I changed my career to join the world of UX-ers
I joined CompareTheMarket as a Recruitment Apprentice back in 2018 and soon after I’d qualified to be a Talent Acquisition Partner, I was given a lot more responsibility. After a while, my manager encouraged me to take on leading the recruitment for User Experience (UX) as this area was growing considerably.
I was given great support by the UX team in helping me understand what UX actually is and how it’s so crucial to the business. I started to do my own research to find out more and found myself spending a lot of time learning about the area. The more I learned and spoke with UX professionals about their career, the more passionate I became about UX.
After a year or so working with the UX team, things started to change within the business and with my manager’s encouragement, I decided I was going to leap out of my comfort zone and approach the team to consider me for a Junior UX Research role. This type of move was something I never thought I’d have the confidence to do. But now, I’m part of a close knit team full of talented UX-ers that I learn from every day and I’m forever grateful for that chance the team gave me.
For anyone looking to make a career move, one of the most important things to do is as much research and learning about the area as you can, not only to put yourself in a stronger position when it comes to grabbing an opportunity, but to also find out if it’s the right path for you.
Resilience is key to getting what you want. No matter how many knock backs you get or how many times you’re told no, use each time to learn from, bounce back and try again — it only takes one yes.
Putting myself out there was a really difficult thing for me to do, but with the right support believe it was the best thing I’ve ever done — and I’m really proud of myself for that. The biggest thing I’ve learnt is that the best way to progress is to put yourself in these uncomfortable situations that push you to be better — not only are you showing how much you want that job, you’re also showing the key attributes of courage and self-belief, and that you’re proactive and ambitious for your own success.
It’s also really important to speak with people in the area you want to move into, regardless of where or what industry they work in. Ask for some tips, mentoring or even just an hours chat — most people will want to help, because we’ve all been there. I had so many conversations with so many inspiring UX professionals, it made me even more certain of my end goal and it gave me exposure — if they saw an opportunity come up for a junior position, they sent it across to me. Getting to know the community of the profession is so important, never underestimate the power of making connections.
I’m so lucky that CtM wants everyone to develop and grow, whether that’s in their current role or in a completely different one. I’ve had the support of the business and my team to take this next step in my career, giving me the confidence that not only did I make the right decision, but that there’ll be plenty of future opportunities too as my experience grows.
