Product Design

There is no one size fits all guidance for CVs and Portfolios, as we often find that different hiring managers have different requirements. Your consultant should be able to tell you what will be required and work with you to help you present yourself in the best way.

However, there are a few best practice basics which will get you started:

CV:

• Keep to no more than two pages
• Focus on your most relevant experience
• Keep it concise
• Remember that you are selling yourself. Focus on the information that tells your employer ‘why you’.
• Don’t forget to proof read
• Avoid unnecessary cliché’s

Portfolio:

Portfolio requirements for designers can differ quite a lot depending on how you define yourself as a designer. For Product Design, with an end to end skill set, take a look at this article How to put together/ improve your design portfolio.

Being industry specialists for 21 years means that we have long-lasting relationships with clients and candidates alike, with many of the candidates we’ve placed becoming clients, and most of our business coming from referrals. This means that when you go through a recruiter (especially Zebra People), you get the advantage of having someone who knows what clients like, and can advise you on personal preferences and whether you’ll be happy in the role, not just whether you’re qualified for the job. Recruiters also consult with clients to figure out what they’re looking for beyond the job brief.

If you go through a recruiter, you have someone on your side whose job it is to fill the role, so keeping track of applications and feedback is their job, and their success depends on your success, so there’s someone with an equally vested interest in your application process. We are also familiar with negotiating salaries and understand how to get you the best deal, without compromising your chances. Because of the consultative nature of going through a recruiter, we can also reach out if an opportunity comes in that we know you might be passionate about or be a particularly good fit for, or that you otherwise might not have heard about.

A Product Designer is slightly more entrepreneurial than the more technical UX or the more aesthetic UI designer. All three should have the unique skill of thinking from the user’s perspective and understanding that without the user’s endorsement, a product will ultimately fail, no matter how good the idea is.  A Product Designer is someone who understands the importance of each step of a product’s creation, from relatively first-hand experience, although the requirements of what the Product Designer will need to be directly involved in, and what they’ll have support on, varies depending on the stage of the product and the make-up of the team. They essentially need to be business savvy, technically experienced, and have a good eye for visual craft, all in one…

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether it’s time to leave a role. These are a few signs that it might be time to look for something new:

• The feel of the role is stagnated. You aren’t excited anymore. There are 100s of roles out there, and if you’re not being challenged, you should bring this to your manager. He/her response will show you where your future stands with this current organisation.
• You’re looking for more flexibility. Most roles nowadays do have some degree of hybrid working. The flexibility allows you to plan your week in and out of work – meaning you can do more for yourself.
• Your role is no longer challenging. Maybe you’ve been in your current role for several years and worked your way through the business, there might not be a lot that you can get involved in from a learning perspective.. but are you sharing this knowledge with junior members of staff? If this is something that you want to and aren’t given the opportunity to manage, you should mention this.
• You lack a mentor. Career progression is easy with a little direction. Find out what your employer’s long term plan is for you, and the business. If it’s limited, it’s a good time to look at companies that can offer training and development.
• Your workplace is toxic. We’ve all had a boss we don’t see eye to eye with. But there is no room for discrimination/ bullying or inequality in any workplace. You are at work most of your day, and no company is worth staying at to destroy your mental health.

There are a few things to think about before going into project based or freelance work. We’ve put together an article: considering whether to go freelance?