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Published on <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/ux-career-job-portfolio-interviews-and-all-that-jazz-8ff5c6c8a187?source=rss----eb297ea1161a---4">| Prototyping: From UX to Front End &mdash; Medium</a> UX Boot Camp 
<h4>#30dayUXchallenge [Bonus Day]</h4>
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Today is the last day of the <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/tagged/30-day-challenge">#30dayUXchallenge</a> and we want to finish this journey talking about how to start this amazing journey!
So, first of all, start by putting yourself in your user’s shoes: your recruiter and your hiring manager.
<ul>
<li>What do they need? What are they looking for? What gap needs to be filled?</li>
<li>And what can you offer? How can you help? Is it a good match?</li>
</ul>
So, first things first.
<h3>Your portfolio as an entry point</h3>
Portfolios are very controversial and there are a lot of smart discussions around portfolios; the good and bad. We won’t get to into this point.
As we speak, in November 2017, portfolios are an important part of the recruitment process and 98% of the companies won’t even talk to you if you don’t showcase a bit of your work first. It is what it is and we need to be prepared for it!
What makes a good portfolio?
Think about everything we discussed over the past 29 days. How many posts were covering how to use Sketch App, Invision or to do something in HTML or CSS? None of them, right?
<blockquote>It’s because technical skills are important, but soft skills are the game changer in UX: How you tackle the problem, what is your research approach, how do you collaborate with your team and your ability to actually apply UX methodologies within your team is essential to be a champion in our industry.</blockquote>
So that’s what your portfolio needs to communicate. So here goes some practical tips:
<ul>
<li>Don’t worry about publishing Dribbble-style visuals. Worry about communicating how that ugly paper prototype helped you to quickly understand what the best way to go was and how it became a solid wireframe a few weeks later.</li>
<li>That said, aim to publish the end-to-end journey of the projects you previously worked on: starting with the problem you were solving, an overview of the user, design explorations, testing findings and why the final outcome was the ideal solution. Also, try to tell a good (and short) story about the project. Keep in mind that your user (the hiring manager) doesn’t have time to read an essay, but still needs to get the context of the project.</li>
<li>If you are fairly new to UX and you haven’t worked on any projects previously, work on a “fake” project yourself (like an App you use often but could be improved) to start building evidence of your UX process. You won’t need much for an entry level position, but it is important to have uni work or personal projects to showcase your process. If you (like us!) also worked on confidential projects, make sure you have clarity over what can be posted and what can’t. I’ve seen people who tweaked the project slightly to hide confidential information, and I’ve also seen professionals who got approval to share their work by PDF or via password-protected websites. Just make sure you do the right thing! Nobody will be willing to hire you if they can’t trust you.</li>
<li>And, of course, don’t forget to talk about yourself. Make sure a bit of your personality is there. A job is a relationship, so I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to spend 50–60% of my time in an environment that doesn’t really match with me as a person and as a professional!</li>
</ul>
Ok. Your portfolio is ready. Let the applications begin!
<h4>Applying</h4>
First of all, forget that idea that you need a really good connection to get a job. Connections could definitely open a few doors, but you don’t need to rely on it that much!
<blockquote>“For example, I got my previous job through LinkedIn (after just having moved to Ireland!) and got my current job through Seek (an Australian’s employment marketplace)” from Gabi.</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I’ve never find a job through any connection really. All the jobs I’ve got in my life where though my website or Linkedin + application. My portfolio shown my skills and interests and only seduces employers with the same mindset ;)” from Natalia.</blockquote>
<blockquote>“I got my current position through an application through LinkedIn from another country. My previous job was just through the company website. I have never had connections to get a job previously.” from Rochelle</blockquote>
There is no recipe, but do your part:
<ol>
<li>Look for the job ads online.</li>
<li>Start by truly reading the job roles and understanding which one speaks to you. Know what you want from a job, it’s a two way relationship.</li>
<li>Do not lie. Never. Don’t pretend you do something you don’t, and avoid applying for jobs that require expertise in areas that you really don’t know much about. It will be a waste of energy for you and for the recruiter. So make sure you apply to as many jobs as you want, as long as you are confident you match the main requirements!</li>
<li>And write damn-good cover letters. Yes, they will ask for your portfolio. Yes, they will ask for your CV. Yes, they may ask for a cover letter too. It’s a lot of work and you will end up repeating a few times that “you are a really great team player and self-motivated employee”, but do your best to write tailored cover letters that speak to the hiring mangers! After all, it’s your first chance to talk to them, so do your best to be nice!</li>
</ol>
<h4>The interview(s)</h4>
The first interview is the most important one. It’s the moment when you have the first impression from the company and so do the prospective employers!
Personal tips
<ul>
<li>Get yourself with the right and comfortable appearance and look. Don’t pretend to be cooler than you are or smarter… it’s not going to work! You are unique and employers will value and accept just in the way you are. Respect yourself, be yourself, love yourself 🙂</li>
<li>Try to go earlier so if something goes wrong (public transport, rain or so) you will have plenty of time to arrive on time. Remember you have only one time to give a first impression. Believe me something always goes wrong. “During the interview process for my current role I managed to park in a carpark beside the office but at the wrong side of a bounding fence, and on my long walk around to the office’s site my heel broke… yes actually… I know it sounds like a movie but please… just leave time” — Rochelle</li>
<li>For remote employers, mind your dress code even if the interview is in front of a camera. Review the scene, prepare the background of your chair and take good care of the light. Remember when you are talking people are going to see the place where you are an getting distracted with the nice grandma picture behind your back — in your wall 😉 Also it does give you some extra confidence!</li>
</ul>
Company tips
<ul>
<li>Do your homework. Yes, you need to do some research about the company you have applied on. Some employers are absolutely in love with their products or services and they make the selection according to that. Also this will help you to discover what questions you want to ask!</li>
<li>Some people even ask to do something related to their products or service so having some previous understanding will be very beneficial.</li>
<li>Take your time to arrive on time and study carefully the interaction between the existing employees. How do they treat to each other? Can I picture myself here?</li>
</ul>
During the interview — a few common questions:
<ul>
<li>Tell about yourself, how you got here (became a designer).</li>
<li>What is your design process?</li>
<li>Tell about a project you worked on previously / walkthrough a project in your portfolio.</li>
<li>A challenge you overcame …</li>
<li>A project you are proud of …</li>
<li>Your weaknesses and strengths …</li>
<li>Your approach &amp; understanding of critique sessions</li>
<li>Why are you a designer?</li>
<li>What motivates you most?</li>
<li>And even more strange ones like ‘If you have to explain what is your work about to a completely stranger on the street… how do you do it?’</li>
<li>Why you want to work here?</li>
<li>What do you know about the company?</li>
<li>Do you have any questions?</li>
</ul>
And don’t underestimate the importance of the last four ones! They will analyse your interest in the company, how much research you did and why you truly want to work there.
Most importantly, you should take advantage and ask questions too: it’s also your chance to interview the company and to understand if they are aligned with your values, beliefs and goals. So go ahead and ask all your questions about career, behaviour, culture and whatever you want to know about the place you may be working for the next few years!
<blockquote>Feel it, breath it and be selective!</blockquote>
If you don’t like the people who are interviewing you or don’t feel the environment will be suitable for you, forget about this job, is not going to work!
<h4>Salary expectations</h4>
Some interviewers ask about your salary expectations. Don’t be afraid to say what you aim for. There’s nothing wrong about that! but do your homework too 🙂 If you are applying to work in Switzerland you are probably managing a different range of salaries than in South America. Don’t take me wrong, is just a market overview that you should be aware of.
<h3>Job task</h3>
Congratulations! You passed your first interview and you are now about to show your skills on the field.
It’s quite normal that some companies ask for a “task” whenever comes to a designer role. It’s tiring and demanding — specially if you are already working — but it is for sure your opportunity to get your sparkling spirit out there!
Tips on design tasks:
<ul>
<li>Read it carefully — this is the most important piece of the job. Don’t try to do all your skillset if they are actually don’t ask you for!</li>
<li>Identify the problem. We are problem solvers and we need to show that!</li>
<li>Make your <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/30dayuxchallenge-day-5-get-to-know-your-user-personas-jobs-to-be-done-d0c272ffed58">Personas</a> (if they don’t include in the task, you need to create fake ones)</li>
<li>Explore <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/why-you-need-a-user-research-plan-19caf4438a35">research plan</a>. How are you going to tackle this problem? Research first! Even if it is a task, we have the opportunity to show how user focused we are and in order to do that we always listen our target audience — focus on that first. Even if we need to collect some friends opinions.</li>
<li><a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/creative-ways-to-communicate-your-research-findings-332772c98b1d">Analyse the insights</a>. Recreate the process you normally do on your design process.</li>
<li>Show collaboration! Mandatory. Employers need to feel that you are team player and flexible enough to contribute and receive feedback. Use <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/design-thinking-dab6b9e9d69e">Design Thinking</a> to come up with some team games.</li>
<li><a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/sketches-wireframes-prototypes-levels-of-fidelity-and-what-to-expect-from-each-c381d54a23db">Brainstorm</a> possible solutions.</li>
<li><a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/ux-best-practices-part-3-interactions-driving-connections-1623d41c4f62">Prototype</a> the selected one.</li>
<li><a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/from-wireframe-to-high-fidelity-colours-typography-spacing-deliverables-85a3e727bec3">Mind your visuals</a>! It’s not really our job to be artist but your process should be shown in a clear, visual, nice way… so you will have more chances to be selected.</li>
<li>Don’t forget to include the ‘next steps: <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/user-testing-from-planning-to-analysing-your-findings-85df17856a48">testing and iterate again</a>’. If you don’t you are missing the point really. Every single prototype should be tested before to write any code.</li>
<li>Prepare it on a presentation format: PDF it’s fine. Remember your audience here — they are not only designers! Talk to them in a way that shows your entire process and the concept behind every single decision you made.</li>
<li>The most important thing is to go through your design process, this is what they really want to see, it’s not about the end solution. No one expects you to come up with the new ground-braking solution for a design task it’s just about your approach to solving the problem.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Negotiating</h3>
Congratulations! You’ve got the offer letter and the job position you were dreaming on. Well done!
Before even to start thinking on the day to day commuting or the new challenges you need to think on the money. Yes my darling, you need to.
And that’s why we work. Because we deserve the money and we value or job. It doesn’t matter if it is our very first job. We deserved to be paid, and well paid if we have the experience on the field 🙂
Negotiating is always a pain but believe me this is the only opportunity to show your value and position yourself. And you only have this once!
Tips on negotiating:
<ul>
<li>Write down the number that really makes you happy.</li>
<li>Compare with the number you‘ve offered.</li>
<li>Ask for something lower but higher than the offer you received.</li>
<li>Wait and see what’s coming next.</li>
<li>If it makes sense, accept the offer then.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Starting a new job</h3>
Here we go! New job, new beginning. Enjoy the previous days, you are not going to take holidays for a while 🙂
It’s always good to start with the right leg, think before you talk and listen everybody. Then find out the coffee machine, you will need it 🙂
Good luck! Be confident, you are prepared. And the most important one… be yourself 🙂
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This post is part of the #30dayUXchallenge: you can read more about why we started it <a href="https://medium.com/envato/why-were-embarking-on-a-30dayuxchallenge-e3d9f1bc1ac6">here</a>, and don’t forget to follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/ux_bootcamp">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ux_bootcamp">Instagram</a>!
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<a href="https://blog.prototypr.io/ux-career-job-portfolio-interviews-and-all-that-jazz-8ff5c6c8a187">UX Career. Job, portfolio, interviews and all that jazz</a> was originally published in <a href="https://blog.prototypr.io">Prototypr</a> on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

UX Career. Job, portfolio, interviews and all that jazz

UX Career. Job, portfolio, interviews and all that jazz

#30dayUXchallenge [Bonus Day]

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