3 most important things about UX Design job interviews

A formal qualification such as a graduate or masters degree may seem essential going into any job interview as a UX Designer. However, being on either side of the interview table for the past decade there are three other things that I have found to be far more important: experience, emotional intelligence and empathy.

During the course of an interview, most of the conversation centres around ‘what you have done’. Interviewers want to know what projects you have been involved with in order to understand what process you used to achieve an outcome, the reasoning behind key decisions and what skills you demonstrated. This is in order to get an idea of what impact you could be making in their company’s projects. The best way to showcase this is by telling a story of what you went through in solving a particular problem.

Whether you call it experience, action or results, people want to know whether you can perform well in their new role as well as contributing something that they currently don’t have. Attempting to discover this will form the backbone of any interview.

2. Emotional intelligence

The other most important element would be ‘how well you will play with others’ as your personality will affect whether people would like to work with you. This will come through during your conversation with the interviewer and also how you tell your story. You will probably be asked about how you would deal with a situation of conflict or disagreement. This is essentially to see whether you value being effective more than your ego trying to be right. Also, don’t forget to smile. Smiling builds connection, shows that you are comfortable with yourself and are not too serious.

3. Empathy

At the heart of being a great UX Designer is having empathy and ‘whether you care about other peoples’ perspectives’. The best way to demonstrate this during an interview is to show that you understand a problem or desire that the interviewer’s company has and how you would address it. This will go a long way in displaying your sincere interest in not only just getting a job position in the company but aligning yourself in wanting to solve similar problems.

When it comes to interviews, the interviewer has been pulled away from many things that they need to get done. By entertaining them with a great story of what you can do, showing how you connect with people and having a sincere concern in making a difference, they will be feeling great after meeting such a positive ball of energy whom they would love to work with.

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