How Many Years of Experience do I Need to Get a Junior Position in UX?

A question you would never expect anybody to ask.

Are you experienced enough to fill a junior position? If you want to say, “but it’s a junior position…” you see the catch.

Some time ago, I looked at the most common job requirements in the UX field, and here’s what I noticed:

1. UX design is popular, and everyone wants to be a part of it.
2. Lots of people have written articles about their journey to UX Design with no experience. Make sure you live in the heart of San Francisco or have a degree in graphic design. The rest is “networking.”
3. Companies are looking for experienced junior UX designers.
4. There’s only one way to do the UX work — become a designer, get an expensive degree in Graphic Design, or enroll in a boot camp. All for the sake of putting together a portfolio.
5. If you have an aspiration for research, you can try getting in as a UX Researcher.

And some things are understandable. HR managers are trying to protect themselves from inexperienced candidates. They are asking for at least some proof of skills, even for the beginners.

Yet, skills and years of experience are different. So, how much experience a junior needs?

My answer is — none.

You can justify it with any recruiter. Let me tell you how:

What do “years of experience” mean?

It’s an old way of assessing if one can do the work.

This need is valid for a role that needs expertise and prior repetitive experience. Pay attention to the “repetitive” part in this case. It means that you have done it before and successfully. You will not argue that before becoming a heart surgeon, you need to have years of practice. Not to mention any extra certification on top of it.

Being a heart surgeon is not the same as being a junior UX practitioner.

And “Junior” means that you have no experience doing this specific job, but you will figure it out. If you already have 3–5 years of experience doing it, it will slow you down.

So, why do I need “years of experience” for a junior position in UX?

It’s a very reasonable question.

Even though companies think they know what UX is about, they usually don’t. The result is a crazy job description that jumbles many responsibilities. And this job is a UX Designer.

A company with an expectation that “hiring a UX person” will magically make it better is a scary place. If a company expects to hire one person instead of cross-functional team, it’s a bad sign.

And it might turn out badly. If anything goes wrong, executives will say that they tried UX, but it never worked. It damages the chances of other newcomers trying to make their way into the industry.

Two major reasons are uncertainty and fear. Companies also do not want to look stupid, and they hope you know what to do if you practiced UX for a while.

Why is it happening?

The key problem is little clarity or certainty in UX. There’s a lot of ambiguity (so recruiters hope candidates will “thrive in ambiguity”). Does it mean that the UX field completely lacks any definitions and procedures? Let’s see.

In the UX community, we blame recruiters who write these job requirements. Yeah, they copy and paste a similar job description. Or put together something unreasonable.

It’s easy, I agree. But there’s more to it.

Let’s imagine: you need to hire someone you know nothing about. What would you do?

You would look at what others do (here’s the copy-paste thing comes to mind). Or you will look at some established voices in the field. These people usually speak “the UX language.”

Professional jargon is helpful only when used appropriately. Nobody likes to feel stupid. If instead of “this is how some people understand the word ‘computer’, and you say, ‘it’s a mental model’,” there’s a problem.

To feel valued, we hide behind some strange and unclear terminology, or even invent new ones (e.g. CX, UX, UI, IA) leaving many wondering if UI is a part of UX, product design, service design, and many other confusing terms. Others would love to know us better but give up the moment we open our mouth. They have other things to do.

You can do a lot when applying to UX positions. Yes, you know all the mumbo-jumbo, but more importantly, you also speak human–and based on the human language, you are confident you can figure it out.

It’s a job, not some magic tricks.

What should I do if I still want this junior UX position?

The internet will help you create a portfolio in 15 minutes. Or how to ace an interview, or something similar. I will not go into any of this.

If you need help to put together a portfolio, search for something on Medium.

I want to talk about things that will help you apply to any UX position with confidence. Despite their requirements.

Here’s a junior UX practitioner toolkit for applying to any entry-level job. Prepare your pencil to check-mark if you have any of this:

• [ ] Desire to explore, learn, and figure things out.

It’s the same expectation you’d have for a first-grader at school. Nothing fancy, but you need to be curious and ready to learn.

• [ ] An ability to explain yourself, your interest, your decision, your choices.

This is the most important one. If you cannot voice your thoughts or explain your choices, it’s going to be very challenging to work and grow in UX.

Some people say that your portfolio should speak for you, but it’s not true. If that’s the case, the company can hire a portfolio instead.

• [ ] An ability to assess your experience unrelated to UX and turn it to your benefit.

UX is an extremely multi-disciplinary field. Relate your previous experience to your current interest in UX. If you have ever had any customer-facing roles, consider that you have an advantage. But if you do not have it, it’s not a big deal. Think of how doing something in the past directed you to seek opportunities in UX.

Your background does not disqualify you. It also does not mean that you have no permission to start. Professionals come to UX from many backgrounds. It does not matter, as long as you are determined to do your new job. See what established designers and design leaders have to say about expressing yourself and getting your foot in the door.

• [ ] Express yourself in a jargon-free language.

I understand that it gives you more credibility, but it also makes others feel distant. You should know the terminology, but you should not show it off.

So, did you check all? Great, you are ready to apply to any entry-level UX position! No matter what they have in the “years of experience” field.

If you are sure that you can do the job, there’s no need to have any years of experience.

At least, no need in any real corporate experience where you were a UX Designer.

If you checked everything above, you qualify. Yes, even if you do not have a portfolio. You can always put one together in 15 minutes, remember?

But side hustles and “projects with friends” do not count anymore. What should I do?

Now, a few words about the content of your portfolio before we move on to something that matters. Even if you can put together a portfolio in 15 minutes, it does not mean it should be a low-quality one. And it has no relation to how big or important projects you have worked on before. Big brands do not mean “high quality”.

You will find a lot on what to put into your portfolio and how to structure it online.

I’d like to talk about things that matter in portfolios.

Since it’s apparently so easy to create, it’s also easy to do it wrong. Do not fall prey to this. Especially if you have no previous experience doing the work.

You will hear some suggestions to help a friend build a website or take a course online. These are all valid suggestions, don’t discard them.

Yet, you might also hear that it does not count because it’s not real. The truth is, it all counts. Every mindful attempt or iteration that you’ve had counts because it’s, guess what, the experience.

Something important to remember. If you take an online course and create a website, and it’s just it, it’s going to be of low quality. Yes, I know what I just wrote. Every project (even if it’s not real) must be serious.

Do you want to “create an application,” or you want to do the fun part of figuring things out? It does not matter if you solved or shipped anything.

But have you made an attempt? Have you learned or discovered something along the way? Have you tested it? Have you proven yourself wrong? Everything you learn along the way will be the experience you need.

If you open Figma and make pictures, it does not count.

You might have to do only this in your job. But, if that’s the case, do you think it’s the right place for you?

Consider getting a job in UX as a part of doing the work. And I am not kidding. Mildly and tactfully talking people into things you know are true is a huge part of being a UX practitioner. Isn’t it great that you can start getting the experience right now?

What should I prepare myself for?

I am sad to say it, but the first thing you have to prepare yourself for is lots of rejections. And, trust me, it’s not because of you.

The world of UX is not full of knights in shining armors, unicorns, and fairies. It’s a job, and not an easy one.

You will find articles on how to sell the value of UX or how to get a buy-in for your UX initiatives. It’s also part of this job, unfortunately. And you have to do it.

Landing a job is just a first step. And compared to the rest of it, maybe the easiest one. Once you get the job, nobody is going to give you a billion dollars and unlimited time for doing it the right way.

What you can do is to be more open-minded and invite more people in the company to take part in the UX activities. This way they will see what you do, why it’s important, and how what you do can make things better.

Good user experience is never a solo venture. It’s always a collective effort of many individuals who care about the world they live in. And if you are one of them, this world is yours for the taking.

Written by Oksana Ivanova

User Defenders: Podcast is an industry leading/celebrated UX podcast all about inspiring interviews with UX superheroes hosted by Jason Ogle.

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