FAQs for those new to UX job search
I have found myself repeating the answers to the following questions a lot in my email correspondence with aspiring designers whom I coach or mentor.
- What do UX managers look for?
- What is the interview process like?
- What is this design challenge in UX interview about?
- How can I improve my chance of getting noticed?
- I had a great interview — why was I rejected?
and I think it’s time for me to turn them into a blog post.
There’s no shortage of great information out there to every one of these questions. However, knowing what to read or listen to is the big challenge for aspiring designers/researchers who are new to this field. Hopefully this blog post makes their life a little easier.
What do UX managers look for?
Check out the Land a Job in UX Series by User Defenders.
- 055: How to Get Your Foot in the Door | Andy Budd
- 056: Building an Effective UX Portfolio | Sarah Doody
- 057: Interviewing Like a Boss | Andy Vitale
- 058: Finding the Right Cultural Fit | Justin Dauer
(P.S. The whole series of UD podcast is amazing. Just go and subscribe!)
What is the UX interview process like?
Different companies have different practices and different loops, but most of them follow a flow like what Tiffany Eaton outlined in: What I learned from flying to Seattle for Microsoft’s final wave of design interviews.
What is this design challenge in UX interview about?
You survived the phone screens and you’re invited to an onsite interview! How exciting! You’re told that you will be given a live whiteboarding exercise (a.k.a. design challenge) by one of the interviewers and you wonder what this is all about? Fear not, Nick Finck has a nice Twitter thread on this
How can I improve my chance of getting noticed?
It all starts with knowing who you are and what values you bring to a team. Dig deep inside to truly get to know your brand — what makes you great? Why would someone want to hire you?
Building a solid understanding of your brand is the first step in highlighting your 20% in your job application.
Once you have developed an understanding of your brand, start iterating on your job application assets (resume, cover letter, portfolio, Linkedin profile, etc.) — threat them like your most important design projects!
Your cover letter, resume, portfolio, and Linkedin profile are all touch points between prospective employers and yourself. Make every touch point counts. Below are some blog posts I’ve written that cover these topics:
- Bad cover letters are self-eliminating
- Actively design your resume
- Make movie trailers for your UX portfolio
I had a great interview — why was I rejected?
You did really well in your interview. You did so well that you were about to plunge down a deposit for a new Tesla with your imaginary signing bonus. That’s when you get the phone call. They thank you for your time but they’ve decided to move forward with another candidate. You are stunned, wondering why!? The following blog posts may give you some insight on why you didn’t get the job:
Seeking more advises?
Take a look at my UX cheatsheet, specifically the two sections UX interviews and Career Advise.
Where to go from here?
Job searching is a journey, and for most people, it takes a significant amount of work, grit, and perseverance before they see the light at the end of the tunnel:
It’s not easy, but just keep at it! Learn from each rejection and each mistake, keep improving your craft and your job application skils. If you do that, you’ll eventually find your pot of gold.
For more articles like this from me, check out /stevenmadesigns.
PS — I teach a 1-day UX Design bootcamp. I’d love it if you can help me spread the words: You can find my current schedule here. Thanks in advance!
