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UX hiring process and interviews can be intimidating, especially if you are new to the field or have limited experience.
The interview process varies from company to company, but the aim is similar. Companies want to find out who you are, your decision process, and if you’re the right fit for the company.
In general, you’ll experience the following phases:
1. Application
Can you show evidence of your expertise and experience?
Hiring managers will filter the appropriate candidates based on experience and portfolio prowess. Once the company finds a match, they’ll set up a call with the candidates.
2. Phone screening
The main goal of this call is to understand if there is a basic match between you and the hiring company.
They’ll explain the position in more detail and ask about your current employment status, past experience, and what you, as the candidate, are currently looking for in the role.
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3. Portfolio presentation
Once you’ve passed the initial screening, the next step is a portfolio presentation, where you deep dive into some of your best case studies, which will be in a slide deck format.
When selecting your case studies to present, think about what skills are most relevant to the position based on your previous interview.
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4. Design Challenge
Design challenges are a way for the hiring company to understand if designers can work under pressure, get more insights into the designer’s process, and gain a more accurate sense of the designer’s skillsets.
5. Interviews
Ask yourself: Are your goals and value aligned with the company?
Ian Schoen (Senior Product Designer at SalesForce) made a list of crucial questions he was asked during his job search: 10 questions you’ll be asked in a UX interview.
6. Whiteboard challenge (optional)
A whiteboard challenge is where you are given a live design challenge to do with the interviewer(s).
You usually have 30 minutes to an hour to complete the challenge.
From an interviewer’s perspective, a whiteboard design challenge is not about how many new ideas you come up with or how beautiful your drawings are; it is about how you approach a problem and work with others as a designer.
7. App critique (optional)
Hiring managers will ask the interviewee (you) to analyze design choices, sharing your objective opinions, and provide constructive feedback about a given app.
8. Offer
There are two possible scenarios at this stage.
- They decide to hire you 🎉 If you haven’t spoken about compensation yet, this will be the salary negotiation phase. UX is a relatively new field, and salary conversations may lead many of us to accept salaries that do not reflect industry standards — and this is often the case for both junior and experienced UX designers. Learn how to negotiate your salary with this article and video.
- You’re not the right fit 🤗 Sometimes the company and the candidate (you) are just not the right fit for each other. And that’s ok. Don’t forget to ask for feedback and implement those improvements next time you interview. Practice, practice, practice, and move on!
Key takeaways
Getting a UX job is no walk in the park and being a part of the hiring process needs a lot of preparation. Whether you are an experienced designer or a fresh graduate. Take time, prepare notes, behave confidently, and perform excellently.
If you find yourself being rejected — this doesn’t mean that you aren’t a good designer. The right opportunity will come your way.
Good luck.
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