In this article, I share what I think is one of the best tips when it comes to design interviews.
As a junior UX designer, I’ve been asked a few times by my peers: what is the most essential UX interview tip I have?
Well, to this question I have a very simple answer,** just be honest**… well, this might sound like a no brainer, but it seems to me that not many junior designers know about it or want to apply it.
I had the chance to speak with a few designers and I discovered that some tend towards being a little bit insincere when going through interviews for design positions. It’s normal to be intimidated when going through an interview process and you might want to act as if you have more experience than you have to secure the job.
Well, I’m here to suggest that that’s not the right approach. I fact, recruiters know in advance that as a junior designer you won’t have many years worth of experience so instead of being insincere it’s better to show up with an open mindset and being honest.
A mindset of learning and improving is always welcomed and valued in today’s world. Simple answers like “I might not know X because I’ve haven’t had the chance to get at it but I can learn it as I’m an avid Lerner” go a long way with recruiters.
Put yourself on your recruiter’s shoes, would you rather employ someone “that answers to 90% of the requirements’’ but doesn’t show a growth mindset, or would you employ someone “that answers to 70% of the requirements’’ but shows it’s the thirst for learning and improving?
That’s not to say that you’ll show up with no qualifications at all. You still have to have a certain level of expertise. “Don’t be the guy with 30hrs of experience using Sketch and 1hr of prototyping experience calling himself a UX designer”.
Some skills can be rapidly learned with just a little bit of discipline and will so don’t be afraid to answer with a no if you haven’t had experience with certain techniques due to lack of opportunity of doing so, for example. It’s always easier to learn something new than being perceived as untrustworthy because you said you were qualified to do something but you finally weren’t.
keep in mind that being sincere is always the way… not just during job interviews but in life. Anytime you’re being insincere to achieve something, most probably, the lie will end catching you back and having the opposite effect you wanted it to have.
Anyway, I’ll stop with my “life lessons” and I’ll wish you a very successful interview.
Hopefully, this little advice does help you.
#design-interview #job-interview #system-design-interview #job-interview-tips #ux-interview
