Table of Contents
- The truth about design hiring process
- How design hiring works behind closed doors
- The scoping problem
- Competencies are your real filter
- The truth of interview processes
- How competencies affect junior vs. senior hiring
- Junior roles: Craft is king
- Senior roles: Complexity and scale
- Competencies vs. Culture fit
- 5 job search mistakes that kill your chances
- Mistake #1: Unreadable job titles
- Mistake #2: Hidden or missing portfolios
- Mistake #3: The "coming soon" portfolio
- Mistake #4: Spray-and-pray applications
- Mistake #5: The "Open to work" confusion
- What to do when you’re burned out in job searching
- Reframe the struggle
- Hiring is a business negotiation
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The truth about design hiring process
Design hiring isn't about being the best designer. It's about understanding that hiring is a completely different skill set than designing.
As Lena Kul, founder of a design recruitment firm and former lead recruiter at Mural, puts it:
“Design hiring is not design. Hiring an application is a different skill set and even if you're a good designer doesn't mean that you're very good at hiring or being hired.”
After spending seven years in design recruitment, and now running her own firm, Lena has seen thousands of portfolios. She knows exactly why yours gets ignored.
‼ Spoiler: It's probably not your design skills.
Let's rip off the band-aid and talk about how design recruitment works, the mistakes killing your job search, so you can do differently in 2026.
👉 The insight in this blog traces back to a thoughtful conversation with Lena — here’s the full discussion:
How design hiring works behind closed doors
The scoping problem
The dirty secret: most companies have no idea what they're looking for. Lena explains:
“You try to scope the role. So you try to make something out of nothing where you have to put an actual human and predict how they're going to be performing.”
The best recruiters help hiring managers ask the right questions:
- What are the top three competencies?
- What are nice-to-haves versus must-haves?
- What does success look like for this candidate?
This is why job descriptions feel vague and contradictory, because companies are figuring it out as they go.
Competencies are your real filter
Once a role is scoped, competencies become the baseline for everything:
- The outreach you receive
- The questions recruiters ask
- The job description you read
- The criteria for moving forward
Example: If a company needs a “zero-to-one designer with strong visual skills,” you won't move forward without that experience. Period.
Lena is blunt about this:
“I don't have to get to know you because I know that you don't have my primary experience that I have identified for myself as the top experience that I want to see for my candidates.”
This isn't personal. It's matching.
The recruiter's job is to match what's described in the role to what's on the market. If you don't fit the competencies, you're filtered out, no matter how “passionate” or “creative” you claim to be.
The truth of interview processes
Lena breaks it down:
“In the best perfect world for each competency you would have a bank of questions... In the real world, it doesn't work this way.”
What actually happens:
- Each interviewer has their own agenda
- Politics play a role (yes, even in hiring)
- Different interviewers assess different things
- The process feels inconsistent because companies are inconsistent
One candidate might breeze through while another gets grilled on random topics. That's not a bug, it's a feature of working with humans.
👉 5 tips for nail your UX interview
How competencies affect junior vs. senior hiring
Junior roles: Craft is king
For junior designers, competencies are straightforward but non-negotiable:
- Strong visual design skills
- Knowledge of frameworks
- Understanding of design principles
Be prepared for this:
“If you cannot meet those competences on the junior level, someone else will because the competition on the junior levels is very very high.” — Lena warns.
You don't need a full-time job to build that experience. Create pet projects. Find gaps in existing products. Test your designs with five friends. That's research. That's a real project. That's what recruiters want to see.
Senior roles: Complexity and scale
Senior+ roles shift focus to:
- Product thinking
- Strategic initiatives
- Zero-to-one experience
- Long-term product vision
- Working across cross-functional teams
For staff roles, Lena explains the difference clearly:
“Senior designer is working within their cross functional team. Staff is working within the squad of cross functional teams, so you're managing a high level of complexity.”
You don't level up by claiming you “can do it.” You level up by proving you've already done it.
Land your next role with Job Sprint —165+ micro-video lessons directly from years of experience hiring UX designers as UX Managers.
Competencies vs. Culture fit
Here's a question that comes up constantly: Does culture fit override competencies?
Short answer: both matter, but in different ways.
Lena's take:
“I have not seen a company hire a designer who has excellent skills and we've all seen those people, right? But bringing the wrong person on the team regardless of how big or small team is is extremely dangerous.”
Companies are risk-averse right now. They'd rather miss hiring you than hire you and realize you're wrong for the team.
What they're looking for:
- Excellent craft (visual skills + problem-solving)
- Strong team player who can collaborate cross-functionally
- Hit the ground running immediately (especially for senior roles)
Culture fit is about minimizing risk. Can this person work well with the existing team? Will they contribute positively or create friction?
5 job search mistakes that kill your chances
Mistake #1: Unreadable job titles
Stop trying to be creative with your job title. Seriously.
If you're a product designer, call yourself a Product Designer. Not “UX/UI Ninja” or “Digital Experience Architect” or “User-Centric Problem Solver.”
Lena is direct:
“I don't care what titles you're using because I know design. But you can be dealing with a recruiter who's dealing with the design role for the very first time in their life.”
Recruiters are matching keywords. If the job says “Product Designer” and your title says “Creative Visionary,” you get filtered out. Even if you're perfect for the role.
Industry standard titles:
- UX Researcher
- Staff/Senior/Lead Product Designer
- Product Designer (replaces “UX Designer” in most companies)
Use these. Save the creativity for your work.
Mistake #2: Hidden or missing portfolios
Make your portfolio publicly accessible. Link it on LinkedIn. Make it easy to find.
Better yet: contribute to the open portfolio movement. Share your work. Make it visible.
And if you're one of those designers saying “I don't have a portfolio,” Lena doesn't mince words:
“You haven't done anything to get a job. Without a portfolio, you cannot get a job.”
Mistake #3: The "coming soon" portfolio
You know what's worse than no portfolio? A landing page that says “Case studies coming soon.”
Recruiters don't have time to wait. They're moving to the next candidate who actually has work to show.
“What am I supposed to do with that? I need to see those things” — said Lena
Mistake #4: Spray-and-pray applications
This is the biggest killer: applying to every design job you see.
B2B designer applying to B2C roles? Rejected.
Startup designer applying to enterprise roles? Rejected.
Mid-level designer, marking yourself open to “Director” roles? Rejected (and confused).
Lena explains the problem:
“No one understands that you cannot be a fit for every role… People don't understand that instead of going and easy applying for all the roles, they should understand what they fit for.”
Specialization exists in design. You can't be everything to everyone.
Mistake #5: The "Open to work" confusion
Someone on LinkedIn marks themselves open to work for: Product Designer, Senior Product Designer, Staff Product Designer, Product Design Manager, Director of Product Design.
Lena's reaction:
“So who are you? Is it logical to everyone that you can be a mid-level designer and a director of product design?”
You're sending mixed signals. Are you overqualified or underqualified? Recruiters don't want to figure it out, they're moving on.
👉 A practical breakdown of the UX hiring process, with insider tips on standing out and making a lasting impression.
What to do when you’re burned out in job searching
If you've been job searching for 3-6 months with no callbacks, you're probably burnt out.
Lena's advice: Disconnect for a week.
“Humans are not created for being continuously stressed, continuously thinking about the same thing.” — she notes.
When you're bored, truly bored, not doom-scrolling, you'll get clarity. Creative ideas emerge. You'll understand what you actually want.
Reframe the struggle
Think bigger picture. Yes, bills need to be paid. But chronic job search burnout is a signal that something needs to change.
“Maybe sometimes people don't get roles because it's a preventive mechanism. Maybe those are not the roles that you want.” — Lena suggests.
She's seen designers use unemployment to:
- Transition into entrepreneurship
- Completely redesign their careers
- Land even better roles after taking time to strategize
“There is things for you and just take care of yourself because if you can think clearly, everything is possible.” — Lena reassures.
👉 How to Avoid Burnout During Job Search:
Hiring is a business negotiation
The mindset shift you need to embrace:
“When you're in the recruitment process, it's a business negotiation. You sell yourself because you will get money afterwards as a salary.”
It's not about being liked. It's about demonstrating you're the right product for their needs.
Companies read reviews (reference checks). They test drive (take-home exercises). They assess value (your portfolio and experience).
“When you start treating recruitment process as if it's like a friends talk and not business negotiation, that's where it gets slippery.” — Lena warns.
Be professional. Be strategic. Be clear about what you bring.
I wish you all the best 🍀
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