Day 1. Hey, LinkedIn community!
I need just three minutes of your attention. My name is Darya. I'm an immigrant from Belarus, and around two years ago, I decided to try my career skills in Silicon Valley. At that moment, I had an awesome career in my country and didn’t think at all that one day I wouldn't be able to go back to Belarus because of the political situation occurring there now. I had a dream to live for a few years in San Francisco, study UX/UI design, and then share my knowledge with the people of Eastern Europe. I still work with Belarusian startups…but without the possibility to go back when I want.
All this time, I’ve worked like a robot but a robot with a lot of love for all the details.
- I’ve improved my English skills.
- Minimized my accent.
- Learned how to work with new design tools.
- Did a lot of freelance projects.
- Graduated from UC Berkeley UX/UI Boot Camp, finished coding courses.
- Found awesome mentors.
- I got a US visa for people with extraordinary ability.
- I sent thousands of resumes and did hundreds of interviews.
- Now, when I go to sleep, I have dreams about design critic sessions.
And by day, I practice my case study pitches in the mornings and evenings. I update my resume every week and improve my portfolio with new case studies. I don't feel sad after receiving emails like, “At this time, we have decided to move forward with other candidates for this opportunity.” I am a super positive person and know that all these years of full-time job searching have made me strong. I know that I loooooove product design, and I know that I’m good in this sphere. I just need to find my people and the team!
Of course, sometimes I made mistakes. For example, I worked for free, without any compensation or with bad contracts because I needed more experience and believed that all these projects would help me. Now, unfortunately, my personal financial deadline for this full-time job search process in the United States is drawing near. My mental health after these years looks like an amusement park: one day, I'm super creative and productive, and the next day, I'm just thinking again about how to pay my rent. I’m 100% optimistic. I know that I’m ready for a new story if I can't find a job again. But I would love to believe that the universe could help me!
If you know somebody who is looking for a Product Designer with my experience, please introduce me to them. If you know a recruiter, please share my story and resume with them. If we’ve worked together and you remember this experience, please, write your recommendation for me on LinkedIn. I will be glad to be of any help!
P.S. If you’re interested in seeing my portfolio with the latest case studies, please write me a personal message and I’ll be happy to share it with you ??
Co-founder & CEO of Shader | formerly: Snap, WANNA (acq by Farfetch)
3 年The most popular recruiters answer in job interviews: "Unfortunately, we are unable to work with the O1 visa" ????♀?
Co-founder & CEO of Shader | formerly: Snap, WANNA (acq by Farfetch)
3 年Results of the third week: - This week I had two a 4 hour long in-person interviews. It was with 4 different individuals, 45 mins each, back-to-back. It was a smooth experience and I felt like it went well. It’s just a bit sad, that it happened in Zoom…? - I take a deep breath before starting anything, and I remind myself that this is fun, I can only learn from it ?? - A whiteboard interview is a super cool exercise. It’s a nice brainstorming test, and I really believe that this exercise can help to show design thinking.?
Co-founder & CEO of Shader | formerly: Snap, WANNA (acq by Farfetch)
3 年Hey designers, what's your thought on free design tasks for a job interviews? I had bad experience in my life. And still feel paranoid that the prospective companies might rip off my work and not hire me. What are your thoughts? ??
Co-founder & CEO of Shader | formerly: Snap, WANNA (acq by Farfetch)
3 年Week #2: - It was the most productive interview week ever! I won three zoom?onsite steps, crossed fingers!? - I did an awesome test task for a startup around Augmented Reality fashion, yes, it's my favorite topic.? - Next steps with eBay team. I have some hours to prepare a new presentation with my E-Commerce design experience. - Two startups said to me “nooooo”, but it’s ok. I still believe in myself.? - Finished my YouTube video about the UC Berkeley Design program. I’m going to post it soon.? Thanks again for your help and everyday support ??
Co-founder & CEO of Shader | formerly: Snap, WANNA (acq by Farfetch)
4 年First week results: - Four interviews - Done! Cross fingers ?? - Awesome mentor session with Juan Mondragon. Excited that adplist.org allows designers to meet design mentors for the portfolio review, career advice, mock interviews.? - Redesigned my portfolio after my mentor Joey Banks's advice. And super excited to start new working week with updated presentation! Joey knows how to motivate designers, who are just getting started in their careers. I made a screenshot with his message: “I'm rooting for you! You've got this!”, and going to read it before every interviews haha.