Senior Content Designer✍🏼UX Writer✏️Content Strategist🧠Video Maker📽Lover of commas & keyframes
Ask me anything (about gaining experience as a UX writer): ❓ Have questions? I'll answer them! If you want to know more about #UXWriting, #ContentDesign, #ContentStrategy, career transitions, or anything else, send me your questions. I'll respond in a post like this. You can leave questions as comments below, or you can message me. I hope this project helps anyone who's curious about the field. If you want to know more about something, there's a good chance other people have similar thoughts. Hope to hear from you! 😄 *** Q: I wish to transition into UX writing. But the thing I noticed is that recruiters prefer UX writers with a minimum of 2 years of experience. So how do I get the required experience to evolve into a UX writer? A: You're not alone with this question, and the situation isn't limited to UX writing. I tried to change careers after my first of 2 journalism layoffs. I spent a year applying for writing-related jobs. Finally, I took another media role because I needed a full-time position ASAP. That time was demoralizing. When you're trying to transition into a new career, it's hard to convince hiring managers to trust you. Sometimes, when discussing career changes, we gloss over how difficult it is to find someone who's willing to offer a breakthrough opportunity. I wish we talked about that more. Now for the good news: It's possible to pivot! There are a few parts that go into this. First, you must have related experience and work samples that suggest you can do the job. When I interviewed for my first UX writing position, I didn't have UX experience. But by then, I had worked as a journalist for nearly a decade. I had clips and stories to share about how skills gained in my previous positions would translate into the UX world. If you can, complete a UX writing course that includes an assignment. You can also try to land freelance work. Get something to show. Keep learning. Networking also helps. When I interviewed for my first UX writing job, I was a referral. I'm not sure I would have been hired without that. I doubt I would have heard about the position at all. For would-be career changers, becoming a referral can improve your chances drastically. Again, it's all about convincing hiring managers to trust you. Meet people in this field. Be curious. A final note: Don't feel like you have to start at a large, well-known company. Gain experience however you can, wherever you can. View each day as a development opportunity. (Thanks to Anu Placheril for the question!)
How do you advise reaching out to a company or organization to do some UX writing for experience, but not pay? To get that requisite experience, you know.
Do you think it's wise to gain experience on your own? I mean coming up with imaginary projects and getting them done on your own, or trying your hand at real-life UX writing issues. I think the downside to this might be on "how do you get expert/user feedback if you are on your own?" Perhaps, your input on building relationships will help with that. Really, what do you think please, Andrew?
Thanks for the tip Andrew Astleford ...🙂👍
Senior Content Designer✍🏼UX Writer✏️Content Strategist🧠Video Maker📽Lover of commas & keyframes
2ySee the previous posts 👇 UX writing voices to follow: https://bit.ly/3iqzzT7 Rebranding to break into UX writing: https://bit.ly/3ioUar4 Nontraditional entrances into UX writing: https://bit.ly/2ZnCuVX