Navigating Career Transition: How to Address Current Job Dissatisfaction with Future Employers
As a dedicated UI/UX Designer, I sometimes find myself grappling with the challenges of my current role. While I appreciate the wonderful team and invaluable experience working at my current company, the reality of our project environment has made it increasingly difficult to take pride in the outcomes we produce. Currently, we are focused on developing a minimum viable product (MVP), which puts considerable pressure on timelines and often leads to compromised design integrity.
Our project manager, who previously held a marketing role, might lack the technical and design understanding required for optimal product development. Consequently, the front-end work, often handled by back-end developers with limited experience in modern CSS techniques like Grid and Flexbox, reflects these challenges. The results, in my opinion, are not up to par, leaving me in a quandary about how to present my work to potential future employers.
Given that I am under a study contract that extends until February 2025, my departure is not imminent unless significant changes occur. Meanwhile, I am keen to strategize for my future career path. As the only significant project I have collaborated on in a professional setting, I find myself questioning the quality of the product when it comes to showcasing it in my portfolio. Although I possess a variety of designs that I created under tight deadlines, the limitations imposed by little user testing and a suboptimal design system raise concerns about their effectiveness.
A growing fear of being queried to provide a link to the product or my designs looms over me. I worry that I will need to defend the work with remarks like, “I promise, I can do much better.” This leads me to ponder whether I should omit this project from my portfolio altogether or focus on initiating personal projects to highlight my skills independently.
What Are Your Options?
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Curate Your Portfolio: Instead of fearing what may not meet your standards, showcase specific designs that you genuinely believe in. This might involve picking projects where your contributions were most substantial or where you executed a particular skill well.
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Personal Projects: Engage in side projects that align closely with what you want to do professionally. This not only enriches your portfolio but also allows you to demonstrate your abilities outside the constraints of your current job’s limitations.
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Continuous Learning: Take advantage of online courses, workshops, or webinars to enhance your skills. This will not only enrich your knowledge but also provide you with additional projects or exercises that can be included in your portfolio.
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Be Honest in Interviews: Should the topic arise, focus on what you have learned during your time in your current role. Emphasize your willingness to grow and improve, underlining your commitment to delivering high-quality design work.
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Seek Feedback: Connect with mentors or colleagues and ask for their opinions on your work. Constructive criticism can be invaluable in improving your designs and insights for future projects.
While it’s understandable to feel uncertain about your current job’s output, remember that growth often happens in challenging environments. Use this time to explore and expand your skills while preparing to present your best self to future employers when the time comes.
2 responses to “Don’t like the work I make at my current employer. How to explain this to future employers?”
Your situation is quite common among creatives and professionals who find themselves in roles where their personal standards for quality don’t align with their employer’s execution. It’s great that you’re thinking strategically about your future, especially given your current contract. Here are some practical steps and factors to consider as you navigate this landscape and prepare for future opportunities.
1. Understanding Your Value Proposition
Start by assessing what skills and strengths you possess that can be highlighted to future employers. Even if you’re not fully satisfied with the output of your current role, the experience you’ve gained—particularly in team collaboration, project management, and design thinking—is valuable. Frame your narrative around these learnings, emphasizing your growth and adaptability, even in less-than-ideal conditions.
2. Document and Curate Your Work
When it comes to showcasing your skills, it’s important to create a portfolio that reflects your best work, even if that means supplementing your current projects with personal endeavors. Here are some strategies to consider:
Include Process and Learning Outcomes: For the projects you are currently working on, consider documenting your design process. Even if the final outcome isn’t what you’d hoped for, you can showcase your thinking, iterations, user research, and the rationale behind your designs. This demonstrates your approach and problem-solving abilities.
Build Personal Projects: If time permits, working on personal projects or pro bono work for non-profits can help you create pieces that align closer with your design philosophy. Focus on projects that allow you to utilize new technologies or methodologies, such as user testing, and that can elevate your work’s polish.
Parallel Studies: Engage in side projects related to your studies. Create prototypes, hypothetical designs, or experimental user interfaces. Use tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to explore different design concepts, and consider sharing your process through platforms like Behance or Dribbble.
3. Addressing Concerns During Interviews
When discussing your current role in future interviews, honesty coupled with tact is crucial. You can mention that while your current work has provided substantial learning experiences, there have been challenges related to maintaining high design standards amidst tight timelines. Here’s a way to frame it:
Focus on the Learning Journey: Explain that working under constraints has honed your problem-solving skills and taught you to prioritize functionality while maintaining a user-centered approach.
Discuss Adaptability: Mention how adapting to a less-than-ideal design environment has prepared you to tackle similar challenges in the future. Highlight the importance of good design and how it aids in user experience—this reiteration will show you’re proactive about design principles.
4. Preparing for Questions About Your Work
You are correct in thinking about how to respond if an employer asks for a website link. Consider the following approaches:
Proactive Approach: While presenting your portfolio, acknowledge the constraints you faced. You can say something like, “Here are some projects I worked on. While the conditions were challenging due to rapid development timelines, they taught me invaluable lessons about design iteration and stakeholder management.”
Highlight Alternatives: If a project from your current role doesn’t meet your standards, redirect the conversation toward your personal projects or past experiences that showcase your skills in a more favorable light.
5. Continuous Learning and Networking
To strengthen your profile, stay current with industry trends and innovations. Participate in online design communities, attend meetups, and perhaps consider mentoring or being mentored. This will enhance your skills and expand professional connections that could lead to potential job opportunities.
6. Setting Goals for Your Current Role
Lastly, think about how you can make the most of your remaining time in your current role. Even if you feel limited, propose small design initiatives or improvements that can be implemented in the current MVP framework. Take the opportunity to practice pitching ideas, working collaboratively, and advocating for strong design practices.
In summary, while it’s important to be honest about your design philosophy and the challenges faced, always focus on the learning outcomes and skills acquired. By actively working on personal projects, documenting your process, and preparing a thoughtful narrative for interviews, you will position yourself strongly for your future career transitions. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights on navigating dissatisfaction in the workplace, particularly in the context of UI/UX design. Your reflection on the impact of project constraints and team dynamics resonates deeply with many professionals who find themselves in similar situations.
I think it’s crucial to recognize that even challenging environments offer valuable learning opportunities. As you curate your portfolio, consider including a section that outlines your design process and any challenges faced during the MVP project. This transparency can demonstrate your problem-solving skills and resilience, qualities that future employers highly value. For example, you might highlight specific design decisions you advocated for, showcasing your ability to push for higher quality within the limitations imposed.
Additionally, personal projects can serve as a fantastic outlet for creativity and skill enhancement. When selecting these projects, try to align them with the roles you’re aiming for, ensuring that they not only reflect your personal style but also resonate with future employers’ needs.
Lastly, practicing honest communication in interviews about your experiences can help build trust with potential employers. Framing your current role as a stepping stone, where you’ve gained crucial insights about user-centered design despite external limitations, can position you as a proactive and reflective designer.
Best of luck on your journey, and keep pushing yourself! Your commitment to growth and quality will certainly shine through in future opportunities.