Improve your chances of a job in UX

thomasdavies: @Foolproof_UX What do you suggest students do to improve their chances at getting UX jobs?!

This question was posed to us on Twitter by Thomas Davies and we thought it was worthy of a longer reply. These are our top tips for improving your chances of getting a UX job.

- A formal education will only get you so far. Make sure you keep a portfolio of work you have carried out, in addition to work from your chosen course. It could be worth your while running a project for free, perhaps for a not-for-profit organisation, or freelancing. Several members of our team ran their own sites or online businesses before joining us. Nick

- It may sound obvious but your C.V. needs to be good enough to stand out from the crowd. And one of our pet hates is when they haven’t been checked carefully enough and are riddled with errors. When we’re looking to recruit new consultants we look for proof of insightful analytical skills, creative methodologies, and appropriate implementation.  Lucy

- Use social networking and blogging to gain greater exposure. Do a bit of research to find companies you are interested in working for and if they’re on Twitter follow them, maybe they’ll follow you back. You will also need to demonstrate to potential employers that you are passionate about UX and what better way of gathering that evidence than by starting a blog. Rachel

- Have an obsessive interest in people and technology and making them work effectively together. You have to understand both sides of the equation. Getting your hands dirty in interface design and then exposing them to Joe Public is a good way to learn and makes for an attractive recruit. If you want to get to talk to us and get to know us better I’m speaking at the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors student conference later in the year. Roger

- I would definitely recommend the Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction from University College London. I did this course, it’s a wonderful experience and a great way to learn and practice user-centred design. Also, participate in UPA events and the career events they run each year. Mara

- Try and organise a week of work experience – offer yourself for free. That way you get to check out the company (far better than just a 1 hour interview),  the company has nothing to lose (it won’t cost them anything) so are more likely to take you on. Rhodri

- Demonstrate knowledge. There’s a host of really good bloggers out there writing about the ins and outs of UX. Sign up to some blogs and get reading. Here’s a reading list to get you started (uxbooth.com, whitneyhess.com/blog, johnnyholland.org)  If you do get an interview make sure you’ve researched the company you are applying to. Visit their website, find out about what they do, what they have done and, if they have a careers section, what they expect from applicants. Pete

- Think about things from a business point of view. Why do companies invest time and energy in user experience? How does it make them more profitable and famous? It’s always good to have some examples of companies who are using user experience as a way of getting competitive advantage and standing out in their marketplace. Tom

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09/06/10 Thomas Davies said:

Thank you very much! This post is very insightful and I will be checking out all the links today. It was very kind of your team to provide suggestions and I really appreciate it. Thank you!

09/06/10 Rachel Buck said:

You’re welcome. If anyone else has any questions for the team drop us a line and we’ll try and answer them for you.

21/06/12 Nick from NZ said:

Hi to the Foolproofers... I've written a post recently about a career change into UX, and yes, Both Flow and Foolproof get a mention... http://www.userexperience.co.nz/2012/04/advice-for-a-career-change-into-ux/