Landing a UX Job in Turbulent Times: The Law of the Instrument
These are uncertain times. COVID-19 has caused global turmoil, resulting in many of my fellow design friends being furloughed or simply laid off. I’ve spent the better part of my evenings on the phone, listening, hearing the pain of their situation, and giving them advice on how best to proceed in their job search.
I felt it appropriate to share my ideas with the larger design community and help where I can.
As each conversation typically goes, these designers are particularly concerned with how they’ll find a job and stand out amongst the large number of other designers looking for work.
Using a Little Psychology
During the phone call, here’s how it almost always goes with them:
- First, they realize they need to get their portfolio updated and spend some time figuring out how to write new case studies
- Second, they want to clean up and add new items to their resume and start getting it out to the world
- Third, they spend time on LinkedIn, updating their profile, networking with people, and applying for jobs
These are all wonderful options and a great foundation for a job search. However, there’s a fundamental, underlying principle at work here and it involves a little psychology.
