Networking and the Research Community
Nothing beats networking. It is a great way to learn about the field, figure out where your gaps are and prepare yourself for putting your best foot forward when you get interviews.
Local Networking
Go on Meetup.com and Facebook and see if there are any local groups and attend the meetings. UXPA has active local chapters in many cities. Researchers tend to be empathetic and many have gone through a similar transition so they are often open to chatting.
No harm in politely hitting up some people in companies around you for an informational interview. Not everyone will respond, but no harm in trying.
- Going through a few of these can be a great way to understand how to frame your experience in a way that potential hiring managers will understand.
- Similarly, it is a great way to get used to the lingo and jargon (good ole shibboleth).
- Remember some regions/cities are going to be much more fertile for UX jobs than others.
- If anyone makes the time to chat remember to be respectful and come prepared with some questions and discussion topics.
Further Afield
There are so many UX-related conferences now, so do some searching to see if anything is happening in your area. Some of these can be quite expensive, so see if you can get a discounted rate for being a student or working at the reception table.
- EPIC is popular for an ethnography focus and also attracts many tech attendees.
- UXPA seems to have a lot of resources for folks interested in getting started in the field.
- CHI is probably the biggest conference and it bridges both academic and industry.
- And so many more!
Volunteer
If financially feasible for you, volunteer or offer to help out another researcher to gain experience. When transitioning into user research, Grace volunteered at the Obama campaign and helped a designer (who she met at a meetup) conduct research. You can sometimes work as a notetaker or do some pro bono work for a nonprofit.
Call yourself a researcher — if you’ve taken classes and got some work experience under your belt, go ahead and update your LinkedIn title!
This article was written by Laith Ulaby and Grace Vorreuter as part of a series on getting started in UX. If you would like to see the rest of the articles click here.
