This week we looked at interviews and what you may be expected to know and understand about the role you are applying for.
There are certain points that interviewers want to hear without asking directly. They want to understand your thinking process but every question asked has a purpose. Below are some points that you should include in ur answers even if they are not asking for them directly in the question, adding these in when they are relevant to answers
Prior work experience
As we are currently in second year of Interaction Design, the likelihood of anyone having relevant experience is low. Even if you have no experience working in a job role you are applying for eg. UX designer. You can use other experience like part time jobs that have allowed you to gain experience that is relevant to what the company is looking for such as time management skills, innovative thinking, problem solving, communication skills etc.
Listing these strengths will let the interviewer know the skills you have, therefore all they need to do is judge your design process.
Understand the role
It is always important to research the company, brief, job role and what the company is looking for. With this, the questions the interviewer is asking will somehow relate to their values which is what they will most be looking out for in your answers. It would be ideal to know these values before going in to the interview, also to ensure you agree with their values.
Enthusiasm about job/company/ subject
A employer will always gravitate towards the candidate that is most enthusiastic about the company/business. This is why the repetitive question “Why do you want to work here?” always comes up in an interview. Someone that is passionate about the company, as maybe they believe in their brand values or like what they are providing to users, will be a much better suited candidate than someone just their for the money. The job you are applying for must also suit your values and preferences as well. You must analyse the company as much as they analyse you.
Willing to learn
You must be willing to learn from mistakes and accept past mistakes and be prepared to make mistakes and solve them. The company you are applying for may have a specific design process or system that you have to adapt into your own. Employers will want someone who is responsible and takes ownership of actions and decisions.
Aspirations and ambitions
Informing the employers on long term career goals and what drives you where do you want to go. This allows the user to understand your goals and from here they can help you or drive you in the right direction.
User centered approach
You must ensure that a user centered approach is part of your design process, and that you value the user in your process of projects. This should be a top priority for every designer and showing this and the extent you go for the user will show to the employer you will create the most effective and intuitive design for the user. Relating to your recent work such as a challenge would be a perfect example for the interviewer on how you work.