Get help: Asking for advice & finding mentorship
Written in 2022 by Rachel Ilan Simpson
Hi there, I’m Rachel. I’m Director of UX at Multiverse, and was previously a Design Lead & Manager at Google where I spent 8 years working on Chrome and Search. Folks sometimes reach out to me for advice on how to break into UX, and on other topics — so over the years I’ve also developed some thoughts on how to do this effectively. This is a primer on how to successfully approach folks who are already in the industry for support.
Advice, Mentorship, and Sponsorship… what does it mean?
These are different kinds of supportive relationships that you’ll build in your career, which might have different goals, lengths of interaction, and levels of involvement:
🙏 Advice: help with a specific problem from someone well placed to solve it, like “Can you connect me to Jane at Company X?”
👂 Mentorship: personal coaching over a longer period with someone who understands your goals and helps you work towards them
🖐 Sponsorship: being put up for opportunities by someone else, where you wouldn’t be able to do it on your own (e.g. from a position of authority)
These relationships are fluid, and asking someone for advice might turn into mentorship and sponsorship over time.
What does a good request for help look like?
Mentorship and sponsorship come from relationships that develop organically over time, which might be kicked off with a first request for advice. That first ask should be personal and actionable:
👆Personal: it’s clear why you think they’re the right person to help
👁Actionable: a specific question framed in an easy-to-answer way
Putting together a request for help
📍Pinpoint your request: Define what problem you need help with. This might be to learn about a particular company, learn requirements for a role, get feedback on a case study, be connected with a particular kind of person, get a referral, etc.
🦸Choose the right person to ask: Consider where they work, what role they have, and their level. Someone in a more junior role may have better advice about breaking into the industry, since they’ve done it recently, whereas someone in a hiring role would better understand requirements.
🔬Do your research: Before reaching out, look at their company website and job postings, and look over their linkedin. Don’t send a request that could have been answered with a simple web search.
💬Ask! Be brief and specific: Your message should be few sentences or a paragraph, not more. Instead of a general request like “I’m looking for a job” or “I’m trying to get into design, do you have any advice?” you’ll get a more useful response to something like “I’d like to learn more about your experience working at company X as a Visual Designer, because I’m deciding whether to apply to large companies or agencies.”
A good example
Hi Rachel,
I’m Fergus, a designer currently interning at Company X. I enjoyed your talk on “Designing for Llamas” at the Llama Design Conference.
My case study on building the Llama App at Company X seems related, including on theme A. I’m interested in a role at Company Y where I’d have the chance to deep-dive into Llama systems, and it would help to know if my work is meeting the bar for a Senior Llama Designer.
I’ve already applied the advice in your article here. I wonder if you’d have time to give me some brief feedback?
Best,
Fergus
Common mistakes
- Remember the details. If asking for feedback on a case study, add the link & password. If asking for a referral, add your resume, contact info, and case study.
- For the large tech companies, many employees don’t mind submitting a referral for a promising contact. If you’re going to do this, do ask for the referral before you apply.
Feel free to drop me a line if you have questions I haven’t answered here.
