Ajiboye Temilade UI/UX DESIGNER

I was speaking with a designer recently who had been interviewing for a while. Not struggling to get interviews o. He was getting them. Sometimes second stage. Sometimes final stage. But somehow, the offer was not coming through. So naturally, he thought the problem was his accent. He had even started trying to sound more American with one fake borrowed accent. I asked him to walk me through one of his projects like we were actually in an interview. His work was really good, I’m not even going to deny that part. Very good actually. But about 10 minutes into the call, I could already see the problem. Every response he gave me was about what he made. “We designed this.” “We added this.” “We created this flow.” But almost nothing about why. Nothing really about the role he played. Nothing about tough decisions he had to make. Some of the stories were not even connecting properly. I don’t even know if it was the accent causing that particular one 😂 So I started asking him some annoying questions. Why did you choose this direction? Was there ever a time everyone disagreed with your design decision? If yes, how did you handle it? When a stakeholder disagrees with your work, how do you convince them? Did users actually ask for this? What did engineering push back on? What did the business want? What did you have to compromise on? That was where things started getting uncomfortable. I could tell he knew what he wanted to say. But he could not articulate it properly. And unfortunately, these guys don’t really care that you “know it in your head.” There are too many options out there for them to choose from. And I think this is where a lot of designers misunderstand interviews. By the time somebody has invited you to speak with them, they can already see that you can design. Your portfolio did that part. Now they are trying to figure out what it would actually feel like to work with you. Can you explain a decision without going round in circles? Can you politely disagree with an opinion that does not sit well with you? Can you understand when the business needs something different from what you originally designed? Can you work with engineers when the perfect solution is not possible for them to build? Can you look at a messy problem and bring some clarity to it? That is the part most hiring managers find interesting. Sometimes the screen is the easy part. The real work might be everything that happens before that screen gets approved. Anyway, by the end of our conversation, I told him not to touch his accent again 😂 Leave the accent alone. Learn how to communicate your thought process properly. Practice talking about the work. Not presenting it. Talking about it. You know that way you discuss your ex with someone who actually cares to listen? The way you suddenly remember every detail? 😂😂 Eheee. Just like that. That is how you should be able to tell the story behind your experience. All those messy situations. The back and forth. And yes, it might even require you to practice in the mirror. As stupid as that sounds, it works. If this helped you, just tap the follow button gently ooo and repost this for someone preparing for their next interview. And if you have an interview strategy that has worked for you, abeg share it. Somebody might need it.