{"id":5748,"date":"2020-10-01T12:08:11","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T12:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/?p=5748"},"modified":"2023-06-14T11:33:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T11:33:40","slug":"5-tips-for-starting-your-career-in-ux-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/5-tips-for-starting-your-career-in-ux-design\/","title":{"rendered":"5 tips for starting your career in UX design"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You don&#8217;t have to start your career from scratch to break into UX design.<\/p>\n<p>UX is a great conversion career because it welcomes skills from different disciplines and backgrounds. Whether you&#8217;ve worked in marketing, graphic design or hospitality there will be transferable skills you can bring to the table.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five tips to help switch your career to UX design.<\/p>\n<section id=\"promotion\" class=\"promotion-content-raw inlinepromo inlinepromo_free-course-introduction-to-ux-designp-1 my-4\" style=\"\">\n\t<div class=\"w-container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col-md-12 promotion-info\">\n                <a class=\"link-content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/courses\/free-ux-design-course\/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=blog_panel_text&utm_campaign=blog_promo\" style=\"\">\n                    <p>[FREE UX DESIGN COURSE]<\/p>\n                    <span>Click Here to Dive into the World of UX<\/span>\n                <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<h2>1. Network with the UX community<\/h2>\n<p>Firstly, don&#8217;t undervalue the importance of networking. Networking can open up many doors when you\u2019re trying to break into UX, but the idea of networking is intimidating for many people.<\/p>\n<p>Jade Grainger (Career Services Advisor, UX Design Institute) highly recommends LinkedIn for those who are new to UX.<\/p>\n<p>She says that \u201cLinkedIn is incredibly important and it\u2019s something that a lot of people miss. Own your network. Aim to have a large network of meaningful connections.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She advises connecting with UX managers, UX recruiters, UX leads, design managers and UX architects in industries you want to work in. Try to include a short note about why you\u2019d like to connect with them.<\/p>\n<h3>Here\u2019s what you can say:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Hi! I\u2019m looking to connect with you as we&#8217;re both within the design space. I&#8217;d love to have a specialist like you in my network. Let&#8217;s connect!<\/li>\n<li>Hi [name]! I hope you&#8217;re well. I\u2019ve noticed you&#8217;re a leader within the design space and I\u2019d love to have you as one of my connections as I grow in this field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve added these meaningful connections, your feed will be filled with relevant UX content.\u00a0You never know, you could even be connecting with someone who could influence your job application one day.<\/p>\n<p>Take a look at local and online UX events too on websites like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meetup.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Meetup<\/a>. These are a great opportunity to learn from industry experts and meet like-minded professionals.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Build a UX portfolio<\/h2>\n<p>Having a portfolio is essential if you want to break into UX design. It shows that you understand the UX design process and can solve user problems with the relevant tools and techniques.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/student-success-stories-operations-manager-to-ux-designer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cassandra<\/a> (UX designer, Pomegranate) moved to UX from a non-design background. When she was thinking about changing her career, she asked some UX professionals for their advice.<\/p>\n<p>She found that: &#8220;A lot of them told me that you didn\u2019t need a degree but you absolutely need a portfolio. I tried doing YouTube videos and learning the process myself but I got nowhere. The UX Design Institute gave me the support and portfolio I needed to move into UX, at the best price point.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While a university degree isn\u2019t required, UX training can put you on the right path professionally.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Get a credit-rated UX qualification<\/h2>\n<p>Undertaking a credit-rated UX course can show employers that you\u2019re serious about a career in UX design. Our Professional Diploma in UX Design can teach you the full UX design process at your own pace.<\/p>\n<p>UX hiring manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-hiring-managers-look-for-in-ux-designer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James O\u2019Brien<\/a> said that \u201cIt\u2019s hard to hire by qualification in UX because there are so few accredited courses out there. So when I do see a qualification on your CV or LinkedIn, it immediately grabs my attention. It tells me you\u2019ve invested in this as a career, and you\u2019re genuinely interested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/student-success-story-graphic-design-to-ux\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stephanie<\/a> (UX designer, The Hut Group) has seen this return on investment, saying \u201cthe university credit rating was really important. When I was applying for UX jobs it showed employers that I had a distinguished, reputable and legitimate qualification. I hadn\u2019t just done some random UX course online.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-yt ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"From Web Designer to UX Designer | Student Success Stories | UX Design Institute\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W8_JENT9muM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>4. Show employers that you\u2019re a lifelong learner<\/h2>\n<p>Many employers want to see candidates who are lifelong learners &#8211; professionals who are always looking for opportunities to grow.<\/p>\n<p>UX Design Institute graduate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/student-success-stories-carpenter-to-ux-designer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jonny<\/a> noticed this too. When he was trying to break into UX, he worked hard on his portfolio.\u00a0As well as including his UX Design Institute project work, he highlighted his other skills to help his application stand out.<\/p>\n<p>He said that, \u201cemployers knew I had limited UX experience but they liked the fact that I was passionate about learning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s likely that many UX job descriptions will list tools that you\u2019re unfamiliar with. This shouldn\u2019t put you off applying. If you can confidently use Sketch, it\u2019s likely that you can use Adobe XD and Figma too.<\/p>\n<p>Jade recommends applying anyway and learning how to use the tool in the meantime. Many of these popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/ux-tools-students\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UX tools<\/a> have free online resources.<\/p>\n<p>She recommends: \u201cIf there\u2019s a video or course on the tech, watch it, even if you\u2019re not going to watch all of it, play it in the background like a podcast. It\u2019s amazing what you pick up just listening to things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Many candidates don\u2019t apply for jobs if they don\u2019t perfectly match the job description. In reality, job postings are ideal checklists for recruiters. A strong job application can go a long way even if it doesn\u2019t meet the full criteria.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Treat the application like a UX project<\/h2>\n<p>Our final tip to help you to break into UX is to send applications that are relevant to the company. Applications that show that they understand the employer&#8217;s needs (like understanding the user in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/what-does-a-ux-designer-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UX process<\/a>) have greater chances of success.<\/p>\n<p>Many people make the mistake of sending many generic applications to companies in different industries.<\/p>\n<p>You can create more powerful applications by examining your career goals.<\/p>\n<h3>Ask yourself these questions:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What industry do I want to work in?<\/li>\n<li>What kind of company can I see myself working for?<\/li>\n<li>Do I want to be a contractor or permanent member of the team?<\/li>\n<li>Do I understand what this industry\u2019s problems are? How can I solve them?<\/li>\n<li>Does my portfolio suit this role and this industry?<\/li>\n<li>Am I interested in this role?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Answering these questions can give your career direction and improve the quality of your applications.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to tailor your portfolio to the industry you want to work in. If it&#8217;s your goal to do UX design for a health and wellness app, make sure your portfolio is relevant to this industry.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>UX designers need to treat their job applications like a UX project. You need to show employers that you understand <b>who<\/b> their market is, <b>what<\/b> their problems are and <b>how<\/b> you\u2019re prepared to solve them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Learn more about breaking into UX <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/category\/breaking-into-ux\/\">here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You don&#8217;t have to start your career from scratch to break into UX design. UX is a great conversion career because it welcomes skills from different disciplines and backgrounds. Whether you&#8217;ve worked in marketing, graphic design or hospitality there will be transferable skills you can bring to the table. Here are five tips to help [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":8547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[267,266],"tags":[293,287,299,298],"class_list":["post-5748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ux-career-advice","category-breaking-into-ux","tag-community-advice","tag-new-to-ux","tag-ux-interviews","tag-ux-portfolios"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5748"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8159,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5748\/revisions\/8159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}