r/DecaturGA • u/Huge_Reality_8677 • 1d ago

UX / product design

I recently graduated with a degree in ux design last December and it’s been tough finding a job in the field. I had an internship that just ended where I did some work related to UX but it’s not what I really want to do. Any tips from established UX/Product designers here in the city on what to do to land my first real role as a UX designer??

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

11

u/IchBinAynRand 1d ago

I am not a ui/ux professional, but I do help people find jobs. Junior product design is extremely portfolio-dependent. One thing I’d focus heavily on is your portfolio, especially 2–3 case studies that clearly show the problem, your process, decisions you made, and the actual outcome rather than just polished screens.

4

u/IchBinAynRand 1d ago

other than that, tailor your resume to each role you apply to, and by that I mean pack if full of keywords that match the language in the job description. ATS is really dumb and will disqualify you from ever being seen by a human if you don't have enough keywords. Don't source jobs from LI, Indeed, etc- try hiringcafe.com - it's an aggregator and you apply straight from the company websites. Focus on jobs less than 3 days old. Feel free to dm me for more specifics. Best of luck!

3

u/itsmy_reverie 1d ago

I can't speak for the job market in ATL currently, only because I've had remote jobs since COVID.

Try to find some UX designer jobs at various agencies in/around Atlanta. My first ever UX job was at one, but I have a background in visual design, so that helped me a ton. Agency jobs are... not the best in terms of pay or work-life balance, but it'll be a stepping stone to hopefully your next role and I feel like agencies tend to have medium to high turnover. You only have to last a year or two before other places will start to consider you for interviews. Unfortunately, entry level jobs are fewer and fewer these days.

Do you have a portfolio? Make sure to include your internship work in your portfolio. If it's NDA stuff, you could white label it (removing any identifying info) and make it password protected. Absolutely make sure you have real world examples, and not just pieces you did for school. You should take some real products (apps, websites, etc) and redesign a feature or flow with your own thinking. If there's a specific niche you're trying to get into (finance, healthcare, whatever), make sure you at least do one or two case studies for that.

Sorry, this is all somewhat generic advice. If you have any specific questions, I'm happy to answer however I can.

2

u/Thick-thighs2026 1d ago

What did the folks at the internship say when you asked them these questions? If you didn’t ask, consider sending emails asking

2

u/Reklino 8h ago

Get a good portfolio together that shows off your attention to detail, interaction design skills, and UX thinking. If you don't have any real world projects yet, schoolwork is fine, so is concept work.

If someone can prove to me that they can listen to guidance and instructions and do good work in Figma quickly and independently, I'd happily have them as an intern or junior to mid designer. Maybe even show off well organized Figma files if you can.

Consider showing off a knowledge of design systems as well, and showing you know how to work with components in Figma.

As far as getting a job, apply everywhere you can. ATL doesn't have as big of a scene as some places, but look at the well known tech companies like Intuit MailChimp and Home Depot to see if they're hiring interns. I know both go to career fairs to recruit as well.