How to Find and Lockdown Great UX Talent

The user experience (UX) field has become a fast-paced market, exploding into not only a beneficial but a necessary component to a company’s success. User centric design is imperative, leaving companies scrambling to find qualified UX designers to keep their products, services, and businesses thriving and with a competitive edge.

But in a UX candidate driven market, the traditional recruitment processes companies have come to recognize and implement may need a pick me up if they want to attract and hold on to the right candidates.

Here are our top tips to help you get a leg up on your competitors.

Thoroughly understand and define the role.

UX casts a wide net with many specialized skills, so knowing precisely what your company needs will help in determining which skills are necessary for success. Define the specific assets needed to create this role and determine what the day-to-day tasks will include. UX can include anything from prototyping, wireframing, creating personas, visual design, product or user research, but some UX designers may be specialized in one area and not another.

Additionally, decide what your short and long-term goals are for this particular role. Who will they will be reporting to? Where does their role fall within the organization?

The more you can define upfront, the better.

Write an exceptional job description.

The importance of writing a top-notch job description often gets overlooked, but it is instrumental in determining the type of candidates you entice. By taking the time to thoroughly evaluate open positions and meticulously describe the essential responsibilities, companies can avoid confusion and outreach from those who may not possess the requisite skill set.

A thoughtfully written job description will include the expectations of the day-to-day, overall scope, and why candidates should want to work for you. Reading your description should not only thoroughly describe the role and deliverables, but your company and culture. What makes your organization stand out from others? If you offer a handsome benefits package with unlimited vacation time, provide team building workshops and collaborative activities, or encourage ping pong at a table in the break room, figure out what sets you apart and don’t be afraid to include it.

Streamline the process.

In a candidate driven market, it’s important that when you have the right UX individual for the job in front of you, you don’t lose them. Long screening periods and prolonged interview rounds can leave candidates open for other opportunities. Make the interview process streamlined and focused. Line up second and third interviews quickly and develop a system to keep candidates updated and validated throughout the process.

It’s a two-way street.

Long gone are the days of holding all the cards as the interviewer and providing low offers in the name of negotiation. UX candidates are in demand, and if you want the best you may need to take a different approach. Don’t forget that as you determine whether this candidate is a good fit for your company, they’re deciding on whether the company is a good fit for them. Take the time to get to know the candidate’s goals not only for their role within your company, but their long-term career goals. Discuss ways in which their path could evolve from their original role and scope, or avoid potential upheaval if you don’t believe your plans for the future align.

And when you find that UX team member of your dreams, specifically if you are hiring senior talent, deliver your best offer rather than your lowest. This can help avoid the back and forth of a potential bidding war with competitors and demonstrate your strong interest. Do your best to make your offer candidate specific and recognize their individual needs. What might be beneficial to them specifically? Perhaps that’s a package that includes specified remote days for someone with a longer commute, or reimbursement for particular commuting fees.

Seek professional help.

As the UX field continues to grow, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the intricacies of UX roles, how they differ and how past experience can provide for future growth. Working with an external recruiting firm that specializes in UX can be invaluable in the hiring process. They can assist in helping to define the specified role and create a job description that speaks to UX designers in their language.

Additionally, they know where to find the best talent. Utilizing additional resources and UX boards (beyond LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed) a successful UX recruiting and staffing agency will attract high level candidates directly and use their connections through UX communities to do outreach.

Through attracting the right people and taking the additional step of screening against UX standards of best practices, you can rest easy knowing that the UX candidates you are interviewing are of the highest quality and value to your business.

About UX Hires

UX Hires helps you build your dream UX team or find you the perfect UX job. We are experts in User Experience recruitment and understand brands and agencies alike. UX Hires has an unparalleled understanding of UX Design, UX Research, and Visual/UI Design space and reach within the community.