Summary of Nail Your Product Design and UXR Interviews: Pitching That Wins Offers with Lena Kul

The webinar titled "Nail Your Product Design and UXR Interviews: Pitching That Wins Offers with Lena Kul" focuses on how candidates in Product Design and User Experience Research (UXR) can effectively pitch themselves during job interviews to secure offers. Lena Kul, a Product Design and UXR hiring expert and former recruiter at companies like Miro and N26, shares actionable advice based on her extensive experience hiring and advising over 300 candidates.

Main Financial/Business Strategies and Trends

• Candidate Positioning as a Key Hiring Factor: Beyond a portfolio and CV, how candidates pitch themselves significantly impacts hiring decisions. The pitch shapes the candidate persona and can bias hiring teams positively.
• Recruitment as a Sales Process: Candidates need to adopt a salesperson mindset, actively selling their skills and experiences with a clear, engaging narrative.
• Understanding Hiring Team Needs: Tailoring the pitch to address the specific competencies and challenges the company is looking to solve increases chances of success.
• Proactive Candidate Behavior: Candidates are encouraged to follow up with recruiters for feedback and clarify interview expectations, demonstrating maturity and motivation.
• Transparency About Layoffs: Being open about layoffs or career transitions is advised, as toxic employers may react negatively, and it’s important to find a good cultural fit.
• Entrepreneurial Experience: Seen as a strong asset, especially for startups or new product teams, though its fit depends on the company’s scale and needs.
• Interview Preparation: Candidates should prepare but avoid scripted answers; instead, they should rehearse a natural and confident storytelling approach.

Step-by-Step Methodology for Pitching Yourself in Interviews

1. Understand the Importance of Pitching:
   • Pitching is your story and your sales pitch.
   • It’s your chance to make a strong first impression and bias hiring teams in your favor.
2. When to Pitch:
   • Recruiter screening call: High-level overview of your experience.
   • Hiring manager call: More detailed discussion with metrics, outcomes, and deeper insights.
3. Structure Your Pitch (5-7 minutes recommended):
   • Beginning (Set the Stage):
     • How you got into design or research.
     • Overview of your background, industries, platforms, and roles.
     • Context about the work environment and team setup.
   • Middle (Challenge and Approach):
     • Describe the problem or challenge in each key project.
     • Explain your approach and steps taken to solve the problem.
     • Include any obstacles, stakeholder management, or cross-functional collaboration.
   • End (Outcome and Reflection):
     • Share the results, impact, and learnings from each project.
     • Explain your motivation for leaving previous roles and why you want to join this company.
     • Close the loop by linking your past experiences and future goals with the role you are applying for.
4. Pitching Tips:
   • Highlight major strengths aligned with the company’s needs.
   • Be confident and comfortable sharing achievements.
   • Avoid vague or incomplete answers that generate more questions.
   • Use personal stories to show passion but keep it professional.
   • Use notes or checklists discreetly if needed, but do not read verbatim.
   • Practice pitching at meetups, record yourself, and refine your story.
5. Handling Special Cases:
   • Junior candidates or career switchers: Focus on transferable skills, university or bootcamp projects, and soft skills.
   • Layoffs: Briefly mention the reason without over-explaining; focus on learning and future goals.
   • Entrepreneurial experience: Emphasize risk-taking, strategic thinking, and versatility, especially for startup roles.
6. Follow-Up and Feedback:
   • Follow up 2 days after interviews, then again after a few days if no response.
   • Politely request feedback, especially after team or leadership rounds.
   • If no feedback is received, consider reaching out to other team members.
   • Understand that some recruiters may not provide feedback due to volume or company policies.
7. Questions to Ask Interviewers:
   • Culture-related questions: What they like about the company, what they would change.
   • Business-related questions: Funding, growth plans, response to crises.
   • Role-specific expectations and interview format clarifications.

Additional Insights

• Treat every interview conversation as equally important, including recruiter screens.
• Avoid showing frustration or reluctance to share information in interviews.
• Understanding the hiring process and competencies assessed at each stage is crucial.
• Large companies may have different expectations than startups; tailor your pitch accordingly.
• Career switchers should frame their previous experience in terms of transferable skills and motivation for the new role.

Presenters and Sources

• Lena Kul – Product Design and UXR hiring expert, former recruiter at Miro and N26, founder of a Recruitment/job search consulting agency.
• Sophia – UXL Community Manager and host of the

Category

Business and Finance

Video