1. Intro/Motivation behind talk
The interns aren’t getting younger, you’re getting older:
Stand out as a Senior UX candidate
Caroline J Little
UXPA INTERNATIONAL 2021

2. 11+ years
4 full-time positions
2 layoffs
"Golden Autumn Hour of Washington DC" by Bold Frontiers is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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3. Courtesy: Nielsen Norman Group
289% increase in
requests for UX
interviews in 2020
- Hired.com
Hiring for UX roles grew
20% between 2019 and
2020
- LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise report
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4. “Hot” industry
Saturated junior market
Immature industry
- Companies
- Processes
- Growth path
Higher expectations/cost
What is working
for you
What is working
against you
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5. Self-Reflection
Courtesy: Undraw.co
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6. KEY LEVERS
Make or break issues
• Location
• Salary requirements
• Title/job responsibilities
• Industry
• Company
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7. ENERGY GAINS AND DRAINS
List your Top 5
• Can be both lived and aspirational (Gains)
• Related both to your job responsibilities and things
like:
• Company culture
• How UX/the role is embedded into the company
• The type and quality of opportunities available to you
(projects, clients, etc.)
• Perks
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8. Tools in your arsenal
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9. INTROS
Start off every interaction prepared
1 min “elevator pitch”
• Years of experience
• Relevancy to role
• What’s next for you
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10. INTROS
Start off every interaction prepared
1 min “elevator pitch”
• Years of experience
• Relevancy to role
• What’s next for you
2-3 min longer opener
• Education
• High level career progression
• Key Skills
• What’s next for you
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11. INTROS
Start off every interaction prepared
1 min “elevator pitch”
• Years of experience
• Relevancy to role
• What’s next for you
2-3 min longer opener
• Education
• High level career progression
• Key Skills
• What’s next for you
Tell me about a project…
• Typically related to the type of
role you are seeking
• Role, problem, process, solution
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12. HERO STORIES
Have prepared to illustrate points or answer questions
PERSUASION: How did you influence leadership?
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13. PERSUASION: How did you influence leadership?
COLLABORATION: How did you resolve differences
within a team? What does good teamwork look like to
you?
HERO STORIES
Have prepared to illustrate points or answer questions
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14. PERSUASION: How did you influence leadership?
COLLABORATION: How did you resolve differences within a team?
What does good teamwork look like to you?
PERSONAL GROWTH: How did you recover from a
mistake? How did you change your behavior based on
feedback?
HERO STORIES
Have prepared to illustrate points or answer questions
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15. PERSUASION: How did you influence leadership?
COLLABORATION: How did you resolve differences within a team? What
does good teamwork look like to you?
PERSONAL GROWTH: How did you recover from a mistake? How did you
change your behavior based on feedback?
BUSINESS ACUMEN: How did you contribute to solving key
business problems? Do you understand how to partner with key
stakeholders?
HERO STORIES
Have prepared to illustrate points or answer questions
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16. RESUME
Focus more on impact
• Conducted research with
healthcare providers to gather
concept feedback
• Wireframing, Prototyping and
facilitating discussions
• Help to drive consensus and
forward thinking change
within client's businesses
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17. RESUME
Focus more on impact
• Wireframing, Prototyping and
facilitating discussions
• Conducted research with
healthcare providers to gather
concept feedback
• Help to drive consensus and
forward thinking change
within client's businesses
• Designed ABC feature of website Z,
launched 3 months ahead of
schedule
• Used research findings from
healthcare provider interviews to
formalize new concept for ABCDE
• Led series of workshops that drove
client and team alignment around
UX strategy for product X
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18. RESUME
Show AND tell your value
Put special emphasis on:
• KPIs (money/time saved, satisfaction scores,
ratings/reviews)
• New models/processes/ways of working
• Insights or actions which led to key business decisions
• Quantifiable reach (# of users, # of downloads, etc.)
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19. PORTFOLIO VS. CASE PRESENTATION
Advertising vs. storytelling
BOTH:
• Problem, process, solution
PRESENTATION:
Opportunity for you to expand upon:
• Role & dynamics within the team, org
• Business constraints
• Why and how the process deviated from the idea and
how you responded
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20. CASE PRESENTATION
Set up the story and land the plane
• Remember your audience
• Provide enough detail but don’t get bogged down in
company minutiae
• Simplify the process without losing the strategic thread
• Tie your contribution/findings/solution back to company
objectives
• Be prepared to discuss what you would have
changed/down differently
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21. The interview process
Courtesy: Undraw.co
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22. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Are interviews together or separate?
HIRING MANAGER:
• Management style
• How would you
define/measure success in
this role?
• What skills help someone
succeed at company [xyz]?
• Tell me about a project your
team worked on that had a big
impact
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23. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Are interviews together or separate?
PEER:
• Company/Team Culture
• Tell me about a recent
project you worked on
• What do you see as biggest
opportunity to improve
processes?
• Who do you work with most
closely day-to-day?
HIRING MANAGER:
• Management style
• How would you
define/measure success in
this role?
• What skills help someone
succeed at company [xyz]?
• Tell me about a project your
team worked on that had a big
impact
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24. EVALUATE THEIR PROCESS
Are they treating you like a senior candidate?
• Who is interviewing you? How many gatekeepers?
• What are they requesting of you in time, pre-work during
the process?
• Are they asking you the right questions?
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25. Staying Ready
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26. STAYING READY
Not actively looking? You still have homework
TARGET LIST:
• What are companies you are
interested in for the future and
who do you know there?
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27. STAYING READY
Not actively looking? You still have homework
TARGET LIST:
• What are companies you are
interested in for the future and
who do you know there?
THINK AHEAD ABOUT YOUR
CURRENT WORK:
• How would you tell the story
of what you are doing today?
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28. STAYING READY
Not actively looking? You still have homework
TARGET LIST:
• What are companies you are
interested in for the future and
who do you know there?
THINK AHEAD ABOUT YOUR
CURRENT WORK:
• How would you tell the story
of what you are doing today?
OTHER OUTLETS FOR GROWTH:
• Volunteer work – UX orgs;
skills & networking
• Project roles within current
company
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29. Thank you &
good luck!
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