HOW TO BREAK INTO UX
Standing out from the crowd: What you say about yourself without realizing it
One of the best pieces of interviewing advice I’ve received goes as follows: When you interview, you are being judged on how you seem and not on who you are. By making this slight adjustment, each step of the interview process becomes an opportunity for you to stand out to any potential employer… the first step in finding the next job of your dreams.
This article begins a short series about how to break into UX. I’ll be using examples from my background in UX Research, (Since that’s what I know), but the advice in this article can be applied to getting noticed in just about any field. In this article, I'm writing to myself as a job seeker while sharing context and stories from my role as a hiring manager.
There is a lot of interest in UX these days. More and more people are discovering that the field of UX is dynamic, interesting, and at the forefront of Technology-I mean, we are literally designing the future!
In 2017, Jakob Nielsen, of the Nielsen-Norman Group, published a, "100 year view of UX," where he anticipates the rapid growth of the field:
"The UX profession has grown substantially since 1950 and it is now truly worldwide. Even so, the expected growth until 2050 will dwarf anything we’ve seen so far. Many drivers of UX growth are not immediately apparent to most people in the field." (Jakob Nielsen, article linked above)
He goes on to specifically call out the years 2017, (When the article was written), to 2050 thus: "The UX profession is expected to grow from the current about 1 million people to about 100 million people. A growth factor of 100." (Ibid.).
Judging from my own experience over the past 3 years, I can attest to this growth. After many years as a hiring manager at Microsoft, and now as the CEO of a strategic UX company, I've reviewed thousands of resumes and interviewed hundreds of UX professionals across all levels. My company opened up an assistant-level UX Research position earlier this year and I received over 230 applications alone.
What makes some applications stand out and others fall through the cracks?
I am reminded of the advice that shifted my perspective so drastically that I haven't thought of interviewing in the same way since. This single shift can affect every aspect of applying for a job: Getting your resume noticed, email communication, phone screenings, exercises, and the final interviews.
Applying this paradigm shift can be the difference between getting that job of your dreams and not even being considered. I've incorporated this advice into how I show up as a job candidate and as a hiring manager while interviewing others. I even use it in my role as a CEO… What is it?
You are being evaluated on how you seem and not on who you are.
To begin, let's get a couple obvious things about interviewing out of the way.
Obvious thing #1: Interviewing is a flawed system
The interview process is fraught with difficulty on both sides. It’s a flawed system based on judgements that each of us make about the other person. That's right, it's a two-way street.
It is as much about the applicant finding a job and a team that they feel comfortable in and feel they can be themselves and do their best work as much as it's for the hiring manager to find the right person to work well with the product team and offer a unique complement of skills for their Research and Design team.
Job interviews are a way for each party to try out what it would be like working with the others-to see if they work well together. Each part of the process is set up to evaluate different aspects:
- Hard skills (Research methods, education, and moderation): Can they effectively perform the job responsibilities? Do they think critically and thoroughly? Can they be neutral and objective while moderating?
- Soft skills (Professionalism, punctuality, and oral/written communication): Do they act professionally? Are they on time? Do you have synergy together and bounce ideas off each other? Can they communicate effectively in email and on the phone? (For more about developing soft skills, check out 10 Soft Skills for UI & UX Designers and Soft skills in UX — what makes a mediocre Designer great)
- Culture fit (Shared values and agreeableness): Is this the kind of person you learn something from and enjoy spending time with?
This isn't an exhaustive list, but I hope this gives you an idea of what kinds of things that the interviewer is thinking about when interviewing someone. It's important to succeed in each aspect in order to move on to the next round of the interview process.
Ok, now let's get the other obvious thing out of the way….
Obvious thing #2: Interviewing is a curated experience
Just like in social media, as applicants, we curate our interactions in interviews to show off the best parts of ourselves, (While simultaneously trying to hide the parts we don’t want to share). We go out of our way to present only that best part of ourselves and hope that they don’t really see how nervous and unsure of ourselves we are.
The hiring manager has more power in the interview process since they have the thing the applicant wants, namely, the ability to choose who they want for the position and what the position represents: income, stability, and status.
At the same time, hiring managers have to make tough decisions based on imperfect information: our own perspectives and the imperfect perspectives of others. At best, we like the other person and hire them. At worst, we discriminate against someone incorrectly. The game is being played on both sides and we know and play by the rules.
This is precisely the reason why if you come across a red flag, you should listen to your gut and move on with another candidate. If you see a potential issue when the other person is obviously trying to hide any personality flaws, then it is actually a big issue, (More on red flags below).
We can easily start to become hyper-critical about every minute interaction. We judge ourselves harshly and over-analyze things later on, saying, "If only I had said it this way instead…" and we think the other person is doing the same. But the reality is that there just isn’t very much information to base an opinion on, so we have to pay careful attention to how we show up.
You start to run into issues when you incorrectly think that you are being judged on who you are, for example, “I am a good person… I am a hard worker… I love working in Research…”
But do you seem like you do? What are you doing to show that you are?
It’s really about how you seem
Since it’s actually impossible to correctly judge who someone is during an interview, (Or really, in any aspect of life), all we can do is evaluate based on how you seem-how you show up.
We can judge actions, but we can’t judge intentions. Therefore, what really matters in the interview process is not who you are, but how you show (through actions) who you seem like you are.
How are you showing that you have excellent communication skills? How are you showing that you have attention to detail and can follow instructions?
This is really the crux of how to get noticed: show that you are the things that you say you are.
But wait… you aren’t being authentic if you aren’t being their true self! How can you get noticed for being your true self?
Being genuine throughout the process will always shine through. At the same time, you should also present yourself in the best, most professional way you can-and this is ok. We all do this. Just understand that how you show up is what is being measured and you'll be fine.
Red Flags
Let's pause for a moment here to talk about red flags and how important they are to listen to. During each step of the hiring process, hiring managers are on the lookout for red flags. We want to catch potential issues early and just move on.
If there are any red flags… at any point along the interview process, DO NOT move forward with the candidate, even if they excel in other areas.
Unfortunately, as a hiring manager, I had to learn this lesson the hard way. But before I give some examples of red flags, I want to discuss something that isn't a red flag, at least for me: being nervous.
Being nervous is not a red flag
To me, it’s ok to say you’re nervous. I know for some hiring managers, saying your nervous is a no-no. However, I appreciate you sharing how you’re genuinely feeling. We’ve all been there-we know how nerve-wracking it is interview for a job, especially one that you really want.
Rachel Beohm put it this way: "Allowing your true personality to shine through piques interest, engenders trust, enables connections and makes you memorable," in The Authenticity vs. Confidence Conundrum.
When someone starts the interview saying how nervous they are, I will be empathetic and tell them how much I understand-I really do. Then maybe I'll make a joke and get them laughing and move on. Being nervous is natural. And to be honest, it tells me that you care a lot, because if you didn't care, you wouldn't be nervous in the first place, so just take a deep breath and we'll move along at your pace.
Larry Kim's advice for giving presentations can also apply to interviews: transform nervous energy into enthusiasm. Channel all that anxiety into excitement about where you're at in the process. If you're talking to the hiring manager, you're doing well so far in the hiring process and you're that much closer to finding the job of your dreams, (We all hope).
Examples of Red Flags
Ok, so what are red flags? Let's start with some real-life examples of red flags that I've encountered, because I think this will be easier:
- Soft Skills red flag: I had a candidate call me up after the interview to discuss personality issues with one of the interviewers (🚩)-I didn't think much of it at the time, but when they were later hired and the same issues came up, (Which were, by the way, more an issue with the applicant than the other team member), I had a whole new problem on my team that I invited in
- Putting the job in terms of what it brings you instead of what it brings to the company red flag: When I was a research manager at Microsoft, I asked a candidate on a phone screen what interested them in the position… they responded with, "Well, Microsoft would look great on my resume…" (🚩) I ended the call as soon as possible after that
- Not doing your homework red flag: I received an email on LinkedIn from someone looking for a Design internship starting off the message with, “I need an internship urgently…" Let alone did they obviously know nothing about my company (🚩), they came across as desperate (🚩)
- Culture fit red flag: I had a phone interview with a candidate with a strong background education and unique skill set that was different than what I had on my team… they were coming into the interview with positive perception on my part, but during the interview, they complained a lot (🚩) and were pretty negative (🚩) about most everything — this is a good example of a culture fit red flag
As you can see, there are different types of red flags and they can come up in different parts of the hiring process. The easiest red flags to catch are the hard skills red flags, for example, if the candidate doesn't meet the basic requirements for the position in terms of education and years of experience or specific skill, tool, or application experience. Theoretically, they should weed themselves out of the process by not applying to something they aren't really qualified for, but it still happens.
Soft skill and culture fit red flags are harder to spot, but with practice you'll see them too. Anything unprofessional or that makes you step back and wonder how they get away with behavior like that is probably a good sign that you should listen to your gut and not consider them anymore.
Givers, Takers, and how to spot them
Another helpful framework comes from Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, where he breaks down how some of us are Givers, most are Matchers, and some are Takers. In his TED Talk, Are you a giver or a taker; Adam Grant discusses the relative impact of givers and takers in your organization:
"The negative impact of a taker on a culture is usually double to triple the positive impact of a giver…. Effective hiring, screening, and team building is not about bringing in the givers, it's about weeding out the takers," (Adam Grant, link above)
This is why he advises that you eliminate takers from your organization. So, you should be tailoring your interview process to weed out the candidates with red flags, (And Agreeable Takers/Fakers — just watch the TED talk, it's too good not to).
Adam says his favorite interview question to ask to weed out the takers is:
"Can you give me the names of four people whose careers you've fundamentally improved? Takers will give four names of people above them because they are great at kissing up and kicking down. Givers will name people below them in the hierarchy, who don't have as much power, who can do them no good. You can learn a lot about a character by how someone treats their restaurant server or their Uber driver." (Ibid.)
I've heard stories about interviews where the candidate was dismissed if they didn't hold open a door for someone else walking into the room or holding the elevator for someone rushing in. Don't underestimate the importance of being a genuinely kind and caring person. And while I don't personally use this strategy, I think you can see the value of where it's coming from.
Mehek Kapoor tells an unfortunate story of being talked down to by a job applicant who had more experience than she did, (Eek!), while her product manager, (With more experience than the candidate), was listening in on the call. Thankfully, they recognized the red flag and ended the call. And so should you.
Don't feel bad about disqualifying someone who isn't a good fit for your company, role, or culture. They do more harm than good.
The hiring process is really about culling
OK, so at this point, you might be wondering how this all fits together. Interviewing and hiring is really a process of filtering through candidates to find the diamond in the rough.
To let the amazing candidates shine through and to pass on the less than amazing. To sort through the, "Obviously not a fit," candidates quickly so that you can spend time getting to know the potentially good ones.
The process intentionally has multiple steps. From application, to email correspondence, to an exercise, to final interviews. Each step is set up to help the exceptional candidates shine while at the same time to weed out the uninterested candidates. If you are really interested in the position, wouldn't you do everything that you can to get the job?
The entire process is a series of hoops. You jump through the hoops and you're considered because you show that you're serious about the process. There are different drop-off points throughout the process. Each step has a different, "Test," and different reasons for drop-off or rejection. If you keep moving forward, it means that both you and the interviewer on the same page about your potential fit for the position, (Yay!).
This is what you need to do to stand out from the crowd.
Step 1: Application (Following directions)
You come across a job posting that looks interesting to you, so you do what you're supposed to do: you apply. It should be pretty clear about what you need to do to apply. There should be instructions in the posting about what to do. Did you follow those instructions?
I include very specific instructions in my job postings on exactly what to do to apply. I ask you to send an email with a specific subject line, answering specific questions, links to your LinkedIn profile and website, (If you have one), and attach a copy of your resume and portfolio. Pretty clear, right?
You'd be surprised how many people fail this step. It's shocking.
This is the first step in the filtering process: can the candidate read basic instructions and apply to the position correctly? If yes, then you move on to the next step, which means that I will review your resume to see if you meet the basic qualifications for the job.
So, if you fail this step, what are you actually saying about yourself?
To me, it says that you are copy/pasting to apply to a lot of positions, and that you aren't really that interested in my position or my company.
Sometimes, I'll even send a long email and then ask a single question at the bottom of the email. When the candidate responds, did they answer the question? If they don't, then I don't move them on in the process. If you aren't really reading the email, then it doesn't really seem like you care, does it?
Recommendations: Follow instructions to the letter and do everything you're asked to do in the application process.
Step 2: Résumé Review (Attention to detail)
Have you heard stories about people touting their, “Atention (sic) to detail?” on their resume? Well, I’ve actually seen it. A lot. You’d honestly be surprised how many typos I find when evaluating resumes.
Attention to detail is like expertise: you don’t have to say that you have it for it to come across.
You just have it, or you don't. If you’re going out of your way to say you have it, you better well have a flawless resume with no typos. Better yet, just let your actions show your attention to detail. Just use correct spelling and punctuation and it will come across. I probably notice this more than most people, having a certification in Technical Editing and a Masters in Technical Communication.
What are you saying about yourself? If you misspell my name on an email or misspell the name of my company in your initial letter of interest, then it really doesn't seem like you care that much about the position. It seems like this position doesn’t really matter to you and my job posting is just one of many that you’re applying to.
How do I respond? I just move on. It may sound harsh, but if you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to send a polished and professional looking resume that shows your attention to detail.
Recommendations: PLEASE, for the love of a higher power, proofread your resume, use the Oxford comma, run a spellcheck a hundred times, and then read it out loud. This is the one single page that will be critically analyzed more than anything else throughout the entire interview process.
Step 2: Communication (Professionalism)
Professional communication is extremely important. Communication comes across in a few ways: both written and oral. The first interaction you have with someone is probably over email. And if you progress through the interview process, you'll eventually get the hiring manager on the phone and even see them in person eventually.
Email communication should have a professional tone. That means polite, cordial, professional, and without slang. I'm ok with contractions, but it should have an overall formal tone.
Tone is always hard to judge, but there’s a huge difference between, “Hey, what’s up?” and “Hello [name], how are you doing today?” It is important to be yourself… but be on the professional side of yourself. Think of it as your professional persona, just like your moderator persona when you're conducting research.
Everything I said above about correct spelling and punctuation applies here as well.
Additionally, professionalism applies on the phone/video conference calls as well. How do you answer the call? How are you dressed? Do you have an appropriate background or virtual background?
I have a large piece of original art from the London street artist Ronzo behind me when I take calls. It’s a great conversation starter and it shows a little bit of my personality, too. (I’ve sadly had to move my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers poster on the wall to ensure that I have a “work-appropriate” background). Showing your personality is good, but still be professional about it.
People are looking for points of connection. When we meet someone new, we do a little dance around topics of potential commonality… this is probably why it’s easy to stick to the weather. It’s “safe” and you can always say something about it. Interviews are the same and hopefully, you will find those moments of genuine human connection. As an interviewer, I want to see more of who you are and not just what you look like on paper. I want to dig deeper and find why you love research and how you approach problems.
Recommendations: Be formal and professional in your written and oral communication. Dress the part and show off your professional side.
Step 3: The exercise (Do you really want the job?)
I'm grouping a few things here under the same heading that all boil down to answering the questions: Does the applicant actually want the job? How far do they go to show that they really care?
The first way I evaluate this is whether the applicant wrote a personalized message in their application. Did they address it to me, by name, (Spelled correctly)? I had one applicant address their application to me and my co-founder by name… and another applicant addressed their application by name to everyone in the company, (We are still small)! I was really impressed by those applicants. They showed up like they really care about the job. So, how did I respond? I dug deeper and spent more time evaluating their applications.
Personalizing your message shows that you care. That you have invested more than 30 seconds into looking into my company and applying for my open position. Thus, you deserve more than 30 seconds of my time to consider your application.
Another part of the hiring process is an exercise. I give an intentionally vague exercise and ask you to spend no more than 30 min on it and then send me a no more than 5-min video talking me through what you came up with. I really just want to see how you think about problem solving and I want to give you an opportunity to speak directly to me and present yourself and your ideas. It's a place for you to shine…. and some people use it for that, while others don't.
There's actually a LOT of drop-off at this point. And that's great. If you don't want to show me how much you want the role, you probably don't actually want it. And so, it's ok if you self-select yourself out of the process. You've done us both a favor.
When I do evaluate the responses, I actually do something you probably wouldn't expect: I only watch the videos and I cut them off at 5 min. I am not assessing the way you present your ideas, (Some people obviously spent more than 30 min putting together a very professional looking presentation, but I don't give extra credit points for that). I'm really evaluating the way you think. How you approach research questions. How your brain works. What you think about and how you come across. The exercise also gives you an opportunity to show your hard skills. The, "Can you do research?" part of the evaluation.
Did you turn your camera on when you presented? Do you have a professional background? Are you dressed professionally? You end up saying a LOT more than you probably expected you would be saying when you did the research exercise, and that's why I do it: because I want to give you every opportunity to present yourself in the best way possible.
The exercise is really about what you can do within time constraints while following directions. It’s not about perfection. And none of us are perfect, anyway.
We have a phrase that we use when evaluating candidates: “Client ready.” That is to say that the candidate ready to be put in front of a client. If you are worried that they would do or say something unprofessional or embarrassing, they are not client ready.
There isn’t a correlation with age, either. I’ve seen some senior researchers that I would definitely not put in front of a client and a junior researcher just out of an undergrad degree that really impressed me… So, I hired them.
Recommendations: Do your homework, know what you're getting into, and follow directions. Show up like you care by showing me that you care.
Step 4: The interview (Punctuality)
I already covered professionalism in communication above in Step 2. This all of that applies to your interview too. But there's another thing that you say about yourself that you may not realize… your punctuality.
Being on time is objective. You are either on time, or you aren’t. It should hopefully go without saying that it’s important to be on time for an interview. It shows that you care, that you respect the time of the other person, and that you are serious about wanting the job.
Thus, you should do everything that you can to be on time. If that means public transportation and potential traffic, leave extra early. One time I actually left an hour earlier than I thought that I needed to just to ensure that I was on time for the interview and I was glad that I did-there was an accident that backed up traffic, (And for those of you that live in Seattle, you know how bad traffic can be!), and I was only about 15 min early.
How did I show up? Early.
And how did I seem? I seemed like a person who’s on time.
Now that most of us are doing all our meetings online, the same rule applies: be on time. However, we do have to have a lot more empathy for people in confinement these days, especially those with children at home. So, you’ll get more of a “pass” for being a few min late… but be honest and upfront about what’s going on and apologize. Again, it shows respect for the other person’s time.
My friend Bryan at MetricLab had some excellent advice when it comes to online meetings: wait for the EXACT time the meeting is supposed to start and then press the button to begin the meeting. I’ve been using this tactic for the past year or so and it works great. About 95% of the time, I’m the first person in the meeting, whether I’m interviewing someone for an open position or when I’m the one presenting my company to a client for the first time.
What do you say about yourself if you're late? You show that the job, and my time, isn't that important you. If you really care about the job, you’ll be on time. When you show up, you seem like you care.
Recommendation: Be on time. It shows interest and respect for the other person's time as well.
Bonus Content: My colleague Phillip Hunter wrote a great piece about Acing the UX Interview that I completely agree with, so give this a read, too.
The "Show up like you give a !@#$" Cheatsheet
I know I covered a lot, so I created a Cheatsheet for you.
- If you really care, act like you do and show up as someone who cares
- Do your homework about the company you are applying to
- Invest in the values of the company, (Self-select out of applying if you don't agree with the company values)
- Position yourself in terms of what you bring to the company
- Have a normal conversation and don’t sell yourself
- Connect with each other as fellow humans
- Be your authentic self, (Nerves and all)
Interviewing isn’t rocket science, it’s a series of steps to filter down to the candidates that meet the job requirements, show up professionally as their authentic selves, and demonstrate through their actions that they really care about getting the job. By doing this, you'll stand out from the crowd.
Josh LaMar is CEO & Co-Founder at Amplinate, a product strategy thought partner committed to helping tech companies save millions by amplifying what resonates with your customers in order to build products that solve real problems.
