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UX Job Interview Helpers

With talking points for UX job interviews, questions to ask and a comelling story to tell. No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

When talking about job interviews for a UX position, we often discuss how to leave an incredible impression and how to negotiate the right salary. But it’s only one part of the story. The other part is to be prepared, to ask questions and to listen carefully.

Below, I’ve put together a few useful resources on UX job interviews — from job boards to Notion templates and practical guides. I hope you or your colleagues will find it helpful.

The Design Interview Kit #

As you are preparing for that interview, get ready with the Design Interview Kit (Figma), a helpful practical guide that covers how to craft case studies, solve design challenges, write cover letters, present your portfolio and negotiate your offer. Kindly shared by Oliver Engel.

An illustration

The Product Designer’s (Job) Interview Playbook (PDF) #

The Product Designer’s (Job) Interview Playbook (PDF) is a practical little guide for designers through each interview phase, with helpful tips and strategies on things to keep in mind, talking points, questions to ask, red flags to watch out for and how to tell a compelling story about yourself and your work. Kindly put together by Meghan Logan.

UX candidates

The Product Designer’s Interview Handbook, by Meghan Logan.

From my side, I can only wholeheartedly recommend to not only speak about your design process. Tell stories about the impact that your design work has produced. Frame your design work as enabler of business goals and user needs. And include insights about the impact you’ve produced — on business goals, processes, team culture, planning, estimates, testing.

Also, be very clear about the position that you are applying for. In many companies, titles do matter. There are vast differences in responsibilities and salaries between various levels for designers, so if you see yourself as a senior, review if it actually reflects itself in the position.

A Guide To Successful UX Job Interviews (+ Notion template) #

Catt Small’s Guide To Successful UX Job Interviews, a wonderful practical series on how to build a referral pipeline, apply for an opening, screening, prepare for the interview, present your work and manage salary expectations. You can also download a Notion template.

UX candidates

A Guide to Design Interview Journey, by (wonderful!) Catt Small.

30 Useful Questions To Ask In UX Job Interviews #

In her wonderful article, Nati Asher has suggested many useful questions to ask in a job interview when you are applying as a UX candidate. I’ve taken the liberty to revise some of them, and added a few more questions that might be worth considering for your next job interview.

UX candidates

Best interviews include questions from both sides. A wonderful illustration by José Torre.

  1. What are the biggest challenges the team faces at the moment?
  2. What are the team’s main strengths and weaknesses?
  3. What are the traits and skills that will make me successful in this position?
  4. Where is the company going in the next 5 years?
  5. What are the achievements I should aim for over the first 90 days?
  6. What would make you think “I’m so happy we hired X!”?
  7. Do you have any doubts or concerns regarding my fit to this position?
  8. Does the team have any budget for education, research etc.?
  9. What is the process of onboarding in the team?
  10. Who is in the team and how long are they in that team?
  11. Who are the main stakeholders I will work with on a day-to-day basis?
  12. Which options do you have for user research and accessing users or data?
  13. Are there analytics, recordings or other data sources to review?
  14. How do you measure the impact of design work in your company?
  15. To what extent does management understand the ROI of good UX?
  16. How does UX contribute strategically to the company’s success?
  17. Who has the final say on design, and who decides what gets shipped?
  18. What part of the design process does the team spend most time on?
  19. How many projects do designers work on simultaneously?
  20. How has the organization overcome challenges with remote work?
  21. Do we have a design system, and in what state is it currently?
  22. Why does a company want to hire a UX designer?
  23. How would you describe the ideal candidate for this position?
  24. What does a career path look like for this role?
  25. How will my performance be evaluated in this role?
  26. How long do projects take to launch? Can you give me some examples?
  27. What are the most immediate projects that need to be addressed?
  28. How do you see the design team growing in the future?
  29. What traits makes someone successful in this team?
  30. What’s the most challenging part of leading the design team?
  31. How does the company ensure it’s upholding its values?

Before a job interview, have your questions ready. Not only will they convey a message that you care about the process and the culture, but also that you understand what is required to be successful. And this fine detail might go a long way.

Don’t Forget About The STAR Method #

Interviewers closer to business will expect you to present examples of your work using the STAR method (Situation – Task – Action – Result), and might be utterly confused if you delve into all the fine details of your ideation process or the choice of UX methods you’ve used.

🗂️ Situation: Set the scene and give necessary details.
🦸‍♀️ Task: Explain your responsibilities in that situation.
🪜 Action: Explain what steps you took to address it.
🎯 Result: Share the outcomes your actions achieved.

As Meghan suggests, the interview is all about how your skills add value to the problem the company is currently solving. So ask about the current problems and tasks. Interview the person who interviews you, too — but also explain who you are, your focus areas, your passion points and how you and your expertise would fit in a product and in the organization.

Wrapping Up #

A final note on my end: never take a rejection personally. Very often the reasons you are given for rejection are only a small part of a much larger picture — and have almost nothing to do with you. It might be that a job description wasn’t quite accurate, or company is undergoing restructuring, or the finances are too tight after all.

Don’t despair and keep going. Write down your expectations. Job titles matter: be deliberate about them and your level of seniority. Prepare good references. Have your questions ready for that job interview. As Catt Small says, “once you have a foot in the door, you’ve got to kick it wide open”.

You are a bright shining star 🌟 — don’t you ever forget that. 🤞🏼🤞🏾

💠 Job Boards #

Useful Resources #

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