Top 5 tips on working with a UX/UI recruiter
Recruiters are a terrific way to find your next user experience job opportunity. Recruiters usually:
can act like the vehicle for conversation between you and the company
know about un-posted jobs (because they come straight from the clients!)
can help you negotiate for a higher salary
try to suggest impactful changes to your portfolio or resume so that you can excel as a candidate
We’ve seen Ideate Labs’ students see as much as a 110% increase on their salaries by working with the right recruiters. Here are our favorite tips:
1. Get to the 3 year mark
Recruiters commonly start working with UX candidates at about 3 years. Think about your experience. How can you migrate some soft and hard skills from your past to get to the three year mark that will allow you to start having those conversations. If you feel like you have a terrific portfolio with really strong projects, state your case! Introduce yourself, and send a portfolio.
2. Know exactly what you want (and don’t want)
A recruiter might have a variety of jobs that they’re trying to staff. It’s important that you know exactly which opportunities you are willing and unwilling to take on, since recruiters (due to the nature of the job) might try to convince you to take on roles you might not be super interested in. Think through the following questions:
Full time or contract?
Remote, hybrid, or in-person?
What is the salary you’re looking for?
What industry are you interested in working in? What industries are 100% off the table?
UX? UI? Research? Strategy? What focus do you want for your day-to-day disciplines?
3. Connect personally, and professionally!
To find recruiters, you can search on Google by typing in keywords like “UX recruiter [city name]”, “tech recruiter [city name]” or go to LinkedIn.
We also suggest finding people on LinkedIn in your city, or your time zone even if you want to work remotely. The easiest way to connect is :
Type in “tech recruiter” into the search bar
Select “People”
Click on “Locations” and select your city, or the major cities in your time zone
Click “Connect” on any profile that looks interesting to you
Click “Add note” and write a personable message up to 300 characters. A message that works well is:
Hi [name]! I am looking to connect as I am job searching for my next UI/UX role. I have about 5 years of experience, and am excited to see what opportunities are currently available. I have experience w/ design systems, research, etc. Would love to connect.
Please be thoughtful, respectful, and kind in your approach. Use their first name, send thank you notes for their time, and don’t take it personally if there aren’t fitting job opportunities at the moment.
4. Don’t stop searching for jobs until that ink is dry!
So much can happen from the moment you have your verbal offer! Companies have rescinded offers, have gone through mergers, laid departments, moved locations, and unlimited other ways that have shot the offers dead in the water.
No matter how promising, no matter how exciting, no matter how exhausting it is to keep job searching, please give it a push to interview until you have a signed contract in hand. Nothing is worse than slowing down the search, telling all the other recruiters and hiring managers that you’ve accepted a new role, and having to go back to the drawing board if the offer falls through.
As a candidate, you can also shop the offer that you have in hand and see whether new companies would offer you a higher salary to nab you off the market!
5. Understand that recruiters and UX managers might want to see different things from your portfolio
Recruiters are gatekeepers of opportunities, and they seek out candidates who can closely mirror the skillset, needed to pitch you as the best option for the job. They scan your resume, your portfolio, and your verbal story to hear whether you’re mentioning the keyword that they were instructed to find from the company.
A recruiter might want to see a thorough, end-to-end user experience case study where you go from the very inception of the project, to the very end, highlighting each and every step in between.
A hiring manager might be more interested in the story you tell, which can skip many little details, just as long as you can showcase your thinking process. Incorporate how the product changed as the process went on, and highlight any lessons you’ve learned.
We suggest having various portfolio pieces to appease both parties - one really thorough, end to end case study for recruiters, and various shorter case studies for the hiring managers who want to see variety.
Are you job searching? Consider setting up time with one of our vetted, seasoned mentors who can help you re-frame your portfolio, chisel out the resume, and craft your story!