How To Stay Motivated Applying to UX Jobs

As everyone is aware, the job hunt at any time is pretty brutal. With everything that has been happening this past year, more and more people are finding themselves out of work. The competition is fierce and job experience is crucial in landing that sought after UX position. It seems like an impossible feat, how can one gain the necessary experience for a role if no company is willing to take a chance on them?

The UX/UI Design industry is a relatively new industry that is gaining more and more traction. Schools are pushing out bootcamp classes with new classes graduating monthly. The industry is overpopulated with eager design graduates ready to embark on their design careers. These graduates can be fresh out of college and brand new to the working world, or people who have decided to change their career path and pursue UX to find that passion that was lacking in their last career. Regardless, these graduates worked hard during the 6–11 month bootcamp, learning the industry and working with real clients, and are ready to begin their careers and continue learning and growing.

So, what happens after graduation?

After graduating from the course, eager graduates spend some time perfecting their portfolios and then embark on the job hunt. They are told to be patient, that it could take up to months before landing that first job. They are given techniques and are encouraged to network with anyone and everyone within the industry willing to give you the time. They network, they send out endless applications, maybe a couple of interviews, but to no avail. Time goes by and that initial excitement starts to waiver. Rejection seeps in and you begin to doubt yourself, your capabilities as a designer, and you might begin to wonder whether or not you belong in this industry.

How do you stay motivated after weeks or months of rejection?

The best piece of advice I’ve received is to stay positive, as hard as that might be. Continue to grow your network, apply to jobs, and know that the right job will come at the right time. All it takes is one! If this is the career you want, don’t give up (as cliche as that sounds). Keep honing in on your skills and keep working on your portfolio. Apply to internships, offer freelance work, and keep reminding yourself that it’s going to happen. Another thing you should remind yourself is that a lot of the rejections are due to your experience level, which is unfortunate but unavoidable. Keep applying to those jobs, but don’t let it get you down. We are junior designers and we need to find that junior role where we can learn and grow. These jobs are harder to find in any industry, but not impossible. Remind yourself why you took the bootcamp, and don’t let yourself get dejected. It’s hard but it’s not impossible, and only you can make it happen.