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Alex Jones

I lead teams at the intersection of strategy and design. Autodidact. Polymath. Barbecue acolyte. I start fires (the good kind).

hiring

Why are companies scared of “junior” people?

A little while back, I was asked this question by someone looking for their first design job: “why do companies fear hiring “junior” people?”

Oof.

That’s a tough one. Both because “fear” is a strong word, and because yes, a lot of teams don’t want to hire junior people.

Putting aside whether “fear” is too strong a word, here are the areas of concern I’ve seen raised about hiring someone without experience.

Junior people require more time

This is the underlying theme for all of these answers. Time is a precious commodity, and junior folks require a lot of it from their managers and colleagues. That’s not a bad thing,when structured well, but it is a thing that hiring managers think about.

Given the workload and overall team resources, there may not be enough time to invest.

Training is an investment

Photo illustration of manager helping out colleague with code

Hiring anyone to fill a role is already an investment in time and energy from a lot of people on the team. No matter the new person’s experience, they’re new to this team, it’s shorthand, processes, and tools. They have to learn how this team works.

Someone kicking off their career significantly compounds that effort. Colleagues and managers have to fill in the gaps between what the new hire was taught and the reality in professional life.

In this situation, one manager plus one new employee doesn’t equal two. You’re pretty lucky if it equals one and a half for the first three or six months.

It’s an upfront investment by the manager that she hopes will pay dividends down the line.

It will be significantly longer before they produce at a high level

Hiring tends to happen when a team is overburdened. Either they lost someone they need to replace, or they have so much work that adding a new person justifies the expense.

In those situations, a manager is pretty motivated to get someone in who can hit the ground running and make an impact. As noted above, that’s not going to happen with someone lacking experience.

Reviewing and coaching them on their work

Photo illustration of manager pointing to team member's screen

We all need another set of eyes to help us with our work, no matter our experience level. But, people new to the field need a lot more as they have yet to build a foundation of experience. Terms that are easily understood after six months are new concepts. Why something is done in a specific way has to be explained, even though it’s shorthand for the rest of the team.

Most new people will get there, but it takes time and effort for all involved.

Having to teach them how to have a job

It may sound odd, but sometimes a manager ends up having to teach someone the basic expectations that come with the professional world:. what it means to be dependable, how to communicate, how to present oneself or even that showing up on time matters.

This doesn’t happen often, but it’s a huge amount of effort and frustration to have conversations that frankly, most managers don’t feel like they should need to have. If they’ve been down that road before, they may be less likely to do so again.

It’s hard to judge past work when it all comes from a classroom

Add to the time investment, a portfolio that is made up of class projects or conceptual redesigns doesn’t provide the same level of insight as one filled with professional work. When hiring for a junior role, the manager is looking for someone with the potential to grow in the manner the team will need over time. That’s a big bet to place with so little information.

Sometimes a team needs experience

A manager’s job revolves around serving her team well. A key part of that is ensuring it has the right makeup of skills and levels of experience. The workload that they’re facing may well require that a new hire comes in with experience, possibly very specific experience.

Alternatively, she may recognize that the current team is unbalanced, requiring someone with more experience to ensure it functions smoothly. There may well be a gap in the middle of a team, which has some junior people and some senior people, but few, or no people in the middle.

So, how do you work with this reality..?

Photo illustration of two professional women speaking

This post is not meant to discourage you; quite the opposite in fact. Knowing and acknowledging these fears can help you improve your odds. Demonstrating that you know how to have a job and that you’re aware that you’ll need the team’s time can set you apart. Taking the time to build a portfolio with real client work will have an impact as well.

So, think about the fears people have when hiring someone new, just as you would think about the challenges and goals when building a product, or designing a brochure for a client. Shape your conversations, resume, and portfolio to address the concerns and you could well move further ahead of the pack.

Related

Original photos by Mimi Thian, rawpixel, Monica Melton and NESA by Makerson Unsplash, modified by me.

New designers: here’s what you can do to stand out

A pink lemon slice in a sea of yellow lemon slices

If you’re new to the field of design, you’re in an interesting spot – you’re excited, bursting with energy and passion, but you’ve hit a wall when trying to find somewhere that will pay you to put that energy to work.

Landing that first job is tough. Few companies hire people without experience, even though you’re awesome (and yes, you’re awesome).

So how can you improve your odds when you’re going after one of those opportunities..? There’s no sure-fire method, but you can improve your odds of being noticed.

Research

Getting hired is no different than any other challenge we face as designers.

As with a design challenge, you should start by understanding the goal (yours and the company’s) and the needs of the “users” a.k.a. the hiring team.

Invest time in researching the company. Move beyond the job post and those ever-present company values. What do they do? Who are their customers? How big is it, and if it’s spread across more than one location, how big is the office/group you’ll work in?

Once you make it past the recruiter screen and have time set up to meet people (yay!), ask who you’ll be meeting with. Then spend time on LinkedIn to learn about their roles and background.

Ask questions

Once you have the chance to talk with someone, take full advantage of the opportunity.

Seriously. Show that you’re interested and prepared. Come with questions ready, both general questions you’ll ask every company as well as some specific to this team and this company.

Questions demonstrate that you care and they help the team know what matters to you.

This is also a great way to learn about the reality of the industry; even when you don’t get the job, you’ll be that much smarter because you asked questions. Over time you’ll be able to refine your questions.

Asking the right questions is a skill that you develop in the same manner as any other—through practice.

Questions to get you started

  • The company:
    • I see you make software for X market. Who are your biggest competitors?”
    • What does the company do well? What could it improve?
    • How would you describe what it’s like to work here?
  • The team:
    • Can you tell me about the team(s) I’ll work with?
    • How does the team work on projects?
    • What are the biggest challenges you’re facing?
    • What does your average day look like as a [their role]?
  • Your potential role:
    • If I joined, what would I work on and what would you need me to learn right away?
    • What would my first month look like?
    • What type of mentoring will I receive? Is it formal or informal?
    • How do you think I could help?
    • How will you judge my success?

Think about what you want the answers to be for each of your questions ahead of time.

Think about your answers

Now to the other side of things, be ready to answer their questions.

Interviews can be stressful, and for many, that stress makes it hard to reply well in the moment. Here’s the thing though, you’ll get a lot of the same questions from different people, so you can prepare for the most common questions ahead of time.

Interview superpower: have some key data and logic ready to weave into your answers to common questions. You’ll stand out from other new grads, and even many experienced designers when you demonstrate that there was more to a decision than preference or habit.

Here are a few common questions you’ll be asked:

  • Why are you interested in [company or industryname]?
  • What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced?
  • What are you most proud of?
  • Where do you want to improve? What do you want to learn?
  • For [a project], what was your role and what did you do?
  • For [a project], what challenge were you trying to solve and for who?
  • Tell me about a time you failed.

Rehearse your answers. Yes, in front of a mirror or by taking a video. Doing this a few times will make it much easier the next time you have to answer it.

After each interview, write down what they asked you and think about your answer so you’re ready next time.

Tighten up your portfolio

It’s great to show that you’ve learned about the right processes to use when designing, but so has every other recent graduate. All of them.

It’s cool that you’ve added a proposed feature into Yelp or Spotify in school, but you need to make it crystal clear that it was for a class project. If any of your work was for an actual client, highlight that, even if it was volunteer work.

Focus your portfolio on real-world projects as much as possible, even if it’s a small feature or problem. They are ten times more valuable (if not 100 times).

If it’s actually in use or will be, that’s huge.

Clearly lay out the challenge to be solved, who you were designing for and your role on the team. Explain what success looked like and how you fared.

Break the mold

So many pictures of so many Post-Its…
So many pictures of so many Post-Its…

Take a look at your friend’s portfolios and those of other recent grads.

Look familiar?

Yeah, there’s a distinct pattern that new portfolios follow.

Figure out how you can do yours differently (and better).

Acknowledge that what you did in school is different than what you’ll do at work

A common point for recent grads, is learning to break out of the ideal design process taught in school. It’s rare (at best) that you’ll get to follow an orderly process that ticks every stage of the right way to do things.

The sooner you embrace flexibility, the better.

In time you’ll learn when to apply which tools and processes, but for now you’ll need to take your cues from the team. Letting them know upfront that you understand the reality is a big win.

It may seem cheesy, but yes, you should follow up

Sending a thank you email to the hiring manager, is always a good sign, though it is a common practice.

Some disagree with this, but I hold that a reminder of who you are serves you well and it never hurts to be polite.

Now, to stand out, include a question or two that is specific to something you discussed during the interview. This shows that you’re fully invested.

Following up on a challenge people shared to get more insight is powerful and may prompt a dialog that keeps the interview rolling.

If you didn’t make the cut, ask why

We’ve all been turned down for a role. After you’ve spent all this time and energy preparing, it stings when you’re told that you won’t be hired.

You may want to shift gears to the next opportunity forgetting this ever happened.

That’s natural.

That’s human.

But that’s not what you should do.

Thank them for their time (they’ve spent a lot more time interviewing than you realize). And ask them why you weren’t selected.

You need this feedback to help you become a better candidate and a better designer.

If they provide feedback (many won’t), thank them for it and then apply as much of it as is applicable.

Do not argue the points made.

There’s a hidden bonus when you do this – you’ll be remembered as someone who seeks feedback in order to improve. That’ builds your reputation, so when you encounter those folks again down the road, you may well be remembered.

Keep it up

It’s a hard process, but you’ll get there. Iterate on the challenge of finding a job, just as you would iterate on a design to make it better.

And keep being awesome.

Original photos by rawpixel, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and Simon Abrams on Unsplash. All modifications by me.

“You Don’t Have the Experience for this Role…Let’s Talk!”

Embracing Junior Designers Who Apply for Roles that Require Experience

Hiring designers (or developers) here in Austin is a paradoxical combo of too many and not enough. If you’re looking for people new to the field, you can spend days going through applicant portfolios. If you’re looking for someone with experience, you’ll spend that time weeding out those same portfolios to find people who have the experience you’re seeking. Now, I personally feel that too many companies miss out on the opportunity of hiring talented folks as they only hire experienced designers. Their unwillingness to invest in the people new to our field is a disservice to the candidates and the team.

Lucky for me, that also means I have more opportunities to hire new designers with huge potential.

So, back to the quandary — designers without experience applying for a role that requires experience. Yes, sometimes we need someone who’s worked as a designer before (or developer or writer etc.), but there can be an opportunity to bring in someone new to the field — so long as a couple of key aspects are covered with them upfront.

Level Set With Them, They’ll Appreciate It

I’ve had this conversation countless times now. During my initial phone interview, before I start diving into my questions, but after I’ve given them a chance to ask theirs, I lay out our career path and levels. I explain that people new to the field start as Associates and I walk through the role, explaining the responsibilities and expectations, noting what is not expected of someone new to the field. I then explain that more senior designers have a very real responsibility to mentor those with less experience. We talk about the day-to-day and our team practices like our weekly design feedback sessions so I can explain that the title doesn’t indicate hierarchy — everyone shares work and is everyone open to feedback from each person on the team, including from a brand new Associate Designer.

99 times out of 100 the response is something like “This is exactly what I need! I haven’t heard of any other companies doing this…” This is both gratifying and disheartening. I love that they’re excited, but frustrated that it isn’t common practice.

Once this is explained to them, the candidate’s energy level immediately shifts and the way they participate, answer and asks questions is noticeably more comfortable and confident. You can tell that they are more open and willing to ask what may seem like a “basic” question. They’re more comfortable sharing what they’re excited about and where they’re challenged, prompting new conversation threads.

Structure Your Team Properly, They’ll Appreciate It Too

It’s all well and good to have that conversation, but then you need to back it up. This is where your more senior folk come in. They must be approachable and available to help the new designer beyond the initial week or two (think months and years — it’s ongoing). This is a critical part of their job, and they need to know that. They also need to be afforded the time and protection to do it, so timelines or project loads may shift accordingly. A new designer needs to be paired with an experienced one, even if they’re working on different aspects of a feature or different projects altogether.

This might seem like a non-starter if you’re slammed, but the investment up front pays off huge in the long run. Your new people gain experience and learn from the team’s best, building loyalty. Your experienced people get to build and flex those mentoring muscles which is highly rewarding.

And it all starts with a simple conversation that may seem hard at first, but will be appreciated by the people you want on your team.

Photo by Willian Justen de Vasconcellos on Unsplash

T-Triple-C

When I’m hiring, no matter the role and no matter the seniority of the position, there are four traits that matter above all else.

Transparency: Are they open about what they’re doing, what they know and what they don’t?

Curiosity: Are they driven to learn, frustrated when they don’t know what caused an issue and excited to share their newfound knowledge?

Collaboration: Will they naturally jump in to solve a challenge, will they shift into different roles depending on the need (leader vs. follower) and will they promote the best solution over their solution?

Communication: Will they raise a flag when they need help, or when they can help; will they let others know what to expect?

This collection, which I think of as T-Triple-C (or ’T-Trip-C’), is critical for any team functioning at a high level. Three of the four (Transparency, Collaboration & Communication) actively counteract one of the most hated aspects of professional life – office politics. While we cannot escape politics altogether (yay humans), we can mitigate them and nudge what remains toward a positive, open path.

T-Trip-C is just as critical when I’m looking for my next challenge and interviewing my potential team and boss. As I’ve learned over the years, being on a team that embodies T-Trip-C is the only way that I can consistently execute at a high level while maintaining my wellbeing.

Because at the end of the day, products and companies are powered by people, not code.