful.
Merholz describes that “hard work” includes working with Recruiting, HR and Talent Development to design the career path, professional development and compensation plan for designers to thrive.
His presentation “Coach, Diplomat, Advocate, Architect” at the Leading Design Conference.
Design Talent shares part of the responsibility, though smaller than the design leader
In a recent presentation at General Assembly, new UXers asked these two questions that are to some extent, related to the challenge that Wastewater gives us:
What can I expect in my first UX job? What do I need to watch for?
Here are a couple of excerpts that junior designers can apply to improve their marketability and visibility to get hired.
- Always be learning — Take the opportunity to learn from your peers, from the projects, and from the industry. Volunteer for a project where you can learn a new skill. Participate in Meetups, go to conferences, attend webinars, read books and blogs, write a blog. Here is a resource to start with “UX Leadership and Skills Development Library.” Joe Pendlebury suggest writing in Medium. He also adds “Network, network and network some more.”
- Look for a mentor — shadow experts, offer to help, so you can learn from them. There are many benefits to finding a mentor, both for new designers as well as for seasoned practitioners. I recommend you read this short article by Dave Malouf “Mentorship”
I am new to UX — what do I need in my UX portfolio?
Show your openness to learn, take risks and try new things
Folks who are new to the design field, whether they are new graduates or are switching careers, ask about what kind of projects they can include in their portfolio if they have little and in some cases no professional experience.
My short answer is — organize and curate your class projects. They are great examples to include. In addition, if you are interested in a particular field or technology, it is perfectly acceptable to include a personal project. You can showcase your interest, and your willingness to try something new. While personal projects may not have real life results, you should present them in your portofolio with a similar structure as the other pieces — project context, summary and structure, telling the reader the story.
Dan Oliver ‘s article — The Pro Guide to Becoming a UX Designer
Oliver interviewed several seasoned design leaders including Andy Budd, Jennifer Aldrich, Trenton Moss and Rich Clark.
Here are some highlights — there are some common trends:
- Aldrich suggests “attend at least one conference early in your career… these conferences give you the opportunity to learn from peers who have been in the industry for years, get inspired, and most importantly network.”
- Clark — “ When it comes to looking for a job, the first thing you’ll need to do is put together a solid portfolio.”
- Aldrich perspective on transitioning from another field — “consider each day an opportunity to learn something new.”
- Budd— “One way to augment learning is to find a mentor.”
- Moss — Surround yourself with the right people. You need to live and breathe UX so surround yourself with people that do proper UX design.
Consider an Internship (Carmelina Piedra) or freelance gigs (Lorien)
Professional internships and freelance jobs are a great way to learn, gain experience, and get exposure. There are some organizations “test before they buy” when it comes to hiring new talent. Whether you agree with this practice or not, it benefits both the company as well as the new UXer. It gives both sides the opportunity to determine if they like each other and if they want to enter into a long term relationship.
Key Takeaways
The job market for UX professionals is moving. While there are some forces working against junior talent, there are ways to break through.
Design leaders bear the responsibility to create opportunities for diverse levels of experience. Junior UXers have to forged their path, develop their network and look for those opportunities to gain experience.
It’s not an easy challenge to solve, but each one of us, design leaders and newcomers to UX can put in the hard work to get it done, break down the barriers and continue developing a healthy professional field for all.
A Call to Action for Design Leaders
Design Leaders need to remember where they came from. Remember that someone opened the door for them when they had little experience. New designers who are following their foot steps need a helping hand. Facilitating an introduction or providing some guidance helps.
More importantly, new designers need to see the opportunities designer leaders create for them so they can get start their career in UX. These opportunities will help new designers develop. The senior members in your team can groom their mentoring and leading skills. Together, we can help them grow to become the design leaders of the future.
What is your perspective? Share your opinion or experience.
I help companies drive results by developing and implementing UX, innovation and transformation programs.
Follow me on Twitter @jcoronado1
