career workshop - ia summit 2011 - russ unger & amanda schonfeld

Career Workshop

Information Architecture Summit 2011

Amanda Schonfeld

Russ Unger

Welcome to the

| SapientNitro

| Happy Cog

Workshop AgendaThis is how we’ll roll today

Workshop Agenda

Preparing for Your Job Search

• Should you start a job search?

• Career Sites & Networking

• How to Explain “What You Do”

•Working with Recruiters

The Wrath of the Resume

• Good Ones, Bad Ones

• How to Make Your Resume UX-y

• Resume Critique Studio

Handling Your Portfolio

•What Makes a Great Portfolio?

• How Do You Present Your Portfolio?

• Portfolio Critique Studio

How to Interview, Well.

• Communication Tips

• Standard Questions & Answer Framing

• Show & Tell: Interview Disasters

• Interview Role Play

Some Basic RulesLet’s All Play Nice!

• This is Sanctuary!

• It’s a workshop--feel free to share/participate as we go

• Share only what you’re comfortable with others knowing

• If you’re not comfortable asking something in front of the group, see us at break or

after the session (or DM us!)

Some Basic Rules

Let’s Keep This Simple

IntroductionsTell us all about you!

Your Name

As Much Info As You’re Comfortable With

First Concert You Attended

Introductions

Preparing for Your Job SearchFinding a Job is Kind Of a Full Time Job


How Do I Know When It’s Time to Find a New Job?

• Monster

• Dice

• Indeed / Eluta

• Workopolis

• CareerBuilder

• HotJobs

• AuthenticJobs

• Krop

• CreativeHotlist

• Coroflot

• IA Institute Job Board

• Ixda.org Jobs Mailing List

• Freelance Switch

• Fresh Web Jobs

• Craigslist

• AIGA Jobs Listings

• UPA Jobs Listings

• 37 Signals Job Board

• LinkedIn Jobs

• Job-Hunt.org

• Boxes & Arrows Job Board

• BayCHI

• PhillyCHI

• The Ladders

• Koda.us

• Maven Research (?)

• Aquent, Creative Circle, etc.

• Local User Group Chapters

• Good Experience Job Board

• What Else? (Share!)


Just a Few Job Boards, Yo.

• Do Your Research

• Are You Connected?

• Find Out the Recruiter’s Name / Who the Role Reports to

• Use Keywords from the Job Posting


You Found a Job You Like. Now What?

Let’s Talk About Cover LettersWe Promise Not to Make You Write One

Cover Letters

• The Purpose of a Cover Letter is to Explain How You Will Benefit the Company

• Use Words from the Posted Ad in Your Cover Letter

• Be as Conservative or Creative as the Company Appears to Be

• No Excuses for Poor Grammar and/or Typos

• If Possible, Drop the Name of the Person Who Referred You

Yes. We All Hate Writing Them. Yes. They *Do* Count.

Cover Letters

• Don’t be Afraid to Pay Someone to Help You Write a Cover Letter (but Know How to

Write!)

•Must be Addressed to the Specific Name of the Recipient (Last Resort: Use “Dear

Hiring Manager”)

• Find Contact Info from Google or LinkedIn, or Call the Company’s Receptionist

•Must Target a Specific Position in the First Paragraph

•Must be Very Specific When Describing Your Skills and Qualifications

• Use Concrete Examples to Demonstrate Your Claims

• Demonstrating Knowledge of the Employer Shows Your Interest ‒ Make Sure Your

Facts are Correct!

• Request for Action and Specific Description of Your Planned Follow-up Action

Yes. We All Hate Writing Them. Yes. They *Do* Count.

Cover Letters

• Get Links Correct

• Get the Description Right

• Use SPELL CHECK. C’mon, now!

• Proof read

•Make Sure to Provide Contact Info

• Some Parts Can Be Boilerplate, but

Customize to Your Audience!

Example #1 - What’s Good? Bad?

Courtesy of Mario Bourque | @mariobourque | www.mariobourque.com

Cover Letters

• Get the Company Name Right

• Get the Description Right

• Use SPELL CHECK. C’mon, now!

• Lying... Well, Lying is Bad

Example #2 - What’s Good? Bad?


Cover Letters

Example #3 - Not Too Shabby



“So You’re In User Experience Design...

Great!

Now, What Do You Do?”


Agency Recruiters vs. Corporate Recruiters

Is There *Really* a Difference?


Discussion:

How Do I Apply “What I’ve Learned” to my Cover Letter and/

or Interview Conversations?

Break(Take 5. Or 10. Smoke ‘em If You Got ‘em.)

The Wrath of the ResumeSeriously. Does Anyone Like These Things?

• Some employers still don’t know “what we do”

• KISS methodology - give your resume an enema

• No more than two pages. Period. Well...

• Contact Info first > Positions > Accomplishments > Education

• Don’t spend too long describing your job role in each position

• Remember: Your resume opens the door for the interview in many cases, but...

• "It’s the personality more often than the resume that gets you the job" - Theresa Putkey

• One last thing: Employers WILL use Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to find out

more about you, how you behave online, etc.

Resumes

The Basics

• Use a plain, 10 point Serif font

• Resist the urge to design your resume

• Name, address, phone, personal email, portfolio and URL

• Centered and bold at the top

•Write up your job history, presented in reverse chronological order

• Each job has Start-End Dates, Your Title, Company Name and Location

• Lastly, two lines for your education. Degree, Year and Institution

Resumes

What’s the Format, Kenneth?

Livia Labate | Principal Information Architect | Comcast Interactive Media


• Follow with 2-3 sentences describing responsibilities

• Answer the question, What job did you have?

• After responsibilities, list your major accomplishments using bullet points

• How large was the audience for the work you did ‒ hints to the kind of impact you can

make and how comfortable you are working with large scale initiatives

• How large was the group you worked with ‒ hints to the types of interactions and

demands you are subject to depending on size of team

• How large was your client (for consultants), employer (for in-house employees) Example:

“Fortune 50”, “$200MM annual revenue” ‒ hints to the level of business challenges you’re

exposed to and the risks you were subject to while working with them

Resumes

You Are Responsible


• Activities that resulted in cost saving and efficiency gains (better performance, less

people/hours on projects, etc)

• Activities that resulted in increased value (explicit satisfaction score gains, increased

revenue and profit margins, etc)

• Company and industry recognition (awards, nominations, remarks from annual reviews,

etc)

Resumes

You Are Accomplished

Resumes

• Contact Information

• Employment Dates

• Company Information

• Description

• Accomplishments

• Education

The Basic Structure


Resumes

A Real Resume Example


Resumes

The Basic Structure With Summary


Resumes

• Clean

• Concise

• Clear

• Quantified

• Provides easy links to work

• Relevant

• Typo Free

• Clearly Show a distinct focus/direction

Advice from (Other) Real Recruiters

Loryn Schiraldo | [email protected] | Recruiting Account Manager | 24 Seven Inc. (NYC)

Resumes


“It is not uncommon to have multiple resumes for

multiple roles, ‘specialization’ is key vs.

‘generalization’.


Penny Curtis | Senior Recruiter / Account Coordinator | The Laudi Group - Toronto, ON

Resumes

•Write about your accomplishments in your role

• Don't re-write your job description ‒ write about your skills

• Include a couple links to show online samples of your work

• Keep it brief ‒ resumes over 4 pages are pretty long

• Talk about how you're involved in a team atmosphere



Resumes

• Show how you've moved up the ladder

• Files with images are too big to upload to systems like Taleo so all of your hard work

is lost at that point

• Include a link to your LinkedIn profile

• Could include recommendations from your LinkedIn profile

• Good tenure is always a benefit on anyone's resume


Resumes


“For UX people I take an extra look at the general

lay out of their resume ‒ easy to follow, logical etc.


Sara Cooper | [email protected] | Recruitment Consultant | Filogix ‒ Toronto, ON

Resumes

• Don’t go crazy with fonts/colours/designs. Clean and simple makes me want to

review it…anything “busy” will be passed over.

• If you are a contractor/consultant ‒ create a functional resume. I don’t want to

read a five page resume that lists 50 companies with the exact same description of

responsibilities under each one. List your skills or projects most relevant to the job

posting and then have a list of your contracts under a separate section (no

descriptions necessary).

• If you are a perm employee ‒ create a chronological resume. List each company

(newest first) and your relevant skills or projects. Try to use no more than six bullet

points under each company.



Resumes

• Do not write in paragraph form. Bullet points are easier to read.

• Do not go into detail on jobs you had 10 years ago (no-one cares). If you feel you must mention them, your best bet is a heading with “Positions prior to 1998” and

then a quick list with each company and the dates.

• Always remember that the recruiter and/or hiring manager is looking at least 30

resumes for each role (probably way more). If you make it difficult for them to read

yours, they just won’t.


Resumes

““Highlight the link to your online portfolio ‒ do not

attach multiple examples of your work to an email. If

you do not have an online portfolio, make one before

you start your job search. There is nothing I hate more

than having to wait five minutes for an email to open

because of all the attachments.”



Resumes

Updating Your Resume to Get Attention From Companies

Seeking UX Talent

Resumes

Group Exercise:

Resume Critique Studio

(Positives & Deltas ONLY)

Break(This next bit is gonna require some energy. Caffeine up!)

Portfolio Like A ProShow ‘em Your Goods

Portfolios

• For IA’s relevant content is a must. Just as with resumes, it may be helpful to have a

few separately formatted portfolios in pdf format, with each bringing to light

specific industry experience depending on the role/industry you’re applying to

•Wireframes must be annotated. Include all relevant project info (sitemaps,

wireframes, personas).

• Show the finished product. Even if it’s just a screenshot. The finished product may

resonate with team members long after an interview, which is a plus.



Portfolios

• Every IA/UX person should have one...if you can’t be bothered to create a website

for yourself, I’m not hiring you.

• Portfolios should be easy to navigate. If you have multiple specialties, section

them off so I can find what I’m interested in one click. I don’t want to have to search

for the work I want to see.

• Ensure your portfolio is relevant to the positions you are applying for and update it constantly. Work you did five years ago is not going to interest me as much as

what you did six months ago.

• For the love of the gods, make sure all your links work. No, really. ALL OF THEM.



Portfolios

““Case studies that show the initial problem/

opportunity and then a work flow overview to see

how the final solution/result was arrived at make me

very happy. I need to see how your brain works to

know if you’ll fit with our process methodologies.”



Portfolios

• Did testing on my portfolio with multiple UX hiring managers

• LESS is, by far, much MORE

• Brief explanations, highlighted screens with captions

• KISS approach

Advice from (Other) Real Recruiters Russ

Portfolios

What’s the Best Way to Present Your Portfolio?

Portfolios

Group Exercise:

Portfolio Critique Studio

(Positives & Deltas ONLY)

Face-to-Face: The InterviewIt’s All About You. And Them. (Interviews are 2-way.)

Interviews

•Make sure to confirm the exact time and place for the interview.

• Confirm proper 'dress code' with your recruiter. You don't want to be under dressed

or over dressed.

• Ask who you will be meeting with, their title, and how long that meeting is expected

to be.

• Ask the recruiter if there is a particular format for any of the interviews. For example,

one is meant to be a portfolio review, one is more behavioral etc.

• Do research on your interviewers. Be prepared. Note any major career

accomplishments, awards etc...

How to Communicate - Before the Interview

Interviews

• Always take notes. Do not rely on your memory only.

• If the interviewer does not 'break the ice' in the beginning, try to build rapport with

your research knowledge of the interviewer.

• It may be a good idea to state your understanding of the role and requirements for

the role if the interviewer does not begin the interview with this information.

• Clearly state concrete examples of what you have accomplished in your career and

how it maps to what the company is looking for.

• It's ok to need a few minutes to compose your answer during the interview.

How to Communicate - During the Interview

Interviews

• How do you define excellence in user-centered design?

• Tell me about the size and scope of the engagements you have worked on.

•What level of client interaction do you have? (This is applicable for both in house

and consultants…you will have ‘clients’ at in house gigs as well.)

•What software do you use in the production of your deliverable and why?

• How do you collaborate with other team members (visual designers, developers..)?

What’s your approach to working with them?

Questions You Need to Have Answers For

Interviews

• CONCRETE EXAMPLES



• Concrete examples that you are able to work quickly, effectively, and collaboratively

to solve complex design problems.

What the Interviewers Want to Hear

Interviews

•Make sure that you are able to set up each portfolio deliverable showcased with

context of what the design problem was.

• Be able to talk about the experience you were trying to create.

•Make sure you can explain the design rationale. (For example, why did you create a

certain path for shopping cart check out.)

• Talk about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

• Talk about how you validated the solution. (Did you use user testing?)

• Talk about if you would make any improvements to the design now, based on

hindsight.

Interviews With Portfolio Reviews

Interviews

•Make sure that you have the proper name, title, and email address of your

interviewers to send Thank You notes.

• Hand written thank you notes can be a nice personal touch.

• Ask the recruiter for an ETA on the decision. There may be other candidates that the

company needs to interview and this could take time.

• If you have not heard from the recruiter after the expected date, send a friendly

follow up email asking when you may be able to hear what the decision is. If you are

also on a tight time line, be upfront about this.

• If you are turned down for the position, accept the decision gracefully. If you are not

given details, politely ask for the reasons you were not chosen. If the recruiter shares

this with you, DO NOT ARGUE with him/her.

How to Communicate - After the Interview

Interviews

It’s a Two-Way Street

Questions You NEED To Ask

Interviews

• How many clients has the company added in the past year? How many clients has it

lost?

• What’s the company’s strategy for generating new business?

• What has the employee turnover rate been over the past 24 months?

• What’s the company’s policy on work/life balance?

• What kind of tools are provided to help me do my job? How often are they upgraded?

• In the first 60 to 90 days, what’s my first priority? What is the one thing I cannot fail at in

the first year?

• Are employees required to sign a non-compete contract?

Questions You MUST Ask*

*Questions Source: Talent Zoo | Questions You Absolutely Must Ask Your Interviewer by Steve James:

http://www.talentzoo.com/news.php/Questions-You-Absolutely-Must-Ask-Your-Interviewer/?articleID=9159

Interviews

• The interview is your audition. Be prepared and ready to give the best performance of your career.

• Know your sh*t. Be prepared to talk about your best work. Nail it.

• Arrive on time. The interviewer’s time is precious. Also, be patient if they make you

wait. Sometimes things do come up on both sides! If you will be late, try to call

beforehand.

• Have back-ups of sample work in case something fails. Either in print or bring a laptop.



Interviews

• Ask for the job! If you truly feel you can do the job at hand, make it known before

leaving the interview. Ask Name and title (responsibility) of the people who will

interview you

• Google their names and learn about them before the interview

• Learn about the company and their current situation before the interview



Interviews

Show & Tell:

Interview Disasters

Interviews

Group Exercise:

Live Interview Role Play. Volunteers?

Interviews

• If I tell you my current salary, do I burn myself during negotiations?

•What is the time frame to make a hire for this role?

•Why is this position open?

• How long do people stay in roles at the company? Why do they leave?

• How many candidates are being put forward?

• Do you think I’m a good candidate? Why?

•What are the positives/negatives about the company? The manager?

•What will the rest of the interview process be like?

The Questions You’re Afraid to Ask

Interviews

But, Wait...

There’s more.

Interviews

Post-Interview Advice

“The Waiting is the Hardest Part” - Tom Petty

Interviews: Post-Interview

• Be positive. I understand how frustrating it can be when decisions aren’t made

quickly. I like when candidates check in for updates and express their continued

interest, but calling in to complain is a different story. Chances are I’m frustrated as

well and already pushing for decisions to be made.

• Please don’t call or email me every day. Again, checking in is fine but if you contact

me every day I start to think you’re desperate and question why.

• Provide information promptly when requested. If you take a week to get back to

me on something, I will assume you’re not interested in the role.




“Make sure you stand out from the crowd. Personality

counts. Candidates who are good at making a

personal connection with the recruiter or hiring

manager are going to be remembered long after the

one who just comes in, shows their portfolio and

leaves.


Interviews: Post-Interview

Interviews

Thank You Notes

Rarely a two-way street.

Interviews: Thank You Notes

• Courteous gesture

• Additional opportunity to sell yourself

• Cover areas left out of interview

• Send to each person that interviewed you (if multiple)

• Leaves a positive impression if you do it right!

Courtesy Counts


• Thank the employer for his or her time, letting the interviewer know how much you

enjoyed meeting with him or her

• Identify the specific position for which you interviewed

•Mention a key point of your conversation with the interviewer. When writing letters

to multiple interviewers, differentiate your letters by referring to something specific

you learned from the interviewer

• Express enthusiasm for the job/company, and reiterate why you fit well with the

organization.

• Indicate that you look forward to possibility of becoming a member of that

organization

Recommended Format for Thank You Notes


Sample Thank You Note #1



Sample Thank You Note #2


Quitting Your JobIt’s Not Them. It’s You.

Quitting Your Job

• Give at least 2 weeks notice

• Don’t flame-out on your way out (people often return, get references, work, etc.

from previous employers)

• Tie-up loose ends

•Make yourself available as best as you can after you leave

• Remember: This job most likely got you to where your next job is taking you. Be

grateful/thankful

• Commit to Quit: When you do it, there’s no real turning back

Things to Consider Before You Go...

Freelancing & ContractsDocumentation to save your @$$. Legally and Whatnot.

Freelancing & Contracts

ALWAYS.

When Do You Need a Contract?


Don’t Take My Word For It...

“All too often contractors and their clients believe there is a meeting of the minds at the beginning of

their relationship, when in fact ambiguities are

just lying in wait.

Jean Marc Favreau | Peer, Gan & Gisler, LLP | Washington D.C.


Don’t Take My Word For It...

“The more clearly you define the terms and parameters

of your relationship with a client in a written contract

up front, the less likely you will end up fighting over

each party’s obligations down the line.

Jean Marc Favreau | Peer, Gan & Gisler, LLP | Washington D.C.


• Title Page

• Revision history

• Project Overview

• Project Approach

• Scope of Work

• Assumptions

• Deliverables

• Ownership and Rights

• Additional Costs and Fees

• Project Pricing

• Payment Schedule

• Acknowledgement & Sign-off

What’s in a Contract?


Title Pages - They Don’t Have to Be Fancy


Revision History - Know What Changed and When


Project Overview• Describe the project you’ll be working on--in your own words.

• Paint a clear picture of the project for the client.

• 1-2 paragraphs


Project Approach• Tell your client HOW you plan on working on the project with them.

• Define the rules of engagement.

• Explain your process (if you must/desire to do so).


Scope of Work• Identify the division of labor for the project--state what you’re responsible for.

• Identify what the client is responsible for.

• Identify what is included in the price of the project.

• Don’t leave any grey areas!


Assumptions• Tell the client--very clearly--what you need from them to ensure your success.

• These are more like “expectations” than assumptions. :-)

•Make sure to explain impacts if assumptions are not met (delays, failures, etc.).


Deliverables• Identify the work product you will create and deliver to the client.

• Don’t be afraid to identify a variety of deliverables that you *may* produce.


Ownership and Rights•Make certain to explain work that is:

•Work for hire - created under copyright for the party who pays for it (your client).

• Licensed work - use Creative Commons as a resource to identify the types of rights

you may be willing to give for your work.


Additional Costs and Fees• Detail the external costs that are or are not covered in your fees.

• Detail additional services that you provide that the client could opt to pay for.


Project Pricing• Know how long the project will take YOU (or whomever is working on it)

• Find a formula that works for you; it will take time

• Degrees of Difficulty is one approach

• Don’t forget to include Project Management time!

• Determine your billing rate(s)--do some research (IAI Salary Survey, AIGA, etc.)

• Estimate / control the reviews and revisions--stick to it!


Payment Schedule• 50% upfront, 50% upon completion. NO! NO! NO!

• (Well, maybe. But mostly NO!)

• Remember: YOU NEED TO EAT!

• Find payment/invoicing schedules that keep you paying your bills

• Explore retainer options when available

• Consider stipulations for how to handle a project that gets put on hold


Acknowledgement and Sign-off•Without signatures, your contract isn’t worth much

• Ensure that whomever signs-off on the contract is someone who has that authority

http://www.projectuxd.com/downloads


Where Can I Find a Sample Contract?


Don’t Take My Word For It... (Again)

“After the last revision request [from the client], I figured maybe I should

completely reapproach my process. Based on Chapter 3 of your book A

Project Guide to UX Design, I rewrote my scope doc from the ground up.

Two days later, I get a voicemail from the client. They love the new scope

doc, it hits all the points they are concerned about and completely lays

the process out for both their team and ours. Contracts are being prepped

now, and we should be off and running by the end of next week.

Gregg Tomlinson | Principal | Fathead Design, Inc. | Chicago, IL

Thank You.We Hope We’ve Been a Valuable Use of Your Time.

Information Architecture Summit 2011

Amanda Schonfeld

Senior Manager, Recruiting

SapientNitro

Russ Unger

User Experience Director

Happy Cog

career workshop - ia summit 2011 - russ unger & amanda schonfeld

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