Looking for a new UX Research job? Consider these three things

Help Ensure Your New Company is a Good Fit.

Photo by CoWomen

Once you understand if you’re interested in UX, you can start exploring which type of company might be the best fit. Do you see yourself at a large, defined, established company, a small, nimble, up-and-coming startup, or something in between? When looking for your next role, consider the company’s size, the degree of executive buy-in for research, and the company’s overall UX maturity in addition to the specific role, responsibilities, and team.

Company Size

I’ve worked at a large Fortune 500 company as well as multiple 150–200 person startups. In my experience, large companies offer more structure and stability, while smaller companies offer more variety and flexibility.

Benefits of larger companies

• Stability
• Larger teams and more opportunities for mentorship and training
• Abundant resources

Drawbacks of larger companies

• More bureaucracy
• Slower moving
• More narrowly defined roles and responsibilities (*this could be a benefit depending on your preferences)

Benefits of smaller companies

• More autonomy and impact
• Opportunity to gain a wider range of skills and experience
• Increased collaboration across a variety of teams

Drawbacks of smaller companies

• Less stability
• Rapidly shifting priorities and strategies
• Fewer resources

Level of Executive Buy-in

I’ve increasingly realized how important it is to understand how a company’s leadership team views research. In every interview, I ask my interviewer for his or her view of executives’ level of buy-in. Executives set the tone and priorities for a company, so it’s important that they understand and support research.

Low buy-in

• Minimal team…