Category: UX Careers
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Applying to jobs makes you a better UX designer
Job hunting is brutal. Looking for a UX job is no exception. Let me know if you’ve ever felt like… An impostor designer who doesn’t belong No company is giving you a chance, or worse… Companies show interest in initially, then ghost you Comparing yourself to those amazing designers on Dribbble or Medium Job descriptions…
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To transition into UX, don’t ignore your past
2 things surprise me about students transitioning into UX. The first is their diversity of backgrounds. I’m talking architects, nurses and engineers. The second is that they often dismiss their prior professions. “How do I transition into UX from a TOTALLY different background?” As a UX career coach, I challenge my students on this. “Is…
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UX Job Tenures: Is Job Hopping Bad For Your Career?
“Hmm…I don’t know about this candidate. His design skills are good… but he looks like a job hopper.” I looked at the resume again. Was management referring to the candidate’s last position, where he stayed for 9 months? It wasn’t an awfully long time, but to me I wouldn’t have labeled someone a job hopper just for…
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How to Navigate the Ocean of UX Job Titles
One real (but kinda silly) barrier to entering the UX job market is the sheer number of confusing UX Job titles. Today, I’m going to help you navigate, understand, and evaluate the many UX job titles and descriptions you are bound to come across. Why The Problem Exists User Experience is a very broad term, which is one…
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What a tailored UX job application process looks like
See UX job, apply to UX job. Is it that simple? To increase the likelihood of a recruiter looking at your application, a tailored approach is best. Step 1: if you find the listing through a job board site like Indeed, don’t apply on the job board. Instead, go directly to the company’s website: Step…
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Common excuses holding back UX career transitioners
Transitioning into UX is hard enough. But the toughest hurdles come from ourselves. From years of serving as a UX coach, I’ve seen the entire spectrum of excuses, avoidance, and self-imposed mental barriers that UX career transitioners impose on themselves. Knowing about these excuses up front can keep beginners accountable, and prevent you from advancing…
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Is applying to jobs a “numbers” game?
“It’s all a numbers game.” We’ve heard this when it comes to dating, with sales, and of course with the job hunt.. Does that mean you just blast out hundreds of resumes to whatever website will take it? Or that you need to burn yourself out going to endless UX meet ups? Let’s explore the…
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Should you do free UX Design work?
You feel a little used. What you thought was a short, free project turned into an unsavory season of unpaid work. It’s not your fault. You wanted more experience. It’s neither the company’s fault. The founder told you their budget (zero, ha!) from the beginning. Almost every designer has done free work at some point in…
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When Should You Start Your UX Job Search? (Sooner Than You Think)
A year ago, I met an ambitious dude who was doing a 180 on his career. He wanted to switch from finance to UX. Why do I say ambitious? The goal was to completely switch industries within 3 months. So I prodded him for more details…what was his plan? What concrete things was he going to…
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The Lean UX Job Hunt Strategy
I love The Lean Startup not only because it introduced a new methodology to build products, but also because “lean” thinking can be applied to many other facets of life. You guessed it – Lean Startup can help with the arduous UX job search. To get some context, let’s start with a common conversation I have with mentees in…