Tips and resources to break into a user experience career
There are many great resources to begin your new career search. With so much out there, it’s hard to filter out the good stuff but not to worry. I’ve got you covered.
Finding the best role in UX
As the tech/design industry continues to grow, roles in UX will also grow. I started out as a UX writer and my role evolved to content design. You might come across product designer, UX researcher, content architect, design ops manager, and more. If you want to find the best fit, look up job postings of these roles and see which ones resonate with you.
If you’ve narrowed down the ones that you’re interested in, the next step is to connect with people who are in those roles. Ideally, you’ll know a few folks directly or through mutual connections. If you don’t, then find people on LinkedIn and reach out to them.
Ramit Sethi wrote a comprehensive article with tangible steps on how to do this: How To Connect w/ Busy People (& Actually Get HAPPY Replies). I’ve sent this article to over 30 people and I promise, it’s worth reading. Also check out his 9 Word-for-Word Scripts For Getting In Touch With Busy People.
Loved the article? Ramit Sethi also offers a thorough course on Finding Your Dream Job. (You can also check out the trailer for the course.) I totally get that investing in a course is a huge commitment. But if you’re looking for a big return, this is it. To get a sense of his material, watch How to Write a Winning Resume. You can also listen to this podcast episode when Sethi appeared on The Jordan Harbinger Show.
This information can also be applied for roles outside of UX. In fact, it can be used for any industry or career you’re looking to break into. I just happen to be in UX and know of many people who want design careers.
Learning about content design
So let’s say you decided that you’re interested in a content role within UX. Great! You likely already have a baseline of skills that can transfer to a design role. The next step is to immerse yourself in the world of content design and UX writing.
Many people and organizers are sharing presentations and talks from various conferences. There is so much public information that is accessible to everyone. Perspectives was a great content career festival that happened in 2022. The same organizers also hosted Growing in Content this year with a full free day of talks.
There are also tons of great books to expand your content knowledge. Writing for Designers by Scott Kubie packs a punch. Very thorough, yet concise and straightforward. Writing is Designing by Michael J. Metts & Andy Welfle is fantastic and they cover a lot of topics and goes into nuance. Honorable mention but learning about product management was also helpful and I learned a lot from Build Better Products by Laura Klein.
Bootcamps are another avenue to learn. Is it right for you? My take is that it depends and that it’s not for everybody. I initially learned about UX design from an online Coursera program that I could do during lunch breaks. There are part-time bootcamps (both in-person and online) that you can do while keeping your day job. But don’t underestimate your transferrable skills. You already know a lot, you just need to translate them to UX-speak.
Building your portfolio
When I was building my portfolio, I asked a wide variety of people for feedback. Even though that was the correct thing to do, navigating that feedback was hard. There was a lot of conflicting advice and they differed greatly based on their roles in UX.
Some people said they like how thorough I am. Others said I explain too much. Some liked the variety in visuals. Others said it’s not necessary in my role. I’m not able to tell you what’s recommended and what’s not but I will assure you that you’ll get a lot of opinions. But that’s okay. You’ll encounter the same when you do get a job in UX so it’s good to learn how to navigate that.
Jonathon Colman wrote What We Look for in Content Design Portfolios and Work Samples, a super informative piece to help you build a great portfolio when applying to jobs. There’s a lot of great tips on showcasing your design process and being product-focused.
Getting involved in communities
Whether you’re looking for a new job or want to find people with the same hobbies, Meetup is a great place to start. I joined a lot of design-related Meetup groups to begin my career search. I also found my running team on Meetup. I met a lot of great friends just by going to the gym. There will always be a community wherever you go.
If you’re looking to broaden your reach, there are tons of online communities. The Content + UX Slack community is really fun! I believe there are also Meetups that happen virtually. Sometimes when I travel domestically or overseas, I look for local Meetups and that’s been a fun way to expand my network.
Don’t underestimate communities around your hobbies. Although they start off as spaces you go to disconnect from work and have fun, you never know what they know and who they know. Tons of friends on my running team have referred me to jobs at their companies. We’ve also collaborated on team events and volunteer activities that can be useful as case studies in interviews. The possibilities are endless.
Asking for a reference
I’ve certainly been the recipient of kind referrals by friends and network contacts. I’ve also given out references at my past and current jobs. Either way, referrals are a great way to advocate for someone and help them get through the door.
We’ve come full circle back to Ramit Sethi. He wrote How to Ask for a Referral (+ word-for-word scripts included), a beneficial piece on how to ask, who to ask, and where to find good referrals. I want to specifically highlight, “The easier you make it for the person to refer you, the more likely it is that they’ll follow through.”
I can’t tell you how many times a contact has asked me to refer them without ever offering to draft up a referral email. Help me help you. The best candidates have always proactively provided me with a draft of a blurb so I don’t have to come up with the material from scratch.
Developing your specialty
People often say that to have a successful career, you have to find your niche. This is true but what people didn’t tell me is how long this journey is. Everyone has a unique story to tell, but it’s not always obvious what that story is. (To be clear, this journey is still ongoing for me.)
To be straightforward, I don’t have any resources that share shortcuts on how to do this. It took time. But there are some things I can share that helped me uncover my unique niche in the world of user experience.
- Talk to a lot of people. They have more perspective and insight on how your background and interests relate to each other. Someone might share that a certain task or skill they learned in one career turned into a valuable asset as a UX professional.
- Write about your process. Writing actually led to my UX writing role. I was looking for UX research jobs instead but all the blog posts and articles I’ve posted online convinced my manager that I’d be a great fit as a UX writer.
- Connect the dots. I’ve written about UX and running. I’ve done work presentations about name input fields through the theme of the Olympics and sports. I fell in love with Across the Spider-Verse (2023) so I did a whole presentation about cross-channel consistency using the film’s themes. I’m currently working on a piece about storytelling and stand-up comedy. You learn a lot by connecting the dots.
This process is particularly hard because you need a lot of outside perspective. Something that is so obvious and normal to you might not come across as unique. That’s why it’s valuable to talk to people and get their insight. Their thoughts and feedback will help you appreciate your uniqueness.
Someone once told me that just because people have written or talked about a certain topic doesn’t mean you don’t have a valuable opinion to add. I love this advice because it pushed me to write about all the things I’m passionate about. This sentiment is on par with how comedians approach their work too.
I hope this helps! This piece is far from being a list of complete tips and resources. It’s a starting point. Thanks for reading and let me know if you have any other resources you’ve found helpful in your career transition.
