Effective Job Search to Get Your First or Next UX/UI job – Step 2 – Interviewing

In addition to maintaining a polished CV and a well-organized portfolio, there are a couple of extra preparations that will be beneficial in the long run. As mentioned in the Step 1 – Effective job search to get your first or next UX/UI job, there are a lot of advices out there that are quite stereotypical. The following list is a reality check on what you can actually expect during the design interview process.

Digital networking is visibility and engagement

You’ll hear a lot about networking being a must. In its usual definition, that is undoubtedly true in traditional onsite industries. In digital industries, however, it has a slightly different meaning. For example, sending cold messages to lead designers and managers on social networks is not the best approach for networking. The distributed and partially anonymous nature of digital fields results in a lower trust level than in other fields, which is why visibility is the most crucial factor. This means maintaining a rich online profile with interlinks and consistency between your presence on different sites. Joining discussions and engaging in topic threads or post comments is what we refer to when talking about networking. Following relevant groups, agents, and companies, and engaging with their posts can greatly improve the outcome compared to sending unsolicited CVs to random people.

The common explanation of those who push for ‘cold outreach is a must’ is that 70% of jobs are hidden, or not advertised and companies want someone with a reference. This number encompasses all offsite industries like construction, entertainment, etc. These employees need to be present at the same location at the same time, resulting in a close kit network. Digital is slightly different and due to the specialised skills it requires, it is less likely for someone’s network to provide opportunities that match their skillset than in traditional industries. The fact is that in the digital realm, agents and peers will most likely be your reference, so being visible to them is what brings results.

Confidence refers to adaptability

You’ll also hear a lot, to be confident. This does not refers to confidence in your personality, but in your ability to pick up new skill when needed. The hiring goal is to find people, who can flexibly adjust their approach to the the company’s circumstances. They expect you to be able to clearly list what tools you use on what level, what tasks you commonly do, and work phases you’re familiar with to what depth. hat helps them to place the candidate to the right project. Even just mentioning too many skills during the interview, or having noticeably more items in your portfolio then others, will make you less likely to be shortlisted.

Big names, big competition, low response rate

You will often be advised to start your job search on the biggest community platforms, such as Dribbble or Behance, where tech giants and hot startups post jobs. They look like an obvious place to start. But their job boards are located in the middle of a large and fiercely competitive designer community, so the jobs listed there are extremely oversubscribed. They rarely respond at all. If the vibrant community inspires you to build a presence on these sites, take advantage of it. But only if you don’t feel overwhelmed by the high-profile agency works that have flooded these platforms in the past years. For job search, there are much more efficient sites, please visit Job portals for UX/UI designer’s job search

Avoid going political

Common advice would tell you to show off your awareness as an EDI-Climate-‘People above all’ advocate and ask the company how they perform on that. Like most political topics, it’s very thin ice. The majority of companies are trying their best, but are very aware that they are falling short on some politically sensitive expectations. Due to the market pressure, they often portray themselves as more compliant or diverse than they actually are, and are quite hesitant about the potential backlash of their hiring. When pressured, the interviewer will most likely present a nice marketing slogan on how much they have improved and will improve in the upcoming months, then mark you as ‘Not proceeding with’.

When the advice says that you ‘interview the company’ just as they interview you, it means checking what they have for you in terms of professional support (education budget, flexible hours, career path, etc.) rather than calling them out on politically sensitive topics.

Similarity beats competence

Contrary to popular belief, hiring managers are not looking for the best of the best. They are searching for someone who is compatible with the internal circumstances, which are not yet visible to you. Behind the interview curtains, every interviewer is searching for a person that is:

• Fits into the existing team dynamics (not much better or louder than the rest not much more active than the others and not much lazier than the others).
• Likely won’t confront the hiring managers themselves or embarrass them in front of people above them, so it’s safe to introduce them as their hire.
• Ideally, covers some skills they need (yes, this one is the least important).

This preference is due to the fact that the work can only be completed when the team is together. The biggest concern for most hiring managers is the possibility of breaking the team dynamic permanently with a new hire. When done right, it is communicated transparently, such as:

‘We decided to move forward with another candidate that is more suited to the needs of this specific project’.

– a good hiring manager

This is a perfectly neutral, highly professional, and meticulously crafted answer that won’t harm the candidate in any way. It’s unfortunate that some rejections may come with unnecessary remarks about your skills and experience. This is the very thing that makes the interview process unreasonably exhausting.

Rejection resilience

Rejection resilience requires objectiveness to understand that only a small number of rejections are related to your professional experience or skill set. Companies are searching for the best personality match with their actual internal culture, and only the interviewers know what that is.

The most typical real causes of rejection:

• You didn’t appear to be a similar character to those who are already on the team.
• The interviewer picked their favourite candidate a week ago, but couldn’t cancel the prescheduled interviews due to HR reporting reasons.
• The interviewer had negative associations with the industries or company types listed in your CV or portfolio.
• The position was created by higher stakeholders, and the interviewer didn’t agree with it. Therefore, no one will be found suitable.
• The interviewer may have had a negative experience or associated with your perceived personality type (introverts, for example, may be misconceptualised as uncooperative).
• The interviewer has a clear picture in their mind of what a designer should look like and talk like, and you might didn’t match with that mental model.
• The interviewer might have felt that you’re too committed to certain trends and was concerned about your flexibility.
• They might have planned representative functions as a part of the role (not necessarily communicated), and you didn’t come across as presentable (called ‘politically pretty’, including attire, elocution, careful talk, etc.) to be introduced as their choice to higher level managers or external partners.
• The interviewer felt that you were not stable enough to handle the occasional emotional turmoil or conflicts within the team.
• They need to improve their diversity and inclusion scores and you’re not a minority group member.
• Their budget is lower than the market rate, and they didn’t see you be willing to sacrifice salary for a mission, passion, or a close-knit team, etc.
• The position never existed. They already had a person for the position, but for legal reasons, they needed to officially open the role (common in the public sector).

Summary

Hopefully this list will aid you in managing the interviewing process and maintaining your mental health. The job hunting process is not personal, it’s more like finding a business match. By setting up your strategy at the beginning, you can avoid headaches and wasted effort. If you need guidance on job search preparation, please visit Setting up the opportunities.