I like to talk about the company from a design perspective. Focus on mentorship, design culture, co-workers and the type of design challenges the company is currently facing. Make it personal and demonstrate a vision. Being able to talk about how the company melds with your past and how it will elevate you to where you want to be in your future shows a clear understanding of what you want and how to get it.

 Why do you want to work at [company x]?

PMs: I emphasize communication, storytelling, and tradeoffs. PMs manage deadlines, appeal to admins and keep projects running smoothly. Make sure you and your PM are sync’d. Being able to tell a powerful story about your design will also help to make their job easier when trying to persuade other stakeholders.

 How do you work with Project Managers?

When thinking about this question, consider your audience and have a range of apps/websites that can demonstrate a diversity of aspects you find important to design. When I was interviewing, I chose <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/square-cash-send-money-for/id711923939?mt=8" target="_self">SquareCash</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lyft/id529379082?mt=8" target="_self">Lyft</a>, and <a href="http://www.meetup.com/" target="_self">Meetup.com</a> — all experiences I loved for different reasons.

What are some apps or websites that you love?

Focus on crafting a unique and specific definition that sheds light on who you are as a designer. Use this also as an opportunity to tell a story that provides context for your design perspective. However you define UX, make this a chance to add something personal.

How do you define UX/design?

Designers: Show, don’t tell. Focus your attention toward the design problem instead of individual design preferences. Working with other designers is an incredible opportunity for collaboration and can push you to better work. When working with other designers, sometimes I like to practice <a href="https://medium.com/goodux-badux/turning-to-pair-design-dafa4c95ef91" target="_self">pair design</a> — it’s a great way to develop shared ownership over the work and push your individual design limits.

 How do you work with Designers?

Don’t fudge this question! Find some members of the design community now that you admire and start reading — there are a lot of incredible designers out there to source inspiration. If you don’t have a list, check out LinkedIn, Medium, Twitter or design blogs to get started. If you’re feeling brave, reach out to members in the community and begin to cultivate a relationship. It’s remarkable how friendly people in the design circle can be.

Who in the industry do you follow and read?

Use this as a chance to tell a story — and follow a typical story arc: background, opportunity, process, adversity along the way, triumphs, and outcome. Talk about what you did on the project but focus most on why this particular project was so interesting for you. Did it have to do with the people, circumstance, opportunity, or something else?

What is the most interesting project you have worked on?

Having self-awareness of how you work and demonstrating flexibility is key. Consider the company you’re interviewing with — the size, what you know about the culture, and how you might fit into work dynamics. Also be true to yourself. The interviewer will be looking for how you play with others and determine if you’re a good culture fit.

Do you prefer to work alone or with a team?

Think about a time you took on a difficult task head first and struggled through ambiguity to eventually arrive at some conclusion. It doesn’t have to necessarily be a triumphant story as long as you show your willingness to explore, test, (fail), and iterate and demonstrate a commitment to learn and adapt going forward.

How Did You Handle A Difficult Assignment?

For young designers, this can feel like the toughest question to answer. Without a lot of design experience, what you can offer is your hustle and a proven willingness to learn. Emphasize it. And don’t just talk about it —show it. Point to personal projects, blog posts, and other forms of commitment to design that you’ve taken.

Why should I hire you?

Everyone has a different design process (and that’s okay). What will matter is your ability to describe your process and explain the rationale behind your approach. It’s a good idea to have a standard ‘go-to’ process in mind, yet it’s important to acknowledge your design context. Different UX situations inevitably call for different UX processes. It’s a strength to understand your environment and determine a process that’s best fits for your situation.

What is your design process?

Engineers: I’ve found that providing especially close attention to interaction design and accounting for edge cases is important. Engineers are responsible for building the product — making sure that your interactions function properly for all use cases will save your engineer friends time and frustration. Also, try to speak their language — learn how to code. Being confident in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is a great start.

 How do you work with engineers?

I just landed my first full-time role as a UX designer and officially closed my job search. After more than 40 coffee dates, phone calls, design presentations and one-on-one interviews, I’ve come up with this list of 10 UX questions that I found crucial in my search.

Notes from a young designer

I just landed my first full-time role as a UX designer and officially closed my job search. After more than 40 coffee dates, phone calls, design presentations and one-on-one interviews, I’ve come up…

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