6 In-Demand Designer Skills for 2019

6 In-Demand Designer Skills for 20196 In-Demand Designer Skills for 2019 When I started my design career, design teams tended to focus more on hiring someone whose skill set most closely matched the itemized job requirements, qualifications, and relevant industry. Nowadays, its a little different. Of curse, were still looking for expertise in specific types of design, domains, and possibly platforms, but our requirements go further than that. We need attributes that enable solid teamwork, the empathy to observe and understand end users, a sensibility to connect the dots, and a superb soft skill to communicate and cooperate with outside teams and departments.I can only venture to guess that these extended skills arent unique to Adobe and the Document Cloud Design team - but a requirement of todays designers in general and a result of our ever-evolving digital landscape.Here are just a few of the beyond-the-job-description skills and attributes were looking for in n ew designers .There is no perfect design process. Every designer, every design team, and every company has its own unique design philosophy and process. Great designers know how, why, when, and what design approach to take to accomplish their defined project goals.We particularly appreciate the candidates who can articulate the pros and cons of various design activities, apply their past learnings, be frank- yet constructive- in diagnosing the existing process, and be adaptable enough to propose a tailored plan for the assigned design projects.Putting oneself in anothers shoes is crucial to building successful products that offer a delightful user experience- and its a skill we put high stock in here at Adobe. To make the right decisions for our users- whether theyre around features, styling, packaging, perception, or any other facet of the product- we have to deeply understand where theyre coming from, and figure out users motivation, goals, and emotional triggers. We need to kno w not just who they are and what challenges they face, but also how they feel, what they need, and why they need it.The ability to work with all kinds of people has never been so critical to the success of design. The complexity of the products and services we are building requires a significant amount of cross-functional collaboration. Every individual has their own committed goal to achieve. Designers need to find a way to achieve these personal goals, accomplish the teams objectives, and ensure the business units KPIs demonstrate maximum productivity and efficiency- all simultaneously. To put it succinctly, todays designers need to aspire to not just their own success, but also that of their colleagues and the organization at large. This ensures a healthy team culture and mutual hilfe for all.On top of this, cross-team communication is key. Were not designing in a vacuum here. Instead, we have to coordinate, communicate, and work alongside countless other people- work partners (product management, marketing, engineering, etc.), managers, executives, remote consultants, and even other designers. Solid communication skills are important in responding to design feedback from these disparate team members and ensuring quality implementation of resulting changes.4. Understanding of end-to-end customer journeyWere not just designing something or making it pretty. Were creating tools. That requires understanding the full lifecycle of the customer journey. Who are our target users and what are their challenges? How do they find us and use our tools? How do we retain, help, and support them? With the ability to dive deep into users interactions with us, designers can more aptly create delightful products and services that match their unmet needs.5. Confidence in their negotiating abilitiesMany times, designers are the end users only line of defense. What product management or marketing wants might not be the best thing for the user, and we need to have the confiden ce to speak up, challenge the status quo, and explain the reasoning behind our arguments.Sometimes you need to defend, negotiate, and even fight for your design proposals or end users. Such soft skills are vital in executing these efforts peacefully and, ultimately, in the users (and our) best interest. In addition, they ensure a trusting working relationship, help build up credibility and ensure the projects youre cooperating on go smoothly and effectively.Its no secret that artificial intelligence and machine learning are changing the digital and design landscapes. This is definitely a new domain for those designers who are contributing to digital transformation within any industry. But just knowing about and understanding AI or how to incorporate it in our design efforts isnt enough. Its also about knowing when to leverage AI- understanding its applications, limitations, and the scenarios where we human designers have a unique edge.AI might be great for more technical, predicta ble, and measurable elements of a product/service experience, but we designers are better at understanding the emotions, human intent, and psychology that should inform our design. Designers with an open mind and firm grasp on AI and machine learning will be able to add value to any verkommen design team.Of course, these are just the attributes were looking for now. A few years from now, it could be a whole different story- especially as AI and machine learning solidify their places in the industry. One things for certain, though design will always be about more than just connecting the dots or making products beautiful and functional. Were user advocates first and foremost- and that requires skills that often arent listed on a resume.Liang-Cheng Lin is a Senior Design Manager at Adobe.

red flags on your resume are turning employers off

red flags on your resume are turning employers off red flags on your resume are turning employers off As youre probably well aware, most employersspend only seconds skimming your resume before making a quick decision about whether to reject you or consider you further, so its essential that your resume doesnt contain the red flags that will turn them off during that short initial scan.Here are eight red flags that will often put you straight into the no pile without further consideration.1. A history ofjob-hopping.If you have a history of moving quickly from one job to the next without staying very long, employers will wonder whether you get bored easily or cant keep a job. If you do have good reasons for the job changes (such as having a spouse in the military), make sure to fill in employers up-front so they dont draw wrong conclusions.2. Grammatical orspelling mistakes.Mistakes like these can get your resume immediately tossed, because they convey to an employer that you dont pay attention to detail. Employers assume that youve polished your resume mora than you will most documents, so if you have mistakes in it, they assume your work will have even more errors.3. Bad writing.Even for jobs that dont require flawless writing, employers still want to see evidence that you can communicate well. If you dont write clearly and concisely, theyll worry about how youll communicate once on the job and many will take your resume writing quality as a shortcut to drawing conclusions about your intelligence.4. Overly aggrandized self-descriptions.Hiring managers generally frown on language like visionary thinker, creative innovator, or respected leader because these are the sorts of things that others can say about you, but you cant say credibly about yourself. Putting them on your resume signals that youre either nave or arrogant or both. Stick to objective experience and accomplishments only.5. Lack of evidence of achievement.If your resume lists nothing but your job duties at each job rather than what you achieved there youll signal that you never did more than the basic requirements. Hiring managers are looking for candidates with a track record of achievement not meeting minimum requirements, but going above and beyond and accomplishing things that an average candidate wouldnt.6. No overarching theme to your career choices. If youve moved from one unrelated job to the next, without a clear pattern, employers will be skeptical about your commitment to the roles youre applying for now. Most employers want to be able to scan your resume and get a quick understanding of how youve progressed within one or two fields, rather than trying to work out how youve moved from tech writer to salesperson to nurses assistant to video editor.7. Lack of professionalism.If your resume includes information about your spouse and children, or other information unrelated to your qualifications as a candidate, most employers will conclude that youre nave at best and unprofessional at worst.8. Large gaps between jobs. When employers see gaps of unemployment, they wonder what happened during that time. Did you leave the previous job with nothing lined up, and if so, why? Were you working somewhere that youve deliberately left off your resume, and if so, what are you hiding? Gaps raise questions that you dont want on a hiring managers mind.

Confidential Job Searching Tips

Confidential Job Searching TipsConfidential Job Searching TipsWhen you dont want your current employer to find out that you are job hunding, there are steps you can take to keep your job search confidential. The last thing you need to have happen when job searching is for your employer to accidentally find out that youre looking for a new job. It could jeopardize both your current position and future references from your employer. Worrying About Your Employer Finding Out If youre concerned about your current employer discovering youre job hunting, you arenot alone. An Indeed.com surveyreports that 52 percent of job seekerssaid their biggest concern was work colleagues finding out about their job search. That was significantly mora of a worry than concerns about not finding a job (29%). Two-thirds of job seekers are concerned (very to somewhat) about their job search process being made public. The survey also reports that 24 percent of respondents worldwide ranked their job search as the topic they are least likely to share online. Thats a smart move, because its not hard for your co-workers or employers to find out about your job search if youre posting it on social media. If you take a few precautions, it will be easier to keep your job search private. Here are some suggestions on how to effectively job hunt on the sly, so that the wrong person doesnt find out that you are looking to make a move. Stealth Job Hunting Dos and Donts Email AddressDo not use your work email address for job hunting. Use your personal account or set up a free web-based email account specifically for job searching. Remember to check this account frequently, because some employers have a tight schedule for interviewing and hiring. Office EquipmentDont use your employers computers or phone system. Many employers monitor Internet usage and review phone call logs. Keep your resume, your email correspondence, and anything and everything related to your job search on your home compu ter or online. If you have a smart phone or tablet, you can use it to for fruchtwein of your job search activities. Your ResumeBe careful where you post your resume. If you dont want your current employer to accidentallyfind your resume when searching for candidates, post on job sites where you can keep your employer and contact information confidential. For example, if you post your resume on Monster, you can make it confidential and your contact information and references wont be displayed. You can block your present companys name by entering an end date of present for your current position. Additional Resume OptionsOther options for protecting your privacy (aside from blocking) include listing a generic company name and job title, rather than a specific one. You can also leave off company contact information. Do the same with your contact information and phone numbers. List your job searching email address and cell phone number. Job ApplicationsOne way to help ensure your resume doesnt get into the wrong hands is to apply direct on company websites. This way, your application will go directly to the employer, and wont be floating around the Internet. Telephone TipsDo not use your work phone number for job hunting. Instead, put your cell phone number and/or home phone number on your resume. Be sure to have voice mail set up, so you get the messages in a timely fashion. How and WhenIf you cant job hunt from work, what other options are there besides evenings and weekends? Visit a bookstore, cafe or library with Internet access on your lunch hour and bring your laptop or table if you can find a wireless connection to use. Use your tablet or phone to job search - there are lots of job search apps available. Lunch time also a good time to return prospective employer phone calls, especially if you can take an early or late lunch to catch them in the office. InterviewingTry to schedule interviews for either the beginning or the end of the day or on your lunch hour . If you have vacation time you can use, schedule multiple interviews for the same day. Dress the PartIf you typically wear jeans to work, dont wear a suit when you have an interview scheduled. Someone will start wondering what the occasion is for dressing up. Be DiscreetBe careful who you tell that youre looking for a new job. If you tell co-workers, you can be sure that it will get back to your boss, one way or the other. Do tell your family, so they can take messages for you and so they dont inadvertently spill the beans to your work colleagues and leave you a message that someone is calling about an interview. Social Networking SitesBe really careful what you post on social networking sites. Dont tell your Facebook friends or your LinkedIn connections that youre job searching. Dont tweet about your job search activities either. Even if your boss doesnt follow your updates, someone else may, and the roger that youre job hunting could get back.