Cheryl Couris (Speaker) Senior UX Design Manager, Cisco In this session, Cheryl will share insights into unlocking the secret to strong personal brands that help UX'ers carve niches for themselves and stand out from the pack. In today's market, the UX of You needs to be well defined and curated in a way to let your superpowers shine. You'll walk away with practical and tactical tips on how to craft your personal brand and catch the eyes of hiring managers across the industry.

1. UX of You
Building Your Brand to Land Your Dream Gig

2. Cheryl Couris
@cherylcouris
Sr. Design Manager @ Cisco
Formerly Google, Microsoft
UX Instructor @ SVC

6. Hiring Designers
2017
Applying for a job
Senior UX Design
Manager
Interaction
Designer

8. getting the job
+
thriving on the job
UX of You:

9. the job hunt
a design challenge

10. use what you’ve got

11. Recognize design thinking
outside of traditional design roles

15. big
perfect
thoughtful

16. generalist
specialist
vs.
🦄
🎯

18. wireframes
design systems
+
microinteractions
illustrations
prototypes
+
+
+

19. ?

22. #wireframeoftheday
@cherylcouris

24. the basics
UX of You:

25. Your website
Squarespace > building + coding from scratch

26. Case studies
Concise stories with a clear problem
statement, beginning/middle/end
High quality, original visuals
...and please:

27. ❌

28. “My tip would be, tell stories.
When designers present a flat portfolio it
doesn’t tell me about how they approach the
work they do and how they deal with the
ebbs and flows of design. Tell me how you
navigate from start to end of a project.”
(Sarah Bellrichard, SVP of UX at Wells Fargo)

29. tell me
show me

30. Resume
A static, single page sneak peak of your
information architecture skills

31. Showcase your attention to detail and
ability to organize lots of information
(1 page, well designed, clear to read)
...and please:

32. Artboard1.PDF❌

33. Resume.PDF❌

34. Resume_Final.PDF❌

35. Couris_Resume_Oct2019.PDF

36. Use your network
(wisely)

37. Use tight, genuine email communication
Assume they have no time
Provide all links/ resumes in first email
...and please:

38. Don’t do this

39. Don’t do this either

40. We’re all humans
designing for humans

41. 🎉

42. the job interview
UX of You:

44. Your presentation
Design and practice a thoughtful experience
of sharing your best work in-person

45. It’s not your website
It’s not your website
It’s not your website

46. 5 mins
Intro
15 mins
Case Study #1
15 mins
Case Study #2
5 mins
Bonus
5 mins
Q+A

47. ❌
Not clearly stating the problem
Dragging on/not cutting to the chase

48. Take a deep breath
Slow down + collect your thoughts
Practice
Watch your coffee intake (seriously!)
✅

49. Whiteboard Challenge
Showcase your problem solving and
communications kills during an on-site interview

50. Start by asking LOTS of questions
(Your solution doesn’t really matter)
Have fun + be yourself!

51. Check out my Whiteboarding Workshop
with Seattle Women of Design + UX @ SVC!

52. Show up
Be your best self and show others why it’s
awesome to work with you

53. Come with questions
Power pose for confidence
Learn from mistakes

54. 🎉

55. on the job
UX of You:

56. Have a POV
Set yourself apart with a strong
point of view and bias for action
Your design process + reasoning
behind your choices set you apart

57. Everyone loves
someone who gets
stuff done

58. You must understand logistics of the problem
Your POV gives you ownership
Anyone can create pretty screens

59. demonstrates understanding
+
showcases empathy
+
proactive vs. reactive
+
gets stuff done
Your point of view

60. 🦄

61. Hone your presentation skills
Presenting the work is 80% of the gig

62. Zoom into areas for focus
Create a consistent slide style
Easy on transitions + animations

63. Drawing attention to
an element on a slide

65. Showing long
webpages

67. When in doubt, keep it simple

68. Connect with your counterparts
Design is a team sport, so support your
product team in any way that you can

69. Collaboration is at the heart of UX

70. Collaboration is at the heart of UX

71. Make time to make stuff
Carve our time for creativity + personal growth

72. Get creative juices flowing/unblock
Enjoy the process + explore new mediums
Just start!

73. 100 Day ProjectDaily UI

74. Drive effective meetings
Be mindful and respect others’ time with
crisp meetings that drive results

75. Everyone loves
someone who gets
stuff done

76. Take notes
Have a focused agenda
Follow up with action items

77. Stay organized
Build trust on the team with time, file and
personal organization

78. source

79. Commit to the end (and beyond)
Build trust on the team with time, file and
personal organization

80. Learn about the tech (and file bugs)
Don’t throw designs over the fence
Sets you up for healthy, long term relationship

81. throughout your career
UX of You:

82. Growth mindset
It’s ok to not know everything, and it
builds credibility and excitement to solve
big problems together

83. Vocalize what you don’t know/have yet to solve
Be open to failing (and stay humble)
Your curiosity + vulnerability builds trust

84. Map out your plan
Check in with yourself and your goals on a
regular basis to ensure your work, team,
company and project align to what you want

85. ❤️ 🌲 ⭐

86. Follow your gut
Taking a leap of faith is usually worth it

87. check out the podcast:

88. Cheryl Couris
@cherylcouris