The presentation done at the SoCal UX Camp giving designers career advice about their resume, portfolio, and other tips for personal networking.

1. From application
to interview
How to get a
great UX job{
Patrick Neeman
Director of Product Design, nPario
@usabilitycounts
http://www.usabilitycounts.com
Sunday, June 2, 13

2. @usabilitycounts
User Research - 100 Recruiters
The typical interview process
The Offer
}3 to 5
On Site
Interviews
}
Hiring
Manager
Phone
Screen
7-10
people
}Recruiter
Phone
Screen
10-15 people}Research
20-100
people
Sunday, June 2, 13

3. Getting a great job is a lot like dating...
...you have to kiss a lot of frogs
before your find your prince
Sunday, June 2, 13

4. @usabilitycounts
Getting all dolled up
for the big dance
Sunday, June 2, 13

5. @usabilitycounts
Show them
your money,
baby!
• LinkedIn profile
• Resume
• Portfolio
• Side projects
Sunday, June 2, 13

6. @usabilitycounts
{ Your LinkedIn profile }
• Have a great summary
• Include your skills and specialities
• List the results of your work
• Let brands speak for themselves
Sunday, June 2, 13

7. @usabilitycounts
{ A great LinkedIn profile }
Sunday, June 2, 13

8. @usabilitycounts
{ A great LinkedIn profile }
Great Title
Sunday, June 2, 13

9. @usabilitycounts
{ A great LinkedIn profile }
Great Title
Solid Summary
Sunday, June 2, 13

10. @usabilitycounts
{ A great LinkedIn profile }
Great Title
Solid Summary
Accurate Job Descriptions
Sunday, June 2, 13

11. @usabilitycounts
{ Your résume }
• Format that can be parsed (Word or PDF)
• Career progression that tells a story
• Skills in keyword form listed for recruiters
• Don’t over design
Sunday, June 2, 13

12. @usabilitycounts
{ A great resume }
Sunday, June 2, 13

13. @usabilitycounts
{ A great resume }
Sunday, June 2, 13

14. @usabilitycounts
{ A great resume }
Solid Opening
Summary
Sunday, June 2, 13

15. @usabilitycounts
{ A great resume }
Solid Opening
Summary
Clear and Concise
Job Descriptions
Sunday, June 2, 13

16. @usabilitycounts
{ A great resume }
Solid Opening
Summary
Clear and Concise
Job Descriptions
Skills and
Brands Listed
Sunday, June 2, 13

17. @usabilitycounts
Why should my résume be in Word?
• It’s a standard format — everyone can open it
• Recruiters edit résumes to put their letterhead
• Concentrate on content
• Creates constraints — that’s not a bad thing
Sunday, June 2, 13

18. @usabilitycounts
Résume tips
Too many positions Combine all into one position, and list each as a client
Too few positions List projects under a position
Unrelated positions Don’t list them at all, no one cares
Sunday, June 2, 13

19. @usabilitycounts
{ Your resume }
• An easy to read, parsable format (Word or PDF)
• A clear career progression that tells a story
• Skills and research methods listed for recruiters
• Don’t over design
Sunday, June 2, 13

20. @usabilitycounts
{ Your portfolio }
• Tell a big story
• Tell a lot of small stories
• Challenge, process, solution, results
Sunday, June 2, 13

21. @usabilitycounts
{ A great portfolio }
Show More Than Wireframes
Sunday, June 2, 13

22. @usabilitycounts
{ A great portfolio }
Tell A Great Story, No Matter How Big
Sunday, June 2, 13

23. @usabilitycounts
{ A great portfolio }
Show Process and Thinking
http://www.behance.net/laiyeelori
Sunday, June 2, 13

24. @usabilitycounts
{ Your portfolio }
• A clean and professional feel
• A solid illustration of your process
• Show clear thinking
• Don’t over design
Sunday, June 2, 13

25. @usabilitycounts
{ Other skills }
• Writing
• Visual design
• Prototyping + HTML
Sunday, June 2, 13

26. @usabilitycounts
{ Extra credit }
Have a
passion
project
Sunday, June 2, 13

27. @usabilitycounts
Networking
{ Why do I want to become a personal
referral? }
Sunday, June 2, 13

28. @usabilitycounts
45%of all hires
{ Agency + personal referrals }
9%of all job
applications
Sunday, June 2, 13

29. @usabilitycounts
The lowest conversion rate for an application?
A job board
0.41% percent of applications from job boards become hires.
11 percent of applications from referrals become hires.
Sunday, June 2, 13

30. @usabilitycounts
Who do
you know
at Google?
Sunday, June 2, 13

31. @usabilitycounts
Applying online is a losing bet
• No ATS (Spreadsheet)
• Small to Mid Level ATS (Jobscore, Zip Recruiter)
• Enterprise ATS (Kenexa, Saba, Taleo)
Sunday, June 2, 13

32. @usabilitycounts
{ Networking }
• Twitter, the new professional branding network
• National conferences for dream jobs
• Local meetups and hack nights for local networking
• Find super connectors
Sunday, June 2, 13

33. @usabilitycounts
Personal networking
is the new
job board
Why?
Sunday, June 2, 13

34. @usabilitycounts
56% percent of
people who got a
job got it through
someone they
knew casually.
Mark Granovetter
Sociologist, 1973
Sunday, June 2, 13

35. And remember...
...there’s plenty of fish in the sea
Sunday, June 2, 13

36. Thank you!
Patrick Neeman
Director of Product Design, nPario
@usabilitycounts
http://www.usabilitycounts.com
Sunday, June 2, 13