My SoulTeam - UX Talks

Sarah Donaldson is the Lead Product Designer @ Fullscript. Sarah shares how she got into the industry by accident, what is the difference between an intermediate and a senior designer, and what you can do to start positioning yourself as one. We also talk about what makes recruiters ignore candidates just because of their job application, and Sarah's expectations of portfolio, resume, interviewing, and asking good interview questions. And lastly, we touch on the topic of Design Ops and what makes a good design lead. Links: Sarah on Linkedin

Sarah Donaldson is the Lead Product Designer @ Fullscript. Sarah shares how she got into the industry by accident, what is the difference between an intermediate and a senior designer, and what you can do to start positioning yourself as one. We also talk about what makes recruiters ignore candidates just because of their job application, and Sarah's expectations of portfolio, resume, interviewing, and asking good interview questions. And lastly, we touch on the topic of Design Ops and what makes a good design lead. Links: Sarah on Linkedin

Sarah Donaldson is the Lead Product Designer @ Fullscript. Sarah shares how she got into the industry by accident, what is the difference between an intermediate and a senior designer, and what you can do to start positioning yourself as one. We also talk about what makes recruiters ignore candidates just because of their job application, and Sarah's expectations of a portfolio, resume, interviewing, and asking good interview questions. And lastly, we touch on the topic of Design Ops and what makes a good design lead. Sarah on Linkedin

Josh is a freelance UX designer from Vancouver, Canada. Josh talks about his career journey and how he transitioned from engineering into UX. He speaks to the differences between working as a consultant and as a permanent employee. Also, we discuss the challenges of building a community, and also the benefits they can bring. In addition, Josh gives valuable advice on starting out and some tips to increase your chances of getting through the door. Links: Portfolio Email Josh ADP List Iterate UX Book "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less" Episode page

Josh is a freelance UX designer from Vancouver, Canada. Josh talks about his career journey and how he transitioned from engineering to UX. He speaks to the differences between working as a consultant and as a permanent employee. Also, we discuss the challenges of building a community, and also the benefits they can bring. In addition, Josh gives valuable advice on starting out and some tips to increase your chances of getting through the door. Portfolio Email Josh ADP List Iterate UX Book "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less"

Josh is a freelance UX designer from Vancouver, Canada. Josh talks about his career journey and how he transitioned from engineering into UX. He speaks to the differences between working as a consultant and as a permanent employee. Also, we discuss the challenges of building a community, and also the benefits they can bring. In addition, Josh gives valuable advice on starting out and some tips to increase your chances of getting through the door. Links: Portfolio Email Josh ADP List Iterate UX Book "Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less" Episode page

Christopher Behr is the Design Lead at Impala, a remote-first B2B startup in travel industry. We talk about Chris's journey in the Design industry and some key takeaways. We discuss the pros and cons of hiring generalists and specialists and why so many companies look for unicorns. Also, Chris shares what kind of side projects he finds more valuable in a portfolio, and gives some tips on how to design your resume and case studies, and many more useful tips on getting a job in UX. Links: Christopher on Linkedin Christopher on Twitter Episode page

Christopher Behr is the Design Lead at Impala, a remote-first B2B startup in the travel industry. We talk about Chris's journey in the Design industry and some key takeaways. We discuss the pros and cons of hiring generalists and specialists and why so many companies look for unicorns. Also, Chris shares what kind of side projects he finds more valuable in a portfolio, and gives some tips on how to design your resume and case studies, and many more useful tips on getting a job in UX. Christopher on Linkedin Christopher on Twitter

Christopher Behr is the Design Lead at Impala, a remote-first B2B startup in travel industry. We talk about Chris's journey in the Design industry and some key takeaways. We discuss the pros and cons of hiring generalists and specialists and why so many companies look for unicorns. Also, Chris shares what kind of side projects he finds more valuable in a portfolio, and gives some tips on how to design your resume and case studies, and many more useful tips on getting a job in UX. Links: Christopher on Linkedin Christopher on Twitter Episode page

Ashish is the Head of Product at Visualping, a website change monitoring service for businesses and also people. Ashish shares how he got into Product from consulting and Project Management, and educates me on job title and roles in the Product Management world. We also talk about the art of influencing and building trust with stakeholders and leadership, and what framework Ashish used to get buy-in to work on a project that helped him get on the path of product management. Then, he shares the biggest challenge of context-switching between strategic and tactical mindsets. And from the point of view of person hiring designers, what are the key answers he is looking for when reviewing candidates. And at the end, Ashish shares some insights about the Design team at his current company Visualping. Links: Ashish on Linkedin Email Ashish Episode page

Ashish is the Head of Product at Visualping, a website change monitoring service for businesses and also people. Ashish shares how he got into Product from consulting and Project Management, and educates me on job title and roles in the Product Management world. We also talk about the art of influencing and building trust with stakeholders and leadership, and what framework Ashish used to get buy-in to work on a project that helped him get on the path of product management. Then, he shares the biggest challenge of context-switching between strategic and tactical mindsets. And from the point of view of a person hiring designers, key answers he is looking for when reviewing candidates. And at the end, Ashish shares some insights about the Design team at his current company Visualping. Ashish on Linkedin Email Ashish

Ashish is the Head of Product at Visualping, a website change monitoring service for businesses and also people. Ashish shares how he got into Product from consulting and Project Management, and educates me on job title and roles in the Product Management world. We also talk about the art of influencing and building trust with stakeholders and leadership, and what framework Ashish used to get buy-in to work on a project that helped him get on the path of product management. Then, he shares the biggest challenge of context-switching between strategic and tactical mindsets. And from the point of view of person hiring designers, what are the key answers he is looking for when reviewing candidates. And at the end, Ashish shares some insights about the Design team at his current company Visualping. Links: Ashish on Linkedin Email Ashish Episode page

Rachel is a Senior UX Designer, currently working at a FAANG company. We talk about how Rachel got into the UX field, how her education in Chemistry and Business helped her gain skills that made her a better designer, the love of complexity working with internal tools and a ton of constraints, why it is important to be authentic to your true self, tailoring your resume to the job you want, what portfolio design pisses her off, finding new projects to add to your case studies, common mistakes during white-boarding exercises, and a lot more. Rachel on Linkedin

Rachel is a Senior UX Designer, currently working at a FAANG company. We talk about how Rachel got into the UX field, how her education in Chemistry and Business helped her gain skills that made her a better designer, the love of complexity working with internal tools and a ton of constraints, why it is important to be authentic to your true self, tailoring your resume to the job you want, what portfolio design pisses her off, finding new projects to add to your case studies, common mistakes during white-boarding exercises, and a lot more. Links: Rachel on Linkedin Episode page

Nick is a Senior User Researcher. We talk about his origin story and the aha moment when he was watching users not being able to figure out how to use their product, differences working on internal and external products, his key takeaways from a 10-year-long career, one of the biggest challenges for researchers - how to manage stakeholders and some strategies how you can do it better, portfolios and if you need one for job applications, what makes a great researcher, and much more. Nick on Linkedin User Research Collective Facebook group

Nick is a Senior User Researcher. We talk about his origin story and the aha moment when he was watching users not being able to figure out how to use their product, differences working on internal and external products, his key takeaways from a 10-year long career, one of the biggest challenges for researchers - how to manage stakeholders and some strategies how you can do it better, portfolios and if you need one for job applications, what makes a great researcher, and much more. Links: Nick on Linkedin User Research Collective Facebook group Episode page

David is a Senior Technical Recruiter helping tech companies find candidates. We talk about his story of getting into the industry, how recruitment agencies work, the advantages and disadvantages of working with a recruiter, why they are being vague with some opportunities and why candidates are being ghosted, tips on optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile, and many more insights from the life of a recruiter. David on Linkedin David on Twitter Harvard Resume and Cover Letter guide (pdf, 2Mb)

David is a Senior Technical Recruiter helping tech companies find candidates. We talk about his story of getting into the industry, how recruitment agencies works, the advantages, and disadvantages of working with a recruiter, why they are being vague with some opportunities and why candidates are being ghosted, tips on optimizing your resume and LinkedIn profile, and many more insights from the life of a recruiter. Links: David on Linkedin David on Twitter Harvard Resume and Cover Letter guide (pdf, 2Mb) Episode page

Irina is the Product Design Manager at Clio, a Vancouver-based tech company in the legal space. We talk about her journey from journalism to design leadership, the valuable experiences from the previous careers, what she is looking for in resumes and portfolios, and how you should tell the story for a project. We also talk about the case study structure and why you should start it by framing the problem. And a lot more valuable insights. Irina on Linkedin Clio

Irina is the Product Design Manager at Clio, a Vancouver-based tech company in the legal space. We talk about her journey from journalism to design leadership, the valuable experiences from the previous careers, what she is looking for in resumes and portfolios, and how you should tell the story for a project. We also talk about the case study structure and why you should start it by framing the problem. And a lot more valuable insights! Links: Irina on Linkedin Clio Episode page

Stan is the Director of Experience Design at a design agency. We talk about his journey in design, how he transitioned to the management role, how to stand out, the value of the previous experiences when switching careers, tips on portfolio and resume, the future of collaboration between product designers and product managers. Stan also shares the team structure, design, and interview process they currently use at Domain7, and a whole lot more interesting insights for designers looking for a job. Stan on Twitter Stan on Linkedin Email Stan

Stan is the Director of Experience Design at a design agency. We talk about his journey in design, how he transitioned to the management role, how to stand out, the value of the previous experiences when switching careers, tips on portfolio and resume, the future of collaboration between product designers and product managers. Stan also shares the team structure, design, and interview process they currently use at Domain7, and a whole lot more interesting insights for designers looking for a job. Links: Stan on Twitter Stan on Linkedin Email Stan Episode page

This is a continuation of my conversation with Janos. We talk about the future of accessibility as a practice, the assistive technologies, and the role of accessibility specialists. Also, we discuss the most common objections from the business side and how he handles them. Janos on Linkedin Janos on Twitter AODA - Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act W3C: The Business Case for Digital Accessibility Teamtam accessible colour palette builder

This is a continuation of my conversation with Janos. We talk about the future of accessibility as a practice, the assistive technologies, and the role of accessibility specialists. Also, we discuss the most common objections from the business side and how he handles them. Links: Janos on Linkedin Janos on Twitter AODA W3C - The Business Case for Digital Accessibility Teamtam accessible color palette builder Episode page

Janos is an experienced certified web accessibility specialist who spent the last 5 years driving accessibility efforts in a large financial institution. We talk about his story of getting into the field, why inclusive design is important, how you can start learning the basics, the challenges of retrofitting existing internal tools to satisfy accessibility requirements, and a lot more. Also, Janos shares a bunch of easy tips and tools for designers who want to create accessible products and experiences. We got so much content, that we couldn't fit all the information into 1 recording, so we are going to get the second session focusing on the future of accessibility in design and common objections against it. Janos on Linkedin Janos on Twitter axe by Deque

Janos is an experienced certified web accessibility specialist who spent the last 5 years driving accessibility efforts in a large financial institution.  We talk about his story of getting into the field, why inclusive design is important, how you can start learning the basics, the challenges of retrofitting existing internal tools to satisfy accessibility requirements, and a lot more.  Also, Janos shares a bunch of easy tips and tools for designers who want to create accessible products and experiences. We got so much content, that we couldn't fit all the information into 1 recording, so we are going to get the second session focusing on the future of accessibility in design and common objections against it. Links: Janos on Linkedin Janos on Twitter axe by Deque Episode page

Rabiya is an experienced leader who has led several design teams and hired many designers. We talk about her journey starting from kinesiology to becoming a Head of UX at a digital product agency, the importance of showing your personality as a candidate, the value of being a curious person, tips on adding better case studies to your portfolio, and how designing for emotions will become even more important in future. Rabiya on Linkedin

Rabiya is an experienced leader who has led several design teams and hired many designers. We talk about her journey starting from kinesiology to becoming a Head of UX at a digital product agency, the importance of showing your personality as a candidate, the value of being a curious person, tips on adding better case studies in your portfolio, and how designing for emotions will become even more important in future. Links: Rabiya on Linkedin Episode page

Phil is a creative design and UX leader with broad and diverse experience working with startups, government agencies, and large enterprises. We talk about Phil's journey to becoming a UX lead managing a team of 12. We discuss the importance of being authentic when presenting your work, the issue with over-designed resumes, the value of showing transferrable skills from previous careers, why illustrating projects solving real-world problems is more important than sleekly-designed imaginary ones, and a lot more takeaways about UX career. Phil on Linkedin

Phil is a creative design and UX leader with broad and diverse experience working with startups, government agencies, and large enterprises. We talk about Phil's journey to becoming a UX lead managing a team of 12. We discuss the importance of being authentic when presenting your work, the issue with over-designed resumes, the value of showing transferrable skills from previous careers, why illustrating projects solving real-world problems is more important than sleekly-designed imaginary ones, and a lot more takeaways about UX career. Links: Phil on Linkedin Episode page

Sarah is a senior UX professional with a lot of experience in designing products, managing teams, and now teaching a UX course. We talk about building relationships on social media, volunteering and partnering with other people to work on projects for your portfolio, what you should show in the case studies, the importance of cover letters, insights about working with recruiters to hire designers, and many more topics on the UX career. Sarah on Linkedin

Sarah is a senior UX professional with a lot of experience in designing products, managing teams, and now teaching a UX course. We talk about building relationships on social media, volunteering and partnering with other people to work on projects for your portfolio, what you should show in the case studies, the importance of cover letters, insights about working with recruiters to hire designers, and many more topics on UX career. Links: Sarah on Linkedin Episode page

Andy shares his story from getting curious about UX design to launching his own design boutique agency Futureform. We talk about having an open mind to working on different kinds of products across diverse industries and problem spaces, understanding your strengths and passions and highlighting them in your resume, being honest when presenting your work and being clear on what was your particular role in a project. Also, we talk about the future of the profession and how important it is and will be to have the “Keep learning and be ready to change” mindset, and a lot more. Andy on Linkedin Futureform

Andy shares his story from getting curious about UX design to launching his own design boutique agency Futureform. We talk about having an open mind to working on different kinds of products across diverse industries and problem spaces, understanding your strengths and passions and highlighting them in your resume, being honest when presenting your work and clear on what was your particular role in a project. Also, we talk about the future of the profession and how important it is and will be to have the “Keep learning and be ready to change” mindset, and a lot more. Links: Andy on Linkedin Futureform Episode page

Vince has more than 15 years of experience building products and managing design teams for brands like Costco, Walmart, Air Canada, Staples, and more. Vince talks about his origin story and how he become a design director. We discuss the differences between skills needed for a manager and for an individual contributor, the importance of believing in yourself, and why a generic resume is a red flag for the hiring manager. Vince shares his thoughts on the value of storytelling during interviews and the grim future of UI design. Vince on Linkedin PNI Media

Vince has more than 15 years of experience building products and managing design teams for brands like Costco, Walmart, Air Canada, Staples, and more. Vince talks about his origin story and how he become a design director. We discuss the differences between skills needed for a manager and for an individual contributor, the importance of believing in yourself, and why a generic resume is a red flag for the hiring manager. Vince shares his thoughts on the value of storytelling during interviews and the grim future of UI design. Links: Vince on Linkedin PNI Media Episode page

Jaybe is a senior design leader with over 25 years of experience building products and services and leading teams. This is an episode from the “Q&A With Design Managers” series. Jaybe shares his story of becoming a design leader and gives advice on how to stand out from others and the common mistakes he sees in applications and portfolios. He also shares excellent insights on what hiring managers find important and how they think. Also, we talk about empathy-building as one of the key activities that will be hard to automate, why companies are not rushing to hire junior designers, and a lot more. Jaybe on Linkedin Benevity

Jaybe is a senior design leader with over 25 years of experience building products and services and leading teams. This is an episode from the “Q&A With Design Managers” series. Jaybe shares his story of becoming a design leader, gives advice on how to stand out from others and the common mistakes he sees in applications and portfolios. He also shares excellent insights on what hiring managers find important and how they think. Also, we talk about empathy-building as one of the key activities that will be hard to automate, why companies are not rushing to hire junior designers, and a lot more. Links: Jaybe on Linkedin Benevity Episode page

Mark is a UX practitioner with over 10 years of experience and is currently working as a UX director at a digital innovation studio. This is an episode from the “Q&A with Design Managers” series. Mark shares his story, his thoughts on how to stand out from others and his 15-page resume, what makes a good portfolio and resume, the future of the UX design job, switching careers, and a lot more. Mark on Linkedin TTT Studios

Mark is a UX practitioner with over 10 years of experience and is currently working as a UX director at a digital innovation studio. This is an episode from the “Q&A with Design Managers” series. Mark shares his story, his thoughts on how to stand out from others and his 15-page resume, what makes a good portfolio and resume, the future of the UX design job, switching careers, and a lot more. Links: Mark on Linkedin TTT Studios Episode page

Joyce is a senior UX professional with more than 10 years of experience across different industries. This is an episode from the “Q&A with Design Managers” series. Joyce shares her thoughts on how to stand out from others, what makes a good portfolio and resume, the future of the UX design profession, the pros and cons of UX bootcamps, and a lot more. Joyce on Linkedin

Joyce is a senior UX professional with more than 10 years of experience across different industries. This is an episode from the “Q&A with Design Managers” series. Joyce shares her thoughts on how to stand out from others, what makes a good portfolio and resume, the future of the UX design profession, the pros and cons of UX bootcamps, and a lot more. Links: Joyce on Linkedin Episode page