Intro

If I could summarize the current job market and interview process with one word, it would be perseverance. Cliché, I know.

The reason I choose perseverance is because there are an infinite number of things that can make or break your chance of landing a job at any step of the way. From answering a behavioral question wrong (been there) or not speaking enough to certain skills (been there too) to messing up a design challenge (oh, I’ve been there).

I think of the current job market as one where companies expect the maximum out of candidates and vice versa. That makes for one heck of a competition for each role that is posted.

TL;DR of this post

• Don’t go into the search thinking it’ll be easy.

• Apply as soon as you see a role and do your best to check as many boxes as possible.

• Figure out what you need to do to manage rejection in a healthy way.

• Know when to compromise as a candidate.

Job Descriptions & Candidates

Over the past 10+ years of being a Designer, I’ve gone through the job search process many times. Some feel like a breeze, others feel like an eternity, and I’ve seen too many job descriptions to count.

If there’s one thing that stands out to me from seeing many recent job descriptions, it’s that there is not a clear understanding of the roles & responsibilities of designers at certain levels. They vary so broadly from company to company that it can be difficult to understand if you should even apply or not.

On the candidate side, what I’ve noticed is that people are expecting more than ever. Probably even more than anyone’s ever seen before. I’ve seen newer designers and boot camp grads expecting $100k from their first role, they want all the flexibility in the world, and they get frustrated at companies when their priorities shift and their work gets deprioritized. You can’t see me, but my eyes are open as if I’m in shock while writing about this, because that’s how I feel.

Foreshadowing to the next section, but you could say that if you (the company) are expecting me (the candidate) to be able to do everything, then I’m going to ask for top dollar! Makes sense. Except there is definitely someone that 1. is better and more qualified than you and/or 2. is just as qualified as you and will do it for less money and flexibility.

The disconnect: Checking most all of the boxes

Of course, the application is only the first step in the process. Making it passed these cheeky (I went to London last year) applicant tracking systems can be a small or large hurdle in your search. The next hurdle is the interview process.

This will consist of one to five, six, or what feels like 100 rounds of calls, presentations, and 1:1’s, ensuring that every person on the hiring committee loves you. The pressure is on, don’t mess up. I digress.

What I’ve noticed in my most recent search is that it seems that companies are becoming less satisfied with candidates who check off most of the boxes for a role. Instead, they really want that candidate who checks off all of the boxes. You might be thinking, “Yeah, doesn’t that make sense? Why would they hire someone who doesn’t check all of the boxes?” to which I would reply, “It doesn’t not make sense (take that double negative), but hear me out.”

Hundreds of qualified candidates apply for a job within minutes of it being posted on all 1,000 job boards on the internet. Lil’ pro tip: Don’t wait, apply as soon as you see the role you want. I’m not saying that companies shouldn’t hire the most qualified candidate, because they should.

I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but it’s our job as designers to immerse ourselves in the business and product we are designing for. Where checking off all of the boxes becomes frustrating to me is when assumptions are made that because you don’t have experience in something, you can’t do it.

Wearing multiple hats

As a Senior Product Designer, I’m expected to figure it out, whatever it is. I actually think that’s what makes a strong Product Designer at any level. Designers in general are used to wearing multiple hats.

I have experience coding (HTML & CSS, relax), creating videos, animating visual assets for component interactions, mapping user journeys and flow charts, prototyping, presenting to and managing stakeholders, mentoring newer designers, monitoring implementation (making sure things look and act like they’re supposed to), and contributing to strategic roadmaps.

My point again, is that designers are expected to figure it out. This mentality will only help you grow in your professional and personal lives.

Rejection

I once made it to the final round and was awaiting a response, only to receive the dreaded “Thanks for applying” email. My stomach sank as I was SO hyped about the company and team. As always, I asked for feedback. They shared that the other candidate shared a more technical project in their presentation which made them more confident in going in that direction.

I let myself be angry, then sad, then angry for a bit more. The natural (for me) tendency I have is to go to logic. In this case, it wasn’t super helpful, but I kept blaming myself for not sharing one of my more technical projects in my presentation because, I thought that if I had done that, I definitely would’ve gotten the job—which might not be true, but one could hope!

In my opinion, the most frustrating reason to be rejected for a role is because you “lacked” some skill, but in actuality, you simply might not have spoke to such skill in your interview. Interview processes are getting more detailed and time-consuming than ever, probably more than anyone has ever seen before, so kick ass in your interviews and if you are rejected, learn what you can do to manage it.

Conclusion

With the reduced number of available junior roles and the rise of “Super IC’s”, I only see companies becoming even more wild with their expectations in candidates. Don’t go into it thinking it’ll be a breeze just because it has been in the past—speaking from experience, it’s a humbling reality check.

Again, so many things are out of your control in the job search, but if you notice that you actually check off all of the boxes in the job description, be sure you are comfortable speaking to why. I wish you luck in your search and hope you land the job you want!

Thank you

I like writing and sharing my experiences, so thank you for taking the time to read through this. As always, you can find me on LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out with any questions, comments, or feedback as I look to write about relevant topics. Check out some open job postings below!

Open product, design, and engineering jobs