Where to look for your first UX role
Looking for the very first job as a UX Designer or Researcher can be quite a challenge like any other job in the market, regardless of it being an internship or an entry-level position.
After applying to many UX jobs and finally landing one, I’ve developed a perspective on how the size of a company matters in the UX job application process.
I observed that the extremes of small startups and large corporations (think Fortune 500) tend to have more entry level UX opportunities than companies in the middle.
Large corporations
These are well-established companies with large teams and large(r) budgets. They also have sufficient resources to spend on a junior or intern.
Amongst the top benefits of working at large corporations are mentorship opportunities, name recognition (for future jobs) and defined roles & responsibilities to focus on. Larger corporations have much more specialization than startups.
Since these companies are well known in the industry, many applicants are competing in getting into them.
Pro tip: Don’t only look at big tech companies (your “FAANG” companies), but other Fortune 500 companies that may not necessarily scream “tech.” These are still corporations with ample design teams, or are going through a digital transformation and are about to hire many more designers.
Start-ups
Because smaller startups have less leverage (no name recognition), they’re typically more willing (and hurting) for UX talent, including entry level UX designers.
Startups lend to the “trial by fire” or “firehouse” method of learning. Things move faster at startups, with less bureaucracy and a wider breadth of responsibilities.
Just imagine, at a startup of 10, you make up 10% of the staff, whereas at a large corporation of 10,000 you make up .02%. Startups do often go out of business, but many employees love the the level of responsibility they’re given over products. You might even be a UX team of one at a startup, which can add valuable experience for transitioning into more senior roles later on.
Startups require even more evaluation than large companies to work for. With a smaller staff, you’ve got to love that staff — especially your immediate manager. If you’re going to sacrifice lower up front pay, then make sure you believe in the mission or the upside of working there. The worst thing would be to be underpaid, hate your coworkers and working on a product you don’t believe in.
The competition is much lower due to less name recognition, since not many of them are known by everyone in the industry.
What does that mean for Mid-Sized Companies?
These companies are neither as small as the start ups, nor as big and powerful as the larger corporations. They usually don’t have the time to wait for you to learn and grow and most probably, not as many seniors and other resources to train an intern or junior.
They basically need someone with enough experience and skills to get things done ASAP in order to have a bigger share of the industry and get closer to their giant counterparts.
For these reasons, I personally lean towards the extremes of large corporations or small startups for landing that first UX job.
Disclaimer
I’m not suggesting that everyone should opt for one or eliminate others. This is merely based on my personal observations. You might see a junior being happy with everything in their job at a mid-size company, or other things that are the exact opposite of what I said. There’s a big world of companies and jobs out there :)
If you’re searching for your first UX job, I hope this little bit of personal insight helps you. Best of luck!
