Struggling Junior Product Designer here hoping someone has some advice? I have just finished a bootcamp and have been applying to jobs for the past 3 wks with no calls from recruiters. I have a few apps that say “under consideration”. I know bootcamps aren’t a guarantee for a job and I’ve tried to learn as much about UX from other sources too. I’m just looking to get industry experience bc no amount of self learning will beat that. Any advice or guidance is much appreciated!

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3 weeks is pretty short, but can definitely feel like an eternity if no one's calling you back. If you're not getting screener calls, there may be a disconnect in your resume and the needs of the companies you're applying to. That's the first hurdle you have to get through. It might help for you to align your resume with the job listings. Have you had your resume revised by your bootcamp?Do they offer post-graduation career support? If you need any help, I'd be happy to take a look.

The next step after would be your portfolio. Make sure you have your portfolio link attached on your resume.

Bootcamp portfolios may all end up looking alike though since most of bootcamp work I've seen is group-based, so it may help if you have something else outside of your bootcamp work to differentiate yourself - that you got other skills to show too.

When I first started out in UX (4 yrs ago), I pivoted from web design and had a couple of my own ux passion projects in my portfolio. The job search started out really slow too. Took 4 months for me at the time to land something and the market definitely wasn't like what it is now. I looked into several Senior Product and UX Designers' portfolios and resumes to see how they structured their pieces, their storytelling, etc and iterated mine as I saw fit, while networking and asking for feedback through slack and design communities.

What industry do you want to work in? Which part of the ux process do you want to do? Is your resume targetting what you're looking for?

I also sent out emails directly to companies and landed myself an internship in a design agency. Ultimately I continued within agency which was the work I wanted my portfolio to attract: saas, enterprise, and B2B applications. It's a bumpy ride at first, but continue to working on your resume and portfolio.

If your apps are under consideration and haven't received any rejections yet, don't get discouraged just yet. Sometimes it takes longer for recruiters to go through the list. They're busier than ever also.

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Both are welcome!

Continue to work on your resume and your portfolio!

@yalda - if you need an extra pair of eyes or feedback, I have some extra time now and I'd be happy to help. I've been helping OP the past couple days. Feel free to DM whenever

Start reaching out to people on LinkedIn that have UX / design roles at companies you like - and ask for 1:1's! Also, start connecting with bootcamp alumni who have gotten jobs elsewhere. Ask for coffee, mentorship, etc., and they may have the lead on open positions!

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Thank you! I’ve a messaged a few people on LinkedIn but no responses and its been weeks so I’ll try to find others. Appreciate your help!

It took me 4 months to land a role after my bootcamp (just started full time in January). When I started looking and didn’t hear for 2-3 weeks, I decided to overhaul my entire portfolio (redesign website and rewrite case studies) and then started to get interviews.

I highly recommend doing side projects with real stakeholders and collaboration with PMs or devs while searching. Bootcamp projects are fine, but not reflective of a critical part of product development which includes cross collaboration and real impact metrics. I found myself leveraging my real world projects because I was asked about working with developers in every interview.

But it’s also luck too. I think I got lucky with my role now; it was a referral and the team was looking for a mid level role but decided to give me a chance. If you have any Q’s about my experience interviewing dm me!

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Thank you so much for the help! I definitely will DM you (hopefully it works bc my profile isnt verified yet). Really appreciate the help!

DM me if you'd like some advice or tips that may be able to help

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Appreciate it, will do!

Keep going, it might take longer than 3 weeks

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Thank you! Yes, I need to work on my patience lol

Feel free to dm me

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Thank you! Sent a dm request

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