Chapter 3

Where to find your ideal designer in 2024

You know the type of designer you want and the kind of role you want them to perform on your team, so what’s next? Recruitment! But before you think of recruiting, define all the key qualities of a designer's role in the form of a thorough job description to ensure that you and the job applicants are on the same page.

A good job description acts as a vetting agent that only brings you candidates who fulfill your requirements. It also informs applicants of what your company can offer them in terms of scope of work, growth, and remuneration — making sure that their time or effort isn’t wasted.

How to write a job description that attracts the right talent

You may wonder if having a job description is optional during the hiring process. The answer is absolutely not. Irrespective of the medium of recruitment, have a job description in hand to provide to any interested candidates. It is one of the best ways to attract talent. So the next question is, how do you write a great job description that attracts the kind of talent you’re looking for?

Describe the company

Start by describing your company — what you do, who you serve, what are the products and services you offer, and what your vision is as a team. It might also be a good idea to briefly describe your company culture. Are you a fast-paced organization with an emphasis on deadlines and results? Or are you a laid-back team that focuses on quality of output and work-life balance? Neither approach is wrong per se, but each person thrives differently under different environments, and letting them know what they can expect when working with you can help them make an informed decision.

Decide on a title and describe the job

The next natural step in the job description is to indicate the job title with a clear focus on the seniority level. Are you looking for a Junior UX Designer or a Senior UX Designer? Once you’ve coined the title, go on to describe what their day-to-day would look like in your company. What are the tasks they would have to perform? Who are the team members they would work with, and who would they report to? This step will further reduce the pool of prospective candidates and only attract those that match your expectations.

Pay attention to the tone of your UX job description since it often serves as the first impression of your company culture to prospective candidates. Make sure that your tone is reflective of your brand identity.

List your requirements and nice-to-haves

Once you’ve got the basics covered, get into the nitty-gritty of things. First, explain what your non-negotiable requirements are.

“Some companies require a specific degree for a design position. Of course, minimum qualification is required, but we'd like to see a candidate's skills.”

Carrie Cardona, Principal Product Design Recruiter at Netflix

The qualifying criteria for candidates can be tailored according to your needs and include:

Educational background
Minimum years of work experience
Portfolio
Specific design skill sets
Knowledge of design tools that you use in your team
Availability to work in-office, hybrid, or remote

You can also mention a few negotiables or nice-to-haves. For instance, if you think that it would be convenient if candidates are located in your time zone when working remotely, but it isn’t mandatory, go ahead and mention it.

More often than not, it might be impossible to find design candidates who match every criteria. Be flexible in your approach and consider hiring promising candidates opportunistically. If they, for example, match 6-7 out of the 10 skills you’re looking for, consider if the remaining skills can be learned on the job.

Tell them how to apply and the deadlines

You could follow all the steps above and still not get the right candidates for your job if you skip the final step of letting them know how to apply. You could invite them to click on the apply button on a job listing, send an email to your HR representative, or follow a link to an application form. Also, don’t forget to clearly mention the application deadline, if there is one.

Here’s an example of a great job description that leaves no detail to question.

Where to find designers

Once you have your job description ready, decide on where you’ll carry out your recruitment. This decision depends on factors such as your recruitment budget, the type of candidates you’re looking for (freelancers or in-house specialists), and your recruitment deadlines.

The places to look for designers include:

Job listings and active recruiting

UX Job lists on apps such as Uxcel Job Board, Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Monster, Work in Startups, AngelList, etc., are a good way to post UX jobs to attract full-time, in-house designers. These platforms are widely popular among job-seekers, so posting on such platforms tends to attract a large pool of applicants.
You can also carry out active research and recruit candidates on apps like LinkedIn by reviewing their profiles and contacting them with a proposition directly if they seem like a good fit.

Freelancing gig platforms

If you are looking for freelance designers to work with on a part-time, ad-hoc basis as and when design needs arise for your team, gig platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and DesignCrowd are your best bet. Here, you’ll be able to find freelance designers, interact with them, review their work, and place orders with them. Payment is usually made upon delivery and there is usually room for iterations and dispute resolution.

Your part-time freelancer can easily be brought on to your team full-time if you find yourselves to be a good fit.

Portfolio websites

The existence of portfolio websites like Behance and Dribbble has made finding designers easier than ever. All you have to do is sign up on these websites and wade through portfolios until you find the one that impresses you. You’ll be able to find both freelancers and designers looking to join you full-time through these portals.

When contacting designers through gig platforms or freelance websites, first send them a preliminary message introducing yourself, your company, and why you’re reaching out to them. Based on their response, you can continue to carry out the conversation over messaging or schedule a meeting to go over the details.

Social media ads and groups

Use the power of social media to your advantage and let the world know that you’re hiring a designer — it has the highest chance of reaching the right talent if done correctly. Most job listing portals allow you to share your post on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. You can also go one step further and create exclusive ads to run on these platforms.

Uxcel Job Board

Make use of Uxcel’s Job Board with a pool of more than 200,000 designers — many of whom have completed assessments, hold skill badges, and have verified designer status. These tools are tailored to assess relevant design topics so that you can find and screen candidates to verify whether they possess the skill sets that are most important to you. You also have the added benefit of only getting a pool of 100% verified candidates that are carefully vetted by the Uxcel experts, speeding up your recruitment process and helping you find the right candidate in no time.

Check out our blog on the 10 Best Job Boards for UX Designers for more insights. Of course, in addition to these platforms, there are more traditional methods of word-of-mouth referrals and recruitment agencies. It is up to you to weigh the pros and cons of each and choose the one that best fits your current needs.

If you come across an interesting design candidate but are unable to make an offer and hire them for whatever reason at the moment, keep their information on file with their consent. If a new role opens up, you’ll have saved yourself the effort of starting the recruitment process all over again.