5 tips to help your mentee land a UX role

As you know, switching careers isn’t easy. 

Now that your mentee has completed our program, they will need help landing their first UX role. 

That’s where you come in!

By helping your mentee improve their soft skills and technical skills, they will become stronger UX candidates.

Here are 5 tips to help your mentee land a UX role:

1. Show them how to leverage their communication skills and experiences. UX designers need to get their ideas across clearly and concisely. Ask your mentee to think about a time in their career when they inspired someone through storytelling or persuaded others to buy in to an idea. Perhaps they have a background in teaching, marketing, or sales. Be sure to remind them that the same techniques they used in the past will also help them in this field.

2. Point out how they use empathy and problem solving in everyday life. Does your mentee work in healthcare, education, customer service, or childcare? Has your mentee ever been responsible for the care of someone who is elderly? If so, your mentee may have developed the character traits of someone who is empathetic and caring. What’s more? Your mentee may have already developed an understanding on how to solve problems for other people.

3. Tell them how they can improve their writing skills. Is your mentee coming from a copywriting, journalism, marketing, or communications background? If so, your mentee may have what it takes to become a UX writer. Inform your mentee that UX writers help shape product experiences by working with product teams to set the tone and drive consistent narratives across multiples platforms and touchpoints. If you feel that your mentee needs help to improve their writing skills, this is a great opportunity for you to bring this to their attention. You can help them improve their writing skills by sharing a well-written book or by giving them constructive feedback on an email, cover letter, or some other written material.

4. Propose new design trends and encourage them to expand their design skills. Is your mentee a graphic designer, painter, architect, or photographer? Has your mentee ever worked with design programs like Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch? If so, your mentee may have the necessary foundations to become a UI designer. If they have already developed an eye for color, typography, and layout, perhaps you can introduce them to new design trends or encourage them to explore new design tools. Having additional skillsets under their tool belt will only make them a stronger UX candidate. Perhaps there is even an opportunity for your mentee to help you with a design challenge!

5. Introduce your mentee to professionals at your company. Share career opportunities with your mentee and encourage them to apply at your company. By introducing your mentee to other professionals at your company, they may be able to assess the culture of your company and find the confidence to pursue an opportunity.

Your mentee can still learn a thing or two from you!

We encourage you to use these tips to help your mentee become a stronger UX candidate. Be sure to leave a comment and share a method that helped you excel in the job market.

Looking to post a job opportunity?

Contact us to learn more.