Leo Vogel

Career Advice

Education

1. Consider taking the Udacity UX Design Nanodegree ($$$)
2. Consider taking the Google UX Design Certification and list it as your first education on LinkedIn, this will give you at least one portfolio project ($$)
3. For a free option you can use Springboard (Free)

LinkedIn

1. Add “#OpenToWork” to your About section
2. Remove your resume from LinkedIn so you can engage with recruiters more directly
3. Add your portfolio as a featured link
4. Do not include descriptions for Featured links so they open directly
5. Add a header image (Figma Template)
1. Keep it simple
2. Include a call to action
3. Stay on brand
6. Use a clear, professional profile photo with a plain background
7. Generate a professional profile photo with AI
8. Provide a description for your experiences, use either of these:
1. Tell a story of your top accomplishments
2. Use bulleted items like a resume
9. Ensure you have at least 500 connections; keep networking with other designers until you’ve reached this minimum
10. Join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your career goals
11. Connect with me (My Profile)
12. Ensure your skills are updated and in order from most important at the top to least important at the bottom
13. Link your skills to your positions and education. Limit it so there is no more than 5-6 skills for each job position or educational program/certificate.
14. Read this post and this post

Portfolio

1. Buy and use a personal domain (YourName.com or YourName.design)
2. Don’t include your phone number and personal email to reduce spam; a jobs-focused email is better ([email protected])
3. Free guide on how to create your portfolio in a weekend
4. Check out this great resource by Sarah Hogan
5. Make your resume a page on your site and have a link to download a PDF version at the top of the web page version. This will help with SEO.

Exceptional/Standout Portfolios

NoseDiveLink

Mosope AdebowaleLink

Rachel ChenLink

Daniel PolevoyLink

Kocha W.Link

Marvin HassanLink

Networking

Lunchclub

Job Search

Simplify - Track your applications and find good matches.

UX Maturity Evaluation - Framework to measure and compare UX maturity of companies.

Resume

1. Update your resume to be ATS optimized (Templates Here)
2. Use a DOCX file (or PDF exported from Word); PDF from other programs generally performs much worse for ATS systems
3. Use https://rezi.io/ to craft an optimized resume with AI assistance

Job Boards

Early Stage Design Jobs Link Entry-level designer jobs.

UXR Hunt Link Junior UX jobs.

Otta Link Top recommendations at exciting startups.

Entry Level Jobs Link Job board for new grads.

Job Search Books

The 2-Hour Job Search, Second Edition: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster

The 2-Hour Job Search, Second Edition: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster - Kindle edition by Dalton, Steve. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The 2-Hour Job Search, Second Edition: Using Technology to Get the Right Job Faster.

amzn.to

Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook

Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook - Kindle edition by Terry, Phyl, Cagan, Marty. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Never Search Alone: The Job Seeker’s Playbook.

amzn.to