Hunting for Design Jobs in 2020

Here´s some insider talk on applying to Junior/Mid-Level UX/UI/ Digital Product Design Jobs in Germany

Published in

Ironhack

6 min readJan 13, 2020

If you’re looking for a Design job or are currently considering relocating to another job, this article is for you. I applied for Design jobs simultaneously with many of my friends. 3 Q & A´s from and for Junior/Mid-Level Designers on the Job Hunt in Germany — here we go.

1. Is job-hunting easier while you’re employed?

Applying, as in

Reading approx. 56 e-mails per day, generated by different job-alerts you’ve set on glassdoor, neuvoo, LinkedIn, Moberries, Dribble, etc.
Writing flawless and custom cover letters for companies who oftentimes don’t even bother to use spell-check
Finding time-slots for first, second, and third “quick phone calls” with a variety of HR people before even getting close to someone who’s going to possibly make a decision about your candidacy or work closely with you later on, and
Slicing up your scarce legal vacation days into pieces so you can go attend in-person interviews (of sometimes several hours at a time, traveling time not included), sometimes in another city,

is possible to do while you’re working full-time, but it’s an extreme sport. I did it, and it was exhausting most of the time. Also, as I was caught in the after-work hours, I missed out on one of the most effective ways of job searching: going to events and meeting people from the industry.

After all, approximately 70% of all jobs out there never hit the job board. Especially for Junior positions.

Some of my friends applied full-time and had a way less stressful, way shorter period of applying before they found a Design job. Others are still looking for jobs full-time — either approach is possible.

To decide which way you roll, it helps to ask yourself what stresses you out more — Financial insecurity (living off savings for an indefinite time), or juggling with two full-time jobs (considering job-search itself the second one).

Even though working while applying was stressful for me, it also meant having a financial and social security net present at all times.

I was around friendly colleagues who I could discuss my strategy and experiences with, who would give me feedback and cheer me up. Also, keeping myself occupied with work helped me bridge periods of pure waiting to hear back from people.

2. Is it easier when you speak German?

Yes, as there are job platforms and postings in German, and jobs requiring German language proficiency — if you can access/apply to those, good for you. However, there are still tons of jobs that don’t require German at all — even outside of Berlin, even in the south of Germany (Munich, Stuttgart, etc.).

In fact, my three German-speaking friends were the fastest to land jobs after their Ironhack graduation: within three weeks, sending less than ten applications. However, it’s not a simple causality from ‘German Speaking’ to ‘higher chances’ — several factors play into this.

Whether German is an advantageous skill in your application depends on a company´s product and their clients.

If the product or the company´s clients are entirely German, recruiters are likely to consider German-speakers over non-German-Speakers. However, language proficiency has way less importance the higher your seniority level is. If you convince them with your competence and personality, they might even decide to support you in improving your German skills.

A Brazilian friend of mine was even recruited from outside of Germany for a Mid/Senior Design position in Berlin, by a company with a product by and for the German product market, and his company now pays for his German classes.

3. What to expect in the application process?

In some Technical Challenges, I’ve been asked to cover everything, from Research to a clickable Prototype in under 4 days. Talking to friends, this turns out to be a common thing to ask for. Two out of three even got asked for an additional iteration of the first challenge they submitted. Technical tasks can also be smaller, though, especially when they’re on-site, and you’re asked to redesign a small part of their actual product (e.g., the header or the profile section).

Not all processes involve Design Challenges, though. Two processes I had started with a long in-person interview (with the Lead Designer(s)), the next step already being ‘offer/no offer’. A process like that has obvious advantages, however, there are always two sides to a coin.

When applying for Junior Design positions in Tech, especially coming from a background other than studies in Human-Computer Interaction or years of Graphic Design experience, it can be tough to prove yourself in an interview. Especially when the interviewer is

a recruiter with no work experience in Design or
a Designer with no career-change in their CV.

I for example migrated to UX/UI from a background of Academic Research on Teaching and Learning. I experience touchpoints every day and am benefitting a lot from the mental tools and knowledge I obtained through my background. Nevertheless, I do understand how this isn’t easily relatable for someone who hasn´t done a career change himself/herself.

Technical challenges are a way to prove yourself regardless of what´s on paper about you, and that´s awesome.

Processes that allowed me to work on a technical challenge have turned out way more positive for me for that reason. Your Design speaks for itself, louder than anything else.

Summing up our shared experience once again, here are the three major takeaways for you when facing a Technical Challenge:

Give it your best shot.
Protect yourself — seek friends’ and mentors’ advice if something feels off. Only send files over if the design is not able to be used by them. Send videos of your files if want to be safe.
Protect others — make sure to take out sensitive research or company data when re-using a Design from a technical challenge in your Portfolio or for other application processes.

Conclusion & 3 Must Reads

For your interview prep, check out these three essential articles — I´ve consulted them countless times:

Job Search can be stressful, so emotional support and friendly advice are everything. Being surrounded by lots of people in the same situation I managed to keep calm and carry on. Alongside all the searching, applying, interviewing, and waiting, I also met amazing, inspiring people and learned a lot about myself and my goals.

Concluding, staying positive, being prepared, and having fun during this process are the essentials of job-hunt success. After all, we’re not the only ones being assessed — it´s a two-way street.

Remember, an interview session isn’t a one-way question and answer process. While an interviewer’s goal is to figure out whether you’re the perfect fit for the job, you also have a role in interviewing the hiring manager to help you determine whether the position is right for you. — Carl Wheatley, Product Design Recruiter at Facebook

Thanks for reading, and much success with your Design applications!

Cheers!