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Are you waiting to get laid off?
Let’s just say the quiet part out loud: things aren’t fine.
Every time you open LinkedIn, it’s another round of layoffs.
Your friends are still unemployed 6 months later. Your coworkers are lowkey panic-applying to roles "just in case." Your manager has gone suspiciously quiet. Our economy is hanging on by a thread while world leaders continue to treat it like a piñata.
We're living in a time where you're expected to deliver more with less. To stay grateful for the job you have, even if you're overworked, underpaid, or one re-org away from a goodbye email.
Meanwhile, the people at the top are pulling levers like they’re trying to speedrun a global recession. Tech companies are laying off talented folks to "streamline ops." Startups are freezing hiring while VCs chase AI pipe dreams.
Inflation is brutal. Rent is offensive. Groceries are a scam. People become scammers.
You keep telling yourself you’ll get your portfolio together soon. You’ll reconnect with your network eventually. You’ll start looking once you "have more time."
But what if you don’t get more time? What if the time is right now?
Here’s how to get your job search in shape before you have to.
![Design Jobs Database [FREE]](https://www.notion.so/image/https:%2F%2Fpublic-files.gumroad.com%2Fgxx6wn4zfi18pac7rpi5ar5ngiwy?table=block&id=1fa2a971-edb7-80c5-bfe1-c4e4a6b58a9c&cache=v2)
![Design Jobs Database [FREE]](https://www.notion.so/image/https:%2F%2Fpublic-files.gumroad.com%2Fpv06myloetd30cmiu1bw7gfm6vu2?table=block&id=1fa2a971-edb7-80c5-bfe1-c4e4a6b58a9c&cache=v2)
Step 1: Face reality (then build a strategy)
Waiting to job hunt until after a layoff is like trying to pack your bags after the train has left the station.
Don’t do that to yourself.
If you're sensing instability—even if it's just a hunch, start preparing now. The UX market is still recovering, and while companies are hiring, they’re doing it slower, pickier, and with more constraints than ever before.
Your first step is to treat your job search like a product problem.
What’s the users need? (You, needing stability and income.)
What’s the constraint? (Time, emotional bandwidth, market saturation.)
What's the strategy?
You need a system. Not vibes.
Step 2: Redesign your portfolio to convert (not impress)
Stop obsessing over whether your homepage looks cool enough.
Hiring managers don't care about clever layouts or Dribbble aesthetics. They care about clarity.
- Can they understand what kind of designer you are in under 30 seconds?
- Can they see your thought process, not just your pretty UI?
- Can they quickly skim your case study and get the point?
Focus on signal over noise:
- Highlight the outcomes, not just your methods
- Write case studies that tell a clear, concise story
- Include context: What was the problem? What changed?
This isn’t art school. It’s survival.
Step 3: Get out of the ATS trap
If you’re only applying online, you’re already behind.
Recruiters get hundreds of applications per role. Even the best resume gets buried if it never gets seen.
Here’s how you cut through:
- Find the hiring manager on LinkedIn
- Send a thoughtful DM: something short, personal, and relevant
- Offer value: a question, a POV, something they actually want to reply to
You don’t need a massive network. You just need real conversations. Most people never even try.
Step 4: Practice like its the real thing
When was the last time you did a whiteboard challenge? Or explained your design decisions out loud? Or answered "Tell me about a time you failed" without rambling for 7 minutes?
Interviewing is a skill. You don’t magically get better by reading advice. You improve by practicing under pressure.
- Set up mock interviews.
- Run through design challenges with friends.
- Record yourself.
- Get uncomfortable.
The people who land jobs aren't always the "best." They're the ones who were prepared.
Step 5: Don’t do this alone
Job hunting is lonely. Especially when everyone around you is pretending everything's fine.
It’s demoralizing to get ghosted. It’s exhausting to stay motivated. And it’s way too easy to get lost in your head and start spiraling.
Find a group. A mentor. A coach. A community. People who can give you honest feedback, hype you up and keep you moving.
You don’t need to suffer through this in isolation.
If you’re ready to get serious...
I created Job Sprint for designers who are tired of guessing. Tired of Medium rabbit holes. Tired of overpriced bootcamps. Tired of outdated advice that doesn’t reflect how hiring actually works now.
Job Sprint gives you:
- A clear roadmap for your job search
- Portfolio and storytelling frameworks that convert
- Cold outreach templates that get replies
- Mock challenges and real feedback
- And a community of designers who are in it with you
And it works.
Just like Anny, who rebuilt her portfolio and landed a contract at StubHub.
Just like Veronica, who DM’d me: “Guess who just got another interview? 😟🙂😬”
Just like Nicholas, who called Job Sprint “a welcome refresh in a saturated market” and recommended it to the next generation of SCAD grads.
Just like Tareq, who went from UX Designer → Principal by sending a cold DM using the Job Sprint outreach template.
They didn’t wait until they were desperate.
They took action before it got worse.
If you’re still reading, you probably know it’s time.
You don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. But you do need a plan.
Don’t wait for the layoff.
Don’t wait until you’re too exhausted to be strategic.
Don’t wait for the market to magically get better.
It won’t.
Start now. Before you have to. Check out Job Sprint ⤵️
Whenever you're ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:
1. Junior Designer Bundle: Transition into UX and craft an unforgettable portfolio & get hired.
2. Senior Designer Bundle: Become a design leader with systems to build healthier, happier teams.
3. UX Portfolio Critique: In less than 48 hours, get your 30-minute personalised video of brutally honest feedback.
4. Job Sprint Course: Stand out in an unpredictable job market by building a memorable personal brand and a killer job search strategy.
