I got my first UX job, here’s how I did it
Most newcomers to the UX/UI world know how difficult getting into the industry can be. While there is no shortage of UX courses and Bootcamps, once their portfolios are done and their resumés updated most aspiring UXers struggle. How do you start pitching yourself for a position you’ve never had before?
At the beginning of 2021, I had just finished a UX/UI boot camp. A year later, I had already accepted an offer as a UI Designer. Along the way, I read multiple articles on Medium, had a number of enlightening conversations, and gained insights from people I have learned a great deal from. This is by no means a one-fit-for-all deal, but I’m hoping it might help others who are on the same road I was.
Here’s a little breakdown of the steps I took during this last year:
1 - Self Assess
You probably have an idea of what your strengths are in terms of skills. It is just as key to have a clear view of your starting point as to have a final objective, where you want to go. This helps you build a strategy that can be broken into steps.
In my case, I was already an experienced visual designer working at a tech startup. Although my endgame wasn’t (and still isn’t) to get involved just in the visual aspect of a product, the skillset I already had going for me made my transition to a UI position easier to understand from an HR perspective.
2 - Look for ins
No one hires a newbie with zero experience. This is kind of ironic, but it’s where we are. Your solution then is to look for opportunities wherever you can find them. Traditionally, this means internships but there are plenty of other possibilities: volunteer work, mentorships, TA positions, pro bono assistant jobs, anything you can find that you can chalk up as experience. The point is to apply your skills to projects with real stakeholders. Ideally, this would be something you can add to your portfolio, as well.
In my case, since I was already working full-time, I took up a TA position after hours and I also did volunteer work for an NGO. While this gave me little to no new material for my portfolio, it helped me steer my profile towards a UX direction while still keeping my old job.
3 - Show others what you got
You need to start showing others what you’ve been doing. The strategy here could be done a million different ways depending on what you’re going for, but what’s pretty clear is that it all starts with LinkedIn. These are some ways I used it to my advantage:
- Get to building your network. Start sending out LinkedIn invites to members of the community in your area (please send them with notes introducing yourself and what you are looking for, no one wants a random invite with no context). It’s vital to be mindful of who you’re reaching out to. Look for people whose profile you’ve seen and liked, people you want to learn from, maybe people who’ve also switched industries. Your UX classmates and teachers are a great starting point.
- Work on how you’re presenting yourself. Your profile is the only information an HR person gets about you aside from your resumé. Invest time on your About section and your past job descriptions to get them to reflect the skills you can apply to your desired position. Update that profile picture, rethink your headline, check your LinkedIn SSI.
- Use the content. You don’t need massive engagement, but you can try posting and interacting with content pretty easily. This shows your network what your interests are, and it can help the algorithm show your profile to interesting people if done right. Keep in mind when I mean ‘content’ I’m not talking about polls. I’m talking about sharing articles, commenting, sharing other posts to start a conversation.
Understanding how I wanted my profile to look took several months. Meanwhile, I made an effort to interact with other users either commenting on or sharing content. I also reached out to people to network; some reached back, many just accepted the invite, others didn’t even reply. Still, I found many who were happy to share experiences and tips, some even willing to meet up remotely (or not) to chat. These conversations were priceless, as they gave me knowledge on how companies big and small work regarding UX team composition.
4 - Apply away
As obvious as it sounds, you need to keep applying for jobs. It takes time and effort, but unfortunately, all the steps pictured above are basically useless unless they are noticed.
Be on the lookout for new jobs in all main portals: LinkedIn Jobs (of course), Glassdoor, Indeed, region-specific websites, company Career pages. Sometimes, recruiters on LinkedIn share open position lists (usually in the US). You might also get the chance to have someone share your profile with the recruiter, internally.
The larger your network, the better attuned you’ll be to new opportunities. The better your profile reflects who you are and what you are aiming for, the better your chances to land an interview.
Final note
This is what worked for me, and it’s also an iterative process, a constant WIP. Needs change, job titles fall in and out of use, team organizations shift. You need to keep in touch with the industry, understand where it is heading, and figure out where you fit best according to your skills and objectives.
