What’s Next?

It is now estimated that between last year and just the first two months of this year alone, somewhere around 250,000 tech employees have been laid off. A quarter of a million people.. If you haven’t been laid off, chances are you know someone who has. It’s affected all of us.

For those of us in the UX research space, it feels especially frustrating being forcefully thrown into the job market. A lot of us already had the struggle of championing the value of UX research within our own companies. Now it feels daunting in a job market during an economic downturn.

If you’re struggling with this right now, remember that your work has real value. You have real value. It can be difficult to not feel a little desperate as you hunt for your next position or even experience a bit of “imposter syndrome.” Getting laid off can really affect your confidence.

Here are some things that I have learned through the job hunting process that I want to share with my fellow UXers — whether you’ve just been laid off or you’re new to the industry and wondering what to expect. Go into this process understanding that you are interviewing companies just as much as they are interviewing you. This is a two-way street and luckily, we as UX researchers are already professionals at interviewing. Play those strengths to your advantage.

Your Approach

Chances are, this will become a topic of conversation during your interviews. Have an idea of what you would tell an interviewer about yourself and your methods at work.

• Have specific project examples from previous employment, including non-UX roles if applicable.
• How do you interact with your team members? Stakeholders? Users?
• What is your communication style? Do you like to keep it brief and concise? Do you prefer lots of communication?
• How would you describe your place in a team? What do you bring to the table?
• What are you passionate about? Don’t just say UX. Do you like to get involved in diversity & inclusion groups? Are you focusing on a specific aspect like accessibility? What gets you up in the morning?
• What methods of research do you specialize in? What are your strengths? Where do you want to improve?
• What are some of your favorite tools? Dovetail? Indeemo? Miro? Figma?
• What challenges have you faced? How did you create workarounds to help yourself and/or your team?

Questions for Interviewer

You know what to do better than most candidates. Hiring managers ask if you have any questions for them, typically towards the end of an interview. This is your opportunity to show off your own interviewing skills!

Work Culture

• If you could describe working at ____ in a few brief words, what would they be?
• Tell me more about ____’s work culture.
• How does ____ contribute to furthering their employees’ learning journey?
• How does ____ ensure the emotional safety of its employees?
• What kinds of mental health benefits does ____ offer?
• We’re in the age of quiet quitting and massive layoffs. How does ____ work towards employee retention?

Expectations

• Tell me more about the team structure and approach to UX research. I’ve worked in companies that ____. How would this compare to ____?
• How does ____ communicate expectation management to its researchers?
• Tell me about a time where you felt that ____ was an especially great place to work. Tell me about a time that made you question your place at ____. How did you resolve it?

Things to Remember

You are interviewing companies just as much as they are interviewing you.

Take time to focus on your mental health. Job hunting is stressful, so it’s imperative that you make time to give yourself a little break every now and then. Think about things that you can do to take care of yourself. Here are just a few ideas!

• Drink more water. I know it sounds silly, but hydration helps!
• Take a walk. Stay physically active to help with your anxiety.
• Cuddle with a pet. This increases serotonin levels. Don’t have a pet? Borrow one.
• Talk to friends and family. Reach out to your support network, both personal and professional. You do not have to be alone during this process.
• Attend professional workshops. Networking is often the best way to find your next job.
• Read a book for fun. Choose something “frivolous” to do that helps you unwind.
• Learn something new. This should always be a priority, employed or not. Learning new things keeps your mind active and open to new ideas.
• Pick a skill to sharpen. Is there a particular research method you feel could be improved? Now is the time to work on it! If you have the ability to receive constructive feedback from former co-workers or managers, do so. You may find some blind spots that you need to focus on.

Now I want you to pause and take a deep breath with me. Inhale. Exhale. You’ve got this.