Here are some things I wish I knew before starting my first few design jobs:

1. Continue building a portfolio of work

Part of your growth as an early designer is to build out a portfolio of work. If you’ve just graduated, it’s ok to have your portfolio be composed of mainly student projects.

It’s more important for you to document process. Ideally, you can capture a few key examples showing case studies (low fidelity sketches, wireframes, trade-offs, prototypes, final product/outcome), of things you’re learning and doing in your field of study.

Remember to include:

• Your role in the project
• Problem statement
• Customers → Who was the customer? What are their goals?
• Challenges and potential solutions (including tradeoffs)
• Final outcome and impact

While it’s easy to get swept along in the rapid pace change in your first job, make time to document what you’re working on.

Often ‘design’ can be oversimplified into the artifacts being produced, but the goal of a documenting case studies is to demonstrate that you can navigate through ambiguous problems/constraints, collaborate with others and communicate your thinking behind different decisions.

2. Think of the interview as a two way conversation

As you’re applying for your first design job, you’ll likely have the opportunity to meet with your future team. Sometimes in the excitement of a new potential opportunity, you forget that you’re also assessing to see if the company is a fit for you.

Here’s some questions to ask your potential employer:

• What’s your team’s alignment with the business?
  → this reveals longevity and career growth
• Where is the team based? Which teams does your team partner with the most?
  → what your day-to-day work environment looks like
• Who are your stakeholders?
  → who has a say on the direction of your work
• How important is design from a leadership perspective?
  → this reveals UX maturity of the company

And questions to consider yourself:

• What opportunities do I have to learn?
• Who will be my manager?
• What’s the company culture?
• Is this space/product/problem worth working on?
• How invested in this company in my growth?

3. Consider tradeoffs in the working environment

Every working environment offers its own strengths and weaknesses. First, I highly recommend students to find internships or a part-time job in the field you’re working toward

Work experience as a student is beneficial because it put the skills you learning in class toward a real project, bolsters your portfolio (which is necessary for any future job) and opens up new learning and networking opportunities. It can also help you understand the type of design work you don’t want to do.

While your individual experience may differ, here’s a quick overview:

In-house

= A design group inside an established company

Pros: Opportunity to impact product deeply, job security, design for one brand
Cons: More approval layers, fewer designers to work with directly

Agency

= A company that works on brand/product/experience for a variety of clients

Pros: Variety of work and clients, environment with mostly other designers
Cons: Rigorous hours, complete handoff project after completion

Freelance

= individual working on projects for clients on a case by case basis

Pros: Ability to choose your work/clients, creative freedom
Cons: Overhead of managing all parts of the business, instability, no coworkers

Some mix of the above

There are design agencies inside companies, freelancers who are hired for in-house projects, etc.

4. Focus on what makes you different

The longer I stay in design, the more I realize that the journey to becoming a designer is different for everyone. Some UX colleagues come from traditional design school, some are former engineers, others have switched professions entirely — and everyone brings something unique to the table. The things that make you different (your background, passions, expertise, side projects, etc. ) are strengths.

5. Balance observation and making things happen

Starting your first job out of school can be intimidating and stressful.

Start by setting up short 1:1 meeting with each of the people you’ll work with. Ask about their experience with the company, what they wish someone told them on their first day, what tools/resources they find most useful, their preferred way to communicate, what their expectations are for you, etc.

Keep learning. Find a mentor, join an early career employee group and seek out ways to continue to learn and grow (books, videos, meetups, conferences, etc.).

Not sure what skills or tools you’re missing?

Try working backwards from a job description for a role you would like to have someday. Or if you’re in an environment with more experienced designers, set up casual coffee chats with people to learn about their career journey.

Know that there will be setbacks and even an adjustment period as you figure out how to transition from school to the working world. Even if your first job isn’t your dream job, don’t be discouraged: treat it as a learning opportunity and a step toward the next thing.