How the design job market changed in 2024

Sharing unfiltered thoughts about my interview experiences as a senior product designer in Silicon Valley.

✩ About me ✩
I’m Lily, a product designer (UX) in San Francisco. With no connections, I hustled and broke into Silicon Valley after arts school. I've been featured at Apple News and Business Insider. Subscribe to get my career + interview advice on how to do the same!

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✉️ Professional Inquiries

[yellingbytes]

i feel YOU! As a senior PD, I was interviewed by one of the biggest finTech R company in Europe. They gave me 7 days to finished 5 flows hifi prototype of one app, and questioned me that I used the existing library, and then they asked me to take part in 1.5 hour whiteboarding, which is way too complex and tougher process and pickier than before.

[mikemillerdesign]

I’m not willing to play their games. Consultancy, freelance and entrepreneurial mindsets are the only way in. This is why we need to unionize, this market is manipulating us.

[DeidreDevelops]

I still negotiated for my role. The catch was that I had another competing offer incoming. I think I still would have tried regardless, but the market is definitely sooo different. My search took me 9 months!!

[TheRealRayMillsToo]

My advice to anyone that wants to get into UX/UI: don’t. 10 years in and my last layoff has me now doing Amazon deliveries and looking for a career switch.

UX/UI was always a finicky field. Between Covid and AI, even if you have a job now, it can go up in smoke at any point.

[guiltygreen]

Ugh this literally happened to me this morning. Asked for more time to think about Senior Prod Designer offer - like three days - since I'm still interviewing with companies, and the offer was pulled immediately. The recruiters really made me feel like I was replaceable, so I'm kind of thankful for your insightful video that it's not 'just me as the problem'. Have been super burnt out for the last couple years, and am contemplating moving back to my home country if I don't get another offer in the next month. UX has stopped feeling worth it for me (or at least, questionable). Still, thank you for the video - gives a good idea of what to expect, even in other countries. Appreciate you!

[dan.carino]

Not as tough here in Europe, but companies do seem to be more picky.

One company reached out to me to interview with them. Even though I'm a senior designer at a well known product company, and my portfolio is solid, I didn't go through to the first round. Like damn!

[ivanaandersson]

I am applying mainly for graphic design jobs and I notice that they are looking for and hiring more junior people all around. Seniors with years of experience are having a hard time, but in their case, I would usually expect them to take their business abroad for those big bucks.

[LT-rirq]

OMG the questions about giving the managers full names is absolutely insane and inappropriate. I would defer and offer only the things that were positive about their cultures or practices, or offer the ones that offered references publicly on LinkedIn. If that would not due then, BYE. You are 100% correct in everything that you say.

[rodmm]

Had the same. A known European fintech company that made me an offer 2 years ago rejected me now 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Designalily]

Keyword: relevant experience
If that wasn't emphasized enough 😂

[TKGZONE]

Some of these questions these managers ask are gross. Shows what type or person they are

[AgniMJ]

As someone who aspires to be an UI/UX/Product Designer, this just scares me.

[jeffyeah]

What about AI? Does this scare you, taking jobs away from design

[zootrunner]

But I don't want to work in the area i have the most experience in any longer. I'm sick of those a**holes! Time for some fabrication of the truth. Hey if they are going to be so demanding, don't expect honesty form us anymore.

[underpaid]

Show portfolio instead of trying to sell a course because this sounds like a skill issue problem.

[naranjactiva.design]

Have been in tech/UX fields for the last 25+ years and, save for an reasonably large UX gig I'm currently doing for a former boss of mine, I'm not sure what to do once that is over. In all honesty I'd rather pull out of the industry entirely, out of general tiredness/burnout and the fact that I'm not an exploitable twentysomething anymore (the old dream to set up a farm, raise chickens and forget about tech... if only). And I always turned down admin/managerial roles because I'd rather be dealing with computers than with people but, the way things are looking now it's like I'd be better off setting up my own personal design consultancy and do that until I can finally retire. Any thoughts?