Design Hires Podcast

Tom McCormack is a human centered career coach and fellow podcast host of Work Ethics. In this episode, Nadia and Tom discuss weighty topics like the ethics surrounding the impact and regulation of AI, how to approach ethics questions around the work you’re doing, and how to figure out if a potential employer is ethically aligned with your values and beliefs.     Here’s a look at our discussion: 1:00 : Considerations around AI ethics & regulation 18:00 : How AI will impact the design industry and careers 33:00 : The ethics of designing products that automate jobs & how to address those kinds of questions in your workplace 44:00 : Trusting your gut: how to discover if there is ethical alignment between you and a future employer   Links mentioned in this episode: Tom's LinkedIn Profile Work Ethics Podcast Disconnect Newsletter by Paris Marx Ezra Klein Show Podcast Episode: How China Went From Economic Superstar to Faltering Giant

Radu Vucea is a seasoned design leader & mentor. After spending much of his career working in design for large organizations like Adobe and Fitbit, Radu pivoted to founding his own design studio, Ixperi, as well as his own bootcamp training & mentorship program, Mento Design Academy. In this episode, you’ll learn about Radu’s career trajectory, why he became a founder, and more.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 1:00 : Radu’s background, career trajectory, and what he is currently working on 7:00 : The management style at Radu’s design studio, Ixperi 11:00 : Operating with trust as a design manager, and how Radu approaches hiring 25:00 : How Radu went from a design leader to owning & running his own design businesses 39:00 : Radu’s bootcamp program, Mento Design Academy, how it started, and who it serves 50:00 : How to learn more & get in touch with Radu, Ixperi, Mento Design Academy   Links mentioned in this episode: Ixperi Design Studio Mento Design Academy Radu’s LinkedIn Profile  

Jonah McLachlan, Producer & Mentor of the UX Energy Mentoring podcast, newsletter, & mentoring platform, joins us on today’s episode. Nadia and Jonah talk all about managers in this episode - how to work well together, make sure you’re getting the most out of your managers, and the most important qualities to look for in your next manager.     Here’s a look at our discussion: 1:00 : The impact of good managers on employee happiness and turnover 7:00 : How to help your manager manage you well in your job and the impact of diversity and inclusion on management tactics  17:00 : Trust & openness as cornerstones of management 27:00 : The give and take of manager/employee recognition and empowerment 34:00 : How to get in touch with Jonah   Links mentioned in this episode: Jonah's LinkedIn Profile Jonah’s Twitter UX Energy Mentoring Good Boss vs. Bad Boss Infographic Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by dale Carnegie   

Formerly a teacher, Sam Daugherty fell into the design world by accident and is now a Senior Designer at a FinTech company. In this episode, you’ll hear about his career journey, how he thinks about hiring and developing early career designers, balancing work and personal life, and much more.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:00 : Letting your personality shine through 5:00 : What Sam’s been up to recently & how he got into design 12:00 : Teaching early career designers to communicate with engineers & stakeholders 25:30 : Hiring for team and personality fit vs. hard skills 28:00 : Hiring for cultural diversity and neurodiversity 40:00 : What qualities Sam & Nadia look for when hiring early designers 51:00 : Convincing hiring managers that you don’t need to hire senior designers for every role 58:00 : Acknowledging that design is hard work, but there are some pretty great benefits to the flexibility you have in many design roles   Links mentioned in this episode: Sam’s LinkedIn Profile Sam's Portfolio Site Behind the Bastards Podcast A Bit of Optimism Podcast  

Following up on our previous conversation about inclusive hiring practices for neurodivergent candidates, Sam Daugherty joins us as a special guest host interviewing Paul Radliff. Paul is a Digital UX & Design Leader with years of experience both hiring for his teams and going through the recruitment process at other organizations.  During this conversation, Sam and Paul chat about how to create an effective and inclusive hiring environment, while also advocating for the unique place of design within your organization.   Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:01 : An introduction to Sam and Paul & their backgrounds 4:00 : How to create an inclusive hiring environment for neurodiverse or introverted individuals 12:00 : Hiring entry level designers who may not have fully honed their technical skills 16:00 : Finding the root cause of hiring process challenges & the place of design within an organization  31:00 : Sam & Paul’s thoughts on creating an effective design hiring process 40:00 : Making accommodations for candidates before, during, and after interviews 58:00 : Closing thoughts & how to get in touch with Sam & Paul   Links mentioned in this episode: Paul's Portfolio Site Paul's LinkedIn Profile Sam’s LinkedIn Profile Sam's Portfolio Site  

Marc Fonteijn is a veteran service designer who co-founded the first service design studio in the Netherlands. His passion for all things service design inspired him to start his own podcast, the Service Design Show. The podcast has quickly grown into a community and resource hub for those who are looking for careers in service design. In this episode, Nadia and Marc chat about what service design is and how to articulate the value of service design to your organization’s leadership, your team, and more.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:01 : A little bit about Marc and what service design is 8:30 : Making a case for the value of service design 15:30 : How to learn more about service design and get your team to engage with the concept of service design  21:00 : Understanding the financial value of the design work you’re doing 31:00 : Getting your team to adopt a more service-oriented mindset 34:00 : How to get in touch with Marc   Links mentioned in this episode: Marc’s LinkedIn Profile The Service Design Show The Circle Professional Learning Community Marc’s YouTube Channel ServiceDesignJobs.com

Corey Nelson has worn many hats - UX design lead, manager, career coach, podcast host, teacher, and more. In this candid conversion, Corey and Nadia chat about merit increases and performance ratings, being a manager to others, and creating support systems for yourself on your career journey.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:01 : AI Photoshopping and honesty vs. being mean  7:00 : What’s new with Corey & his move to Tulsa 11:00 : Design therapy & support systems 15:00 : Dissecting merit increase and performance review ratings and conversations 24:00 : Your responsibilities to your team as a manager 36:00 : What’s up next for Corey & how to get in touch   Links mentioned in this episode: Corey’s LinkedIn Profile Corey’s Career Coaching Business, UX Design Job Subscribe to the UX Design Job Newsletter by Corey Nelson The UX+1 Podcast  Corey’s Masterclass, UX Advanced Individual Training Design Hires’ Side Hustle Summit  

Mitchell Clements, a Sr. Product Design Manager at Simple Nexus, chats with Nadia about how he has approached social media as a tool to grow your network in an impactful way. This discussion delves into the best ways to ask for help or mentorship on social media, how to find strong mentorship early in a design career, and online vs. in-person networking.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:01 : Building a presence on social media to grow your network as a hiring manager 8:15 : The cultural shift toward networking online vs. networking in person 14:30 : How having an online presence has positively impacted Mitchell’s personal career  20:00 : The importance of finding strong mentorship relationships for accelerating design career growth and how to ask for help finding it 35:30 : How to get in touch with Mitchell, and the best way to make an ask via social media   Links mentioned in this episode: Mitchell’s LinkedIn Profile Mitchell’s Twitter Profile Mitchell’s Website  

In today’s episode, we chat with Chad Johnson, a Principal Product Designer at OJO. Chad co-founded his own real estate software company, Digs, and managed to sell it to OJO in funding rounds and make the transition from founder to full time employee. You’ll hear about the lessons and discoveries that Chad made along the way, as well as Chad’s passion for helping designers realize their entrepreneurial streak.    Here’s a look at our discussion: 1:00 : How Chad decided to start his own business, Digs, and how he scaled that business  12:00 : Hiring engineers as a non-technical founder 15:00 : How Chad sold Digs to OJO during the pandemic, and the transition from founder to employee 21:30: Chad’s current side gig - his personal brand 25:35 : What’s on the horizon for OJO and Chad 28:00 : How to get in touch with Chad and learn more   Links mentioned in this episode: Chad’s LinkedIn Profile Sign up for Chad’s newsletter OJO Website Digs, the company Chad  previously founded that was acquired by OJO in 2020. See below for links to pr about the acquisition: https://www.inman.com/2020/10/15/ojo-labs-acquires-fintech-startup-digs/ https://www.housingwire.com/articles/ojo-labs-acquires-personal-finance-platform-digs/ https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/ojo-labs-ranks-no-49-110000943.html https://www.builtinaustin.com/2020/10/15/ojo-labs-acquires-digs-hiring-growth 

John Lovig is a Design Recruiter at TDA Creative, a global design, technology, product, and data staffing agency. In this insightful conversation, John and Nadia discuss the ins and outs of transitioning into a design leadership role, how to navigate titles and position leveling for your experience, and how John builds relationships with candidates who he is working with, as well as clients.     Here’s a look at our discussion: 0:01 : The current state of the design hiring market  4:40: Transitioning from a senior design position to a leadership or management role 7:30 : Leadership Portfolios 10:00 : Navigating the confusing structure of design position leveling & role titles 17:00 : Ageism in the design industry and leveraging the wisdom of more experienced designers 22:00 : How John builds relationships with his clients & candidates and works with them 30:00 : Startups vs. enterprise design 39:00 : How to get in touch with John and roles that he hires for   Links mentioned in this episode: John’s LinkedIn Profile Talent Driven Agency (TDA Creative)