Starting Over
(Aka: Getting your damn foot in the door…)
We’ve all been there. You’re just starting out. Or you’re starting over. Maybe you’ve just graduated college, or a boot camp. Maybe you’ve chosen or been forced to change careers. And suddenly those 15 years of experience as whatever you did don’t count in the new field. It. Is. Maddening. Not to mention the very real struggle of finding a job even in your field! Even though I was fully qualified, I spent 6 months in 2021 looking for work with no success, all while hearing how there were SO MANY jobs out there. It’s a good reminder to us all: just because you are qualified doesn’t mean you are able to get where you want to go, exactly when you want to get there.
Hence, this article! The reason I got into recruiting is I love to learn, and I love helping people. This job allows me to do both! Unfortunately, due to the nature of the job, I am largely unable to help anyone until they have at least 2 years’ experience under their belt. Finding that out killed me. I want to be able to help everyone! It took some time for me to wrap my head and heart around the fact. But my continued desire to help anyone in need inspired this article. Even though I can’t place entry or junior level, hopefully this will give you the help and resources needed to be able to find a way to jump in both feet!
The following are all forms of networking to help you find your next job. Use as many or all and your chances of getting that next position will increase!
- Meetup.com. This is a great resource to meet people in your industry, learn more, and get your name and resume out there! Meetup offers virtual and in person events. Specifically for UX, look up: IXDA Atlanta, Ladies-That-UX-ATL or UX Helpers.
2. ADPlist.org. This is a free resource that will match you up with a designer to help you with whatever you need: resume and portfolio help and feedback, questions, contacts, etc. Did I mention it’s free for you? Check it out!
3. This is a good old pound the pavement one that worked great for me: Find someone in the industry you are trying to work in. Offer to buy the a cup of coffee in exchange for hearing about their experience and gleaning some wisdom. 9 times out of 10 they will have someone else for you to reach out to, or here and there a job at their company! And regardless, you’re adding to your network of people who know you and are willing to share your info.
4. Creative Mornings: https://creativemornings.com/ This is a fantastic group created by Tina Roth Eisenberg with a desire to have accessible events for creative folk in her city. It’s now available in cities all around the world! Look up yours and enjoy!
5. While you are looking, reach out to small, local shops and offer to do freelance work for their greatest pain point. This keeps you doing real work, adds to your portfolio and gives you a chance to do “real life” UX projects from start to finish. The more you do the more you learn!
Now let’s talk resume and portfolio. First off: getting advice on those two is very similar to being pregnant. Everyone has an opinion on how it should be/what you should do. So listen to everything and then choose what works best for you. Being able to defend your design choices is important. And both portfolio and resume aesthetics are very subjective. If you listened to everyone you’d never stop revising! That said, the hard and fast rules do apply. Spell-check. Seriously. Ask a friend to spell-check. It’s an easy thing to check that will be an instant ding if not caught before sending to a potential employer.
Another bit re your resume: don’t add dates to education or training, and tailor it to the job you want. Dates are a very easy way for potential employers to dismiss you if they see you just finished a boot camp. Sadly, though it’s not supposed to be, they can also dismiss you for being too young or too old. It’s not ok but it does happen. And if you’re switching careers, put your title as what you want to be (ie UX Designer at Freelance). Reframe your past experience as you are able, in that terminology. Depending on what you did will of course depend on how easy that is, but someone experienced (like a mentor from ADPlist) can help with that.
My last bit of advice is personal to me: be open. No I don’t mean start a conversation with “I just graduated”, but I mean be real. Be genuine. Authenticity goes a LONG way and is often reciprocated. You can’t control others but you can control yourself, and that open honesty will do a lot to keep you sane and memorable to those you talk to. And as I said earlier, take all the advice you hear (even this) and do what works for you. This is your life and your career and NO ONE can do you better than yourself! Now go kick some ass!
