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Lot of mid-senior design roles in the industry

over 5 years ago from , Student

I have been seeing a lot of companies hiring for mid-senior roles. As a junior designer fresh out of grad school, I am seeing very less opportunities for myself. Although my profile checks off most of the requirements for these jobs, it's the experience part that I lack.

Is this a current hiring trend in the industry that probably will pass as companies structure and grow their design teams? Would love to hear opinions of people in the industry (senior designers/ design managers/ hiring managers)

1 comment

  • Tyrale BloomfieldTyrale Bloomfield, over 5 years ago

    Director of Product Design; hiring position for +10 yrs.

    The problem we are facing is that we don't have the time or patience to spin up a junior to a place they can be effective. Or at least that's the rationale we tell our selves. School programs, certificates, online courses are not keeping pace or too shallow to properly prepare a designer for the real world. The other side of that is fresh designers are delusional about the value they provide at the start of their career.

    In my experience, a Junior is more of a burden than a benefit for the first year or two depending on the individual. As teams are trending to leaner and meaner there isn't room for someone learning the ropes.

    I've had a relatively successful career up to this point and hope it continues, but if I had to do it all over again...

    1. skip getting a degree in design
    2. hustle my own work on real projects (free and paid - point is to get experience)
    3. take whatever work I could get to produce more work
    4. when I have a solid deck I can show online with case studies to back them up (not many even 1 solid case study is sufficient)
    5. Then go after the mid role. The solid "Designer" role nothing junior or entry.

    It comes down to this. You learn on the job or you learn before the job on your own. What we are looking for are designers who can provide value.

    I am currently looking for a Senior UX'er myself and having one hell of a time trying to fill the role.

    Good luck to you and I hope this was somewhat helpful.

    1 point