UX Designer Career Readiness

In UX design, having a job hunting strategy that considers target role, industry, and applicant’s work experience helps craft targeted, more impactful applications. Before diving into creating or updating a resumé and portfolio, it’s helpful to step back and consider what types of roles we want to target to strike a balance between quality and quantity of applications.

A UX design resumé should be a tailored collection of past experience that translates to the target role and job description and emphasizes how the candidate is the best possible match. A resumé you submit should not be an exhaustive document of everything the applicant has ever done, but a tailored collection of past experience that translates to the work they want to be doing.

In UX design, cover letters can be helpful to summarize a career trajectory or explain any gaps, to express specific interest in a particular kind of company or role, to tell a more in-depth story about work experience, or to demonstrate writing skills.

In UX design, portfolios are curated collections of case studies that demonstrate a designer’s problem-solving skills, process, and impact. A portfolio should demonstrate clear and intuitive navigation structure and information hierarchy, consistent visual style, responsive design (for web-based portfolios), and scannable content with clear headings and subheadings.

In UX design, a portfolio should include 3 to 5 in-depth case studies that demonstrate a designer’s process and impact. Effective case studies follow a structure that includes problem statement, research, ideation, solution, and results.

In UX design interviews, candidates are often asked to explain their design process, defend design decisions, and demonstrate problem-solving skills. Common UX design interview questions include behavioral questions, technical questions, and design challenges.