<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve all heard the question \u2018what can you bring to the team\/business?\u2019, but in reality, it\u2019s much more nuanced than that. Hiring managers are looking for candidates who can not only bring their personal skills and ambitions to a company, but who plan on using their knowledge to help the organisation progress and succeed.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo sort out which type a candidate is, I try to focus on asking for examples of how they helped another person\u2019s career: Are they specific? Do they talk about helping people who could not directly positively impact their career? I ask about how they collaborate and see if they give any credit to other people on their team for a great contribution. People who give and match will help your team and company reach success – takers care about themselves and their own ambition; they can do a lot of damage if not carefully weeded out.\u201d\u2013 Charmaine Wyland \u2013 Head of User Experience and Design, Spotlight Sports Group<\/p>\n
\u201cMany designers (and researchers) don’t know the financial impact of their work -how much money their work has made, cost or saved the company – some don’t care. I look for someone who knows the potential business value of their decisions and contributions.\u201d \u2013 Charmaine Wyland<\/p>\n
From a senior or lead designer, hiring managers will likely expect in-depth understanding of how they can articulate their design thinking back to the overarching business strategy, so be prepared to discuss this.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoft skills are hugely important. How well can the candidate collaborate with others, and how well do they take on constructive feedback (and disregard when appropriate)? How confident are they in challenging ideas but not being disrespectful of anyone’s knowledge, expertise or role?\u201d \u2013 Milon Harman \u2013 Head of Product Design, TES<\/p>\n
This also ties in with being a good company fit. What values and culture can they bring to the organisation? Hiring managers will be keen on understanding where and how the candidate will fit in with the existing team and wider business.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs well as how well they can use a package and how good their design thinking skills are, I want to see how well the candidate can work within an agile environment. Do they follow processes, and if so, which ones? Additionally, how well can they use quantitative data to better interact with users?\u201d \u2013 Milon Harman<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonality, personal branding and organisation skills are all important things for a design professional\u2019s website \u2013 I expect it to be spell-checked, well-written, and to give credit where due, for example if they have collaborated with another designer. I don’t want to see a lazy copy and paste job \u2013 this has led me to instantly disregarding candidates in the past.\u201d \u2013 Milon Harman<\/p>\n
Hiring managers also want to see candidates with a genuine interest in their field. Start considering how you follow and engage with UI\/UX\/product trends.<\/p>\n
This goes much further than just finding out the general backstory. Make sure you\u2019re able to ask detailed questions about how this role is helping the business \u2013 what do they want this role to deliver, and how can your unique skills or experience help the business fulfil their objectives?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very easy to say, \u2018yes I can do this\u2019, but you need to bring a situation to the table that you can talk through in detail. Even if things didn\u2019t necessarily always go right and didn\u2019t play out in the perfect way, you learn so much from that that you can bring to interview.\u201d \u2013 Caitlin Rich \u2013 Principle Product Designer, Freetrade<\/p>\n
The most important factor in all this is that you want to be memorable. Discuss one of your portfolio pieces and recount the challenges and successes you had from the project \u2013 what did you learn from this particular assignment? The more detail you can provide, the better chance you have of standing out.<\/p>\n
Having trouble structuring your examples? Check out the STAR technique.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t undersell yourself! Even if the role description doesn\u2019t require you to have full-stack experience, it\u2019s worth mentioning this (or any other proficiencies you might have) as having cross-functional capability is infinitely more valuable to both the business and your career progression.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of seeing UX or UI as separate skill sets, I consider product design as a whole. This is especially important when you are scaling \u2013 you need someone who is a full-stack product designer who can also deliver with mastery of their visual craft. UI experience is preferable as it\u2019s monumental when starting out and harder to teach.\u201d \u2013 Steve Pearce \u2013 SVP Product Design, Checkout.com<\/p>\n
An interview is the perfect opportunity for both parties to learn a bit more about each other, but neither you nor the interviewer can read minds! Don\u2019t be afraid to ask if there\u2019s anything the company wants to see from you that you haven\u2019t discussed already.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn an interview where I think the applicant is promising and I want to progress further, I\u2019ll tell them straight away. In the same way, when they are a little under-qualified, I\u2019ll ask them if I\u2019ve made a fair judgement and give them a chance to respond or challenge me. Not only does this immediate feedback establish trust early in the process, it also allows the candidate a chance to provide further information which might change my opinion.\u201d \u2013 Steve Pearce<\/p>\n
\u200bThe answers to these questions will usually be provided by the hiring manager during the application process, but it\u2019s important to ensure you\u2019re fully aware of the ins and outs of your new role before you accept a potential offer.<\/p>\n
\u200bWe hope this article is helpful in your future job searches! Watch this space for a follow-up blog on the importance of having a design portfolio, and how you can optimise it.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, why not check out our current Digital, Product and Design vacancies?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Design roles are notoriously competitive, especially in an increasingly digital world. We spoke to a handful of experienced hiring managers and design professionals to hear what they look for in UX\/UI and researcher roles, and how you can stand out from the competition. 5 key things hiring managers look for in top design candidates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2270,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[656,681,829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-candidate","category-interviewing","category-resources"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n