Advice for UX UI Jobseekers

Many of the applicants in the UX jobs sector need to give a little more consideration to the user experience of the hiring manager : )

Firstly, research. This is where a good user experience always begins. Different companies require different things. For example, a start-up might require a hybrid designer while an established business is often going to be more specialist in what they are looking for.

Make sure you go for a role that fits your abilities and gives you the opportunity to grow.

Once you have decided on the role, make your application

Imagine the hiring manager’s desk. Visualise that pile of CVs and see how he or she manages that pile. Remember, this is a busy manager and you can take it that this task is extra to their usual day to day workload and that they have likely allotted a mere 20 minutes between meetings.

So, firstly, your CV is going to attract a glance. So, think of your CV as being like a funnel.

State the skills first. If you can match the skills of the role, the hiring manager will read on. But remember, keep it to your superpowers – that stuff  you can kinda do or make a stab at is going to take up valuable CV real estate and may lose the interest of a busy hiring manager.

Then state the application of those skills. In summary – relevant jobs / clients / commercial projects (if you can, best to avoid college or vanity stuff at this point). Link your key skills to examples. You should show the journey to the final product – the work that underpins the output.

Then you can summarize the success of your (or your team’s) project(s). Assess the achievements of the project(s) against the goals. If you worked as a part of a team, emphasise how your initiative / contribution heightened the successful end result of the project.

It's very important to clarify what the design challenge was, and how you solved it. How did you champion the project, or what were those learnings you derived from it if you didn’t quite champion it?

Link to your portfolio - designing a portfolio is a project in itself and a chance for you to showcase your abilities in its look and its layout. Convey in your portfolio two things – how you work and how you interact with teams.

By now the hiring manager should know you have the skills, you can do the job (successfully), and now you need to make the hiring manager want to work with you.

Can you convey the type of person you are through your CV?

What are you passionate about?

Walking, socialising and watching TV are not the passions that are generally going to impress. If you have passions relevant to your work, state them. It says a lot about a person if they continue to design or code or learn in their free time just for the love of it. If they love it, they will be good at it. Maybe you blog about design on the bus home. Maybe you use your skills for altruistic purposes. You assist start-ups in disadvantaged areas on a pro-bono basis, or you teach children how to code. If you are prepared to do these things in your free time, well then you love it (and you’re a nice person).

By now you should have reached the end of the funnel. So, what are your salary expectations?