You’re a product designer now. Time to let the whole world know of your grand transformation. Time to let em’ know that you’re ready to get hired as a junior designer. Load up your LinkedIn with those online education certificates. Oh don’t forget to slap that General Assembly, Flat Iron or CareerFoundry badge on your profile in the “Education” section and “Experience” section. You gotta let them know that you’re certified…certified but still a junior…a certified junior😎. Now what?

You are an underdog. You’re entering a job search market that is filled with a wide range of talent and experience. You’re often competing with people with more experience than you for the same job. You just transitioned from a totally different industry. But you already know this because you’ve been experiencing it. You feel the struggle. So what do you do in situations when you’re at a disadvantage? What do you say to gain the advantage or at least make it more even? Better yet, what don’t you say to gain the advantage? If you’re looking for an answer, I’ll give it to you now.Now, you focus on who you are and not what you wereCompanies who are hiring product designers are hiring…product designers. Not ex-architects, nurses, teachers, recruiters, etc. You are a product designer now so you need to market yourself as one. Your past is important so don’t forget it. It’s a part of your journey and you should be proud of it. But, in this moment remind yourself what the goal is. Your goal is to get your first product design job. Talk about what your identity as a product designer. Don’t talk about your identity as a {insert past role}. Now, you display experience not inexperienceYou don’t need to tell the world how new you are. The world already knows. Let capable recruiters and hiring managers make their own conclusions about your experience. Instead, focus on how you can build experience while you’re navigating through this job searching process. Experience can come in many different forms even without a full-time job. Volunteer for projects, work on your own ideas, help a friend out with their website or app or practice your Figma skills. Publish the work you’re doing even if it’s free/personal work. Displaying a bootcamp certificate provides the bootcamp with free marketing but it doesn’t get you a job. What you do after does. Taking action is gold. Get rich. There’s a lot more ways to strategize during your job search as a new product designer that’s not discussed here. Don’t get left behind. Let’s talk. Let me know how I can help you.