Land Your Dream Design Job: A Guide for Product Designers, From Portfolio to Interview to Job Offer

Design is hard. Finding the right job doesn't have to be.

As designers, we spend considerable effort in honing our craft and staying up to date on the latest design trends. Shouldn't we apply the same rigor when we're looking for that dream design job?

Land Your Dream Design Job is a comprehensive book about landing a product design role in a startup, agency, or tech company. It covers the entire design interview process from beginning to end, and will arm you with techniques and strategies to navigate the (at times) turbulent waters of job searching with confidence. This book will help guide you to a role that plays to your strengths while providing enough support for professional growth.

In this book by designer Dan Shilov, you'll learn:

• What skills are expected of designers
• How to demonstrate those skills throughout the job-search process
• How to identify your next opportunity
• How to target your job search process to stand out
• How to build a stand-out portfolio and tailor it to your dream opportunity
• The ins and outs of various design interview types from portfolio presentations, whiteboard challenges, app critiques, to take home design exercises and many others.

You'll also find in-depth advice on how to apply beyond the job boards, and how to conduct due diligence, negotiate compensation, and accelerate onboarding to your new role. The print edition also includes access to the full Holloway.com edition, with free lifetime updates and multiple DRM-free formats for download (the ebook edition includes an exclusive upgrade offer for the same access).

As designers, getting feedback is critical to our work. From reviewing your performance to helping you do your own due diligence and negotiate salary, the book covers all the nitty gritty of landing your dream design job.

If you want to take control of your design career and your job search while saving time and moving with purpose-this book is for you!

"Dan has summed up the ins and outs of the design interview process, for any designer looking to crack the code on nailing a portfolio review. It's also a must-read for any hiring manager or product designer involved in the interview process-If your team wants to win, you have to set your candidates up for success, and this book will help you do just that." --Zain Ali, Design, YCombinator

"Whether you're a product designer at the beginning of your career or an experienced designer looking to refresh your portfolio and redefine your career goals, Land Your Dream Design Job is a comprehensive book that helps you approach your design career with intention. This book gives you full perspective on the whole interview process and challenges you with questions for self-reflection. You'll learn new skills and principles that will enhance your career and help you move to the next level." --Julie Stanescu, Founder, Rethink

Dan Shilov is a product designer with over a decade of experience creating products for consumer and enterprise companies across web, mobile and wearable platforms. When he's not hard at work pushing pixels, he mentors designers and speaks at local design organizations. Over the course of his career he's interviewed countless designers and design managers and seen them all struggle through various parts of the interview process. As a result, he's been sharing his insights and documenting interview best practices to help designers put their best foot forward in order to land their dream job. Dan holds a master's degree in Human Computer Interaction from Carnegie Mellon University.