Vol. 017 - I spent a year improving my portfolio and landed a $200k job.

Hi designers,

Welcome to Vol. 017 of the UX Jetpack Newsletter, where I share job searching tips weekly. This week we are talking about:

1. I spent a year improving my portfolio and landed a $200k job
2. This mindset helped me acing whiteboard challenges
3. How I expand my network to land the $200k job.
4. How to improve accessibility in your portfolio?

If you enjoy those tips, please consider sharing them with your friends. They can sign up at https://uxjetpack.com/newsletter

I spent a year improving my portfolio and landed a $200k job.

Here are my 6 tips for how to improve your portfolio.

1️⃣ Tailor your projects to your target audience: ↳ Showcasing relevant projects on your homepage. ↳ Adding tags or short descriptions to each project, making it easy to pick the ones they are interested in.

2️⃣ Providing context of your project: ↳ Hiring managers probably never heard of your project before, providing enough context so they can understand the problem you are solving and the reasoning behind design decisions.

3️⃣ Hiring managers are busy: ↳ They don’t have time to read through long paragraphs, so try to keep it concise, using icons, diagrams and bullet points. ↳ Prioritize what they care about the most: why you make certain design decisions and the impact they had.

4️⃣ Add an "About" or "Playground" page: ↳ This is an opportunity to showcase your personality. Share what you enjoy doing in your free time, highlight side projects you've worked on, or showcase UI explorations that weren't part of any project.

5️⃣ Meet the WCAG AA standard: ↳ Use color with enough contrast, less than 3 font variations, 18px for the body font, and The mindset keep the line width between 50-75 characters.

6️⃣ Put your email in a prominent location: ↳ Make it super easy for people to contact you. Also make sure people can copy your email address since not everyone is using the default mail app on their computer.

This mindset helped me acing whiteboard challenges

It's never easy to perform well for whiteboard challenges during interviews.

I was always nervous and forgot what to do, until...

I learned this approach that made everything easier.

The key is to have a conversation with the interviewer.

They don't expect you to come up with the best solution in a short time.

They will challenge your solution and see how you respond.

Leave your ego behind.

Don't defend your decision.

Tell them how you would incorporate their feedback in your design, and ask them what they would think if you changed your design based on their feedback.

They want to see if you are a designer who can take feedback and improve a design.

They want someone who can collaborate.

Not someone defensive.

How I expand my network to land the $200k job

I was desperately seeking a job at the start of the pandemic.

Hundreds of applications and no offers. It seemed as if no one wanted me.

Eventually, at the one-year mark, I landed a $130k job, nearly tripling my previous salary.

The pivotal factor, I believe, was meeting the right person at the right time.

I spent the entire year networking; it took a long time to figure out the best approach for me.

Initially, I joined online design communities because text-based conversation was much easier for me.

Slowly, I reached out to people I met in the communities for coffee chats.

As I became more comfortable talking, I began reaching out to more designers I wanted to speak to.

They were either on ADPList or worked for companies I wanted to work for.

Eventually, one of my ADPList mentors sent me a job listing.

I applied, underwent a few interview rounds, and completed a two-week trial period.

In three weeks, I received a $130k offer, which was raised to $200k a year later.

If you’re currently struggling to secure a job, persist and reach out to as many people as possible.

You will find the opportunity that’s right for you.

How to improve accessibility in your portfolio?

One of the things I've noticed missing in junior designers is their awareness of digital accessibility. It's clear that they lack a basic understanding of colour contrast.

If you want to learn more about digital accessibility, Ricky Onsman has created a comprehensive list for you to explore. Tons of experts to learn from in the accessibility world.

https://www.tpgi.com/digital-accessibility-blogs-and-newsletters/