I’m currently looking for a full time gig. Job hunting is stressful and there are any number of studies citing its deleterious effects on the human psyche. I know it is stressful on those looking for hires as well. We are all looking for ways to say “no” in hopes that if we reduce the “no’s,” we are left with a “yes.”
I’ve been working independently for a while now and I don’t think this works well for me. Not because I don’t love the work. I have a lot of fun teaching workshops, consulting, and freelancing. Rather it is because when I am in the middle of one paid job, I have to continue looking for that next paid job. After a 10-hour day, I don’t have a ton of energy left to do all of the offline activities that support this. And this is not counting the endless networking I need to do. No, I am much better suited to a full time role that I can really sink my teeth into without distraction. I love to work directly with teams and build relationships together with people over months and years.
In Modern Romance (2015), Aziz Ansari examines the world of modern dating with sharp sardonic eyes. Between the easy to misinterpret texts, the apps, and the ludicrous expectations of Ms./Mr. Perfect, it’s got to be driving most people nuts. I joke with my husband that if we met through an app we would never have gotten together. Mr. Ansari cites Barry Schwartz, a psychology professor at Swarthmore College saying, “We are actually less satisfied and sometimes even have a harder time making a choice at all.”
I see similarities between the modern dating scene where people today have a very hard time finding the right partner, and hiring managers who have trouble finding the perfect candidate. If an employer has too many choices, and they want a candidate to “wow” them, they will almost always be disappointed. As a hiring manager, you are constantly looking for ways to say “no.”
Recently I went through a lengthy interview process. This included an initial video interview. Then a take home exercise requiring a few hours of work. Then a full day starting with a portfolio review followed by back-to-back in-person interviews meeting with 10+ people including another on the board design exercise. It became clear that we had very different expectations of what this role required. It wasn’t a good match and when they decided to not move forward, I was relieved.
There is a huge amount of pressure on design professionals to “wow” people with a portfolio review. But what is expected from a portfolio review varies enormously. Some people are looking for lots of screenshots and images to show that the candidate worked on lots of products. Others want in depth design process definition to see whether it matches their own ideas of process. In the user experience world, we are often faced with being asked to be visual designers even though our core proficiency is in the more abstracted areas of design strategy.
Without knowing what specifically people are looking for it is nearly impossible to anticipate and prepare correctly. When pressed for clarification, most potential employers will say, “Oh you decide. Its really up to you.” But these portfolio reviews rarely meet their needs because they have not expressed their criteria.
This reminds me of the Pepsi Challenge of 35 years ago, when in a side by side taste comparison, people would choose between Coke and Pepsi. Predictably Pepsi claimed most people chose Pepsi over Coke.
In Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), Malcolm Gladwell argues that the “sip test” method itself is flawed. When basing a decision on a single sip, the sweeter choice is usually preferred. However, when drinking a whole can, the less sweet beverage is preferred.
Can this apply to interviewing and presentations as well? It makes me consider rethinking the role of a portfolio review in the interview process. Presenting the “sweeter” imagery of apps I’ve worked on doesn’t really tell the right story. The “less sweet” but more valuable aspects of my work life are what make me a great employee.
I am a design strategist making sure that we know what we are working on is clear and has value. I am a design manager building a lively work environment where good things happen and people are at their best. A CEO once said to me, “You’re not a designer. You’re a facilitator.” After a few milliseconds of getting my hackles up, I realized he was right. Our roles in the design world are changing. Maybe its time to rethink what designers really should be doing in a company.