Well, folks, I’m back on the UX Design Job Market! It’s been a year working on some incredible contracts and iterating on my job search techniques- Here’s what I learned the hard way so you don’t have to!

The TL:DR

GOOD GRAVY, FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT!! (If that’s in your area!)
Notify your Network
Update your Candidate Package
Create One Source of Truth
WORK SMART — find an application system that works for you

1. UNEMPLOYMENT

Apply for unemployment support ASAP if that’s available to you, they can and likely will take a LONG time to process your claim. The last thing you need is to worry about your bills and your dependents or be pressured into a non-industry-specific job before you’re ready.

The author applying for support at a ferocious speed (Turns out it still wasn’t soon enough)

If the contract you’re working on has a known end date, or if you’ve been alerted of your layoff in advance, it may be time to start the application process.

If you don’t know where to start, google unemployment for your state or region, or ask your HR team if you’re at the tail end of your job — they might have industry or company-specific resources that could ease your transition.

2. NOTIFY YOUR NETWORK

Tell EVERYONE you’re looking for work.

Personally, I struggle to ask for help or recommendations. What keeps me moving is, I think of the times I’ve been asked for similar help— It’s really no trouble and I enjoy hyping up someone I believe in.

Keeping this in mind helps me to continue to ask for help when I’m feeling shy or like I’m asking too much.

Caveat 1: Of course, if Shady Rachel is known for not-so-constructive criticism aka just sassin’ you to no end, uh. That’s not the connection to call on in this instance. Don’t ask her.

Caveat 2: If Papa Smurf isn’t familiar with your industry, he may recommend you to Mushroom Hunting when you’re fully an Accountant. In this case, gratefully thank him for the intro and graciously ask if the shroom hunters can refer you to someone in their Accounting Department. After salvaging this referral, make sure to thank Papa Smurf then provide him with the job title/keywords you’re actually looking for in case he comes across future opportunities.

3. UPDATE YOUR CANDIDACY PACKAGE

Take some time to update your online presence, resume, and other industry-specific candidate documents. In product design, we maintain a full online portfolio and a portfolio presentation deck. These can take a long time to update, so for your first iteration, try to keep it simple and clear so you can apply with confidence ASAP.

Note: FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD. KEEP IT SIMPLE. Don’t psych yourself into spending too much time on wordsmithing, images, or funky formats — PLEASE just put it out there! It will literally never be perfect, you just need to let people see your work ASAP. (I toiled away on my portfolio for MONTHS before releasing it, and guess what? It never reached perfection and never will HAHA I DO NOT RECOMMEND)

4. WORK FROM ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH

When I was starting out, I would update little pieces of everything as I continued to gain experience, and what resulted was my resume, my LinkedIn, and my website all had slightly newer or older information.

If I were to do it again, I would write the bulk of my content in a google doc and then upload my multiple accounts and documents based on that central source of truth.

This method is especially helpful when it comes to uploading your content to a templated website, as webpages can become very frustrating to edit.

Note: I use Squarespace for my site and its. It’s not as easy as the ads make it out to be haha. AGAIN. GOOD GRACIOUS, KEEP IT SIMPLE and you’ll have a way better time. Save all the animations and crazy stuff for the next iteration, THE PEOPLE JUST NEED TO SEE YOUR WORK.

5. CREATE YOUR OWN SYSTEM FOR APPLYING

People are of different minds in terms of tracking applications. I know some who become discouraged from seeing so many rejections and I know some who like to see how much progress they make.

I used to track mine in a really fun notion template, but after the file became huge, it didn’t load very quickly and became frustrating to use.

Currently, I have a simple google sheet where I log my applications. This helps me see exactly how many applications I’ve put in, where, and who I can contact for a follow-up.

I would recommend a simple method like google sheets and see how you feel after a week or two. Iterate if you don’t find it helpful for you.

Note: you shouldn’t be spending hours on one app, but you also shouldn’t spam apply if it exhausts you.

ANOTHA Note: When applying online, you can automate the general questions, but if they ask you an in-depth question, copy-paste that awesome anecdote into your ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH document so you can keep and refine that piece of writing instead of losing it to the internet ether.

IF YOU READ THIS LONG — THANK YOU!! HAVE A BONUS TIP, ME DEAR!

When you’re out of a job for whatever reason, it can feel that you’re the only one of your friends that’s out of luck, or that you’ll never find a good opportunity ever again.

Please hold on, you’ll be back to work all in good time. In the meantime, find a community of job seekers and working professionals who uplift you instead of bringing you down, and who share their tips and tricks.

The job search can be exhausting, scary, and demoralizing. Know that there are tons of people who are in the same boat as you and tons of people willing to help you.

Wishing you the best,

Sara Vasquez

So you’re on the job market again — 5 THINGS YOU MUST DO. LIKE NOW.