Inside Design Hiring: A Recruiting Design Manager’s Perspective

Discover the hiring process through a UX & Product Design manager’s lens: from triggers and challenges to candidate selection criteria and interview dynamics, emphasizing the crucial role of chemistry in team fit.

As a hiring UX & Product Design manager and periodically a candidate myself, I’m often struck by the negative emotional and psychological impact that the process can have on applicants. With that in mind, I thought breaking down the process that I use to select candidates and provide insight into the conditions under which that process is conducted. The aim is to help candidates understand how and why they may or may not get hired and to offer tips on where to direct their energies.

Where does the hiring process start?

There are several triggers that initiate hiring within a department or team. These can range from simple scenarios like ‘Roberta is leaving, and we need to replace her’ to more complex situations such as ‘we’re restructuring the team because its current structure is not fit for purpose’ or ‘we’re expanding the team and need specific skills and numbers to make it work’. It’s worth noting that most managers are constantly assessing their team’s capabilities, predicting upcoming workloads, and managing team resources to best address future needs. This often involves ongoing reviews of Human Resources and team structures. They also navigate external pressures from collaborating teams and their resource requirements.

The hiring manager’s situation

Day-to-day, most hiring managers are primarily concerned with delivering their team’s workload smoothly, on time, and with minimal inter-team friction. This process consumes the majority of their mental space, leaving little time for engaging in the hiring process. It’s important to note that this work-focused mindset extends to other members of the hiring team. Hiring managers, although final decision-makers, often collaborate with up to five other discipline specialists or managers who contribute to hiring decisions. Some managers defer the recruitment process for as long as possible, while others, like myself, fully engage to swiftly secure resources.

Getting to see candidates

The process of meeting candidates is often time-consuming. Initially, hiring managers must establish a role description, salary, and benefits package. This can be complex, involving drafting ideal candidate requirements, sharing and refining based on team feedback, and aligning with the hiring manager’s vision. Depending on the manager’s skills, the final role description, salary, and benefits may be as desired or a compromise. Financial or package-related compromises can sometimes make it challenging to secure the ideal candidate.

The next step is to publicize the role specification. This process isn’t straightforward and varies based on business scale. A hiring manager in a startup might manage the entire process alone, while those in larger organizations may have access to an HR Talent team. They might also opt to use Recruitment Consultancies to streamline candidate selection. Regardless of the method, recruiters rely on the initial briefing from the Hiring Manager to narrow down the search.

In ideal circumstances, the briefing is clear and accurate, but this isn’t always the case. Depending on the hiring manager’s articulation skills, a boilerplate job description might be used, hoping that the recruiter will refine the search. This can lead to many interviews that don’t progress. However, refinement usually occurs during the process, regardless of the initial role spec’s accuracy.

Once briefed, internal talent teams or recruitment agencies review candidates’ CVs, portfolios, and social profiles to identify viable candidates. Once they have a selection, details are forwarded to the hiring manager.

What do hiring managers look for?

Hiring managers and their colleagues are time-poor, so candidates must provide concise, clear applications that address the role brief. Here’s what I, as a hiring manager, look for:

Baseline requirements:

• Is the candidate competent to undertake the role at the described level? (CV)

• Can they demonstrate their competence? (Portfolio)

If the baseline is proven, candidates move to the next level. Do they match the broader skills profile needed/described?

Skills profile:

• Can the candidate deliver precise skills we’re looking for? (e.g., motion graphics, design system experience, SaaS platform UX skills)

• Can they show transferable skills that might align with these specific skills? (e.g., UX work on a CMS platform translating into SaaS skills, animation skills evolving into motion graphics)

People are unique, and it’s not uncommon to not find a perfect skills match. Hiring managers often seek transferable skills that closely align. Assuming a candidate shows this match, attention turns to the individual:

What differentiates the candidate:

• What are the candidate’s passions and interests, and how do these align with the team’s makeup?

• What unique qualities do they bring that strengthen and complement the team?

This last element typically determines which candidates are called in for interview.

The interview process

By the interview stage, hiring managers have a good understanding of the candidate’s capabilities and fit. Interviews serve to assess social chemistry and fill in any blanks identified from written sources.

Screening calls:

Candidates who pass initial screening typically proceed to interviews. The screening call, conducted by the hiring manager or a relevant senior specialist, helps validate skills and assess potential chemistry fit.

Common causes of failure at this stage include candidates overstating their capabilities or failing to demonstrate a good chemistry fit or effective communication.

One important note is that if a candidate is neurodivergent in a way that affects communication, it’s crucial to inform recruiters and hiring managers in advance.

Interviews:

By this stage, candidates are part of a select group closely matching the role specification and showing promise of a good chemistry fit. Chemistry becomes the defining factor for success. Though it is possible that even at this stage as the broader panel interviews the candidate skills deficits or mismatches with the skills profile can dismiss a candidate.

In conclusion

Navigating recruitment processes as a candidate is often stressful and frustrating. Knowing where to focus efforts in terms of CV and portfolio design is challenging. Here are some tips for those seeking roles:

Do’s:

• Be honest about your abilities and development level.

• Clearly articulate your skills and competencies.

• Explain your design decisions and rationales.

• Share who you are and what motivates you.

• Ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date (more useful than CVs).

Don’ts:

• Overstate your abilities or level of development (a common pitfall).

• Overdesign your CV or portfolio; keep them clear and concise.

• Conceal personal attributes that could be beneficial (e.g., neurodiversity).

• Take rejection personally.

I hope this information proves helpful to those seeking work and offers insight into the hiring manager’s perspective. Recruitment is akin to a massive sifting process, searching for the right fit As a hiring UX & Product Design manager and periodically a candidate myself, I’m often struck by the negative emotional and psychological impact that the process can have on applicants. With that in mind, I thought breaking down the process that I use to select candidates and provide insight into the conditions under which that process is conducted. The aim is to help candidates understand how and why they may or may not get hired and to offer tips on where to direct their energies.