What UX Research hiring committees look for in candidates
Insights from UX Research Managers at Google and the traits that will distinguish you from the crowd — whether you’re a student, transitioner, or existing professional.
As the vital role of user research becomes more apparent in companies of all sizes, the demand for user researchers has increased. With many early-career professionals and transitioners looking for their first opportunity, alongside existing professionals impacted by COVID-19 related layoffs seeking work, it appears that the supply of user researchers looking for work has increased too. A common question has become what are hiring committees looking for and what skills should I work on developing? Let’s explore the answers to those questions and more below.
Note: Thank you to Tejas Peesapati, Susan Petrick, and the 100+ mentors at UX Coffee Hours for providing aspiring UX professionals with career advice. This article was inspired by an interview between Tejas and Susan, who are both UX Research Managers at Google.
When interviewing candidates for UX Researcher roles, what skills are important from an interviewer’s perspective?
1. Strong research core knowledge
This begins with fluency in experiment design, which involves clearly defining the objectives of a research study, then reaching into your UX Research methods toolkit to identify which method(s) would be most appropriate to accomplish the goals of the study. This core knowledge also encompasses the capacity to synthesize qualitative and quantitative data gathered from research into actionable insights. During the interview process, UX Research hiring committees seek to verify that new hires are both knowledgeable and able to execute specific tactical and high-level strategic research using generative and evaluative techniques. Candidates can also receive bonus points for knowing about methods outside of industry-standards such as conjoint or MaxDiff.
2. Ability to work well with a cross-functional team
Whether the open role is a company’s first UX researcher hire or an addition to a large established team, “design is a team sport where we win when we work together.” Hiring committees champion UX researchers who are team players that communicate well and relentlessly pursue making an impact as a member of a team. They’re looking for individuals who represent the research discipline well, from tactfully handling stakeholder interviews through compellingly communicating research findings and recommendations.
3. Empathy and passion for improving user experiences
Lastly, hiring committees love connecting with individuals who are deeply empathetic and can genuinely understand experiences through their customer’s perspectives rather than their own. Empathy serves as the bedrock to designing great experiences since it reduces bias, uncovers core user needs, and helps generate innovative solutions. We can strengthen our levels of empathy through activities like deep listening, observation, and mindfulness. Combining empathy with a sincere passion for improving user experiences can serve as the fuel for a successful, fulfilling career in UX research.
How can students demonstrate research impact?
“No one expects that people who are right out of school will have had opportunities to show large impact on actual products.” — Susan Petrick
As Google UX Research Manager Susan describes above, hiring committees understand that new grads may lack experience working on large scale products. Instead, they will be evaluating an individual’s potential to become a strong researcher. They will critique case studies of group projects to gain a sense of how well the candidate will perform in an industrial setting as part of a team. While crafting your next case study, in addition to highlighting your research process in a narrative structure, remember to address the following questions that showcase a reflective demeanor:
- What went well?
- What were some opportunities for improvement?
- What did you learn and will do differently next time?
Then as you’re interviewing, prepare to answer industry-relevant questions such as:
- What would you do if faced with [EXAMPLE] as a research question?
- What methods would you use and why?
- What would your research plan be like?
What distinguishes a great researcher from a good one?
- Balancing rigor with scrappiness: making a positive impact on your team even in the face of time and/or resource constraints
- Possessing genuine curiosity about the world and people as a whole that drives you to truly want to know the answers that will come from your research.
- Developing patience and enjoyment in learning complex subject matters
- Building outstanding listening skills
- Self-awareness: knowing your strengths and weaknesses, then enthusiastically filling any gaps through self-development
- Compelling communication: create high impact on product teams and products through persuasive, confident communication
Piecing it all together
While there might not be a magic formula to getting hired as a UX researcher, bolstering your core research knowledge and skills, elevating your ability to collaborate cross-functionally and communicate persuasively, and growing your sense of empathy and passion for user experience will dramatically increase your likelihood of success. Best of luck! 👏
References and further reading
Career tips
Increasing impact as a UX Researcher
- Using storytelling to make reporting findings more compelling
- Conduct stakeholder interviews to increase buy-in for UX Research studies
- Signs your user research has made an impact
Improving UX research hard and soft skills
