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3 Tips For Designers Who Think They Want A Career Working Remote
We are in this era of the “Great Resignation” and you too might be considering ditching your 9-5 office design role for a more flexible remote design role. Honestly, why wouldn’t you if that’s the life you want? If anything, the pandemic showed us that we can indeed work remotely and the idea that we must be in the office – well, we all know we have other options. Now don’t get me wrong, designing from anywhere doesn’t necessarily mean you will drink cocktails on the beach while working from a hammock but it can give you more options of where and how you work.
What does it really mean to be a remote designer and how do you find a remote design role?
According to Business Insider, it’s estimated 4 million employees resigned in the month of April 2021 in the United States and many more are thinking about quitting their jobs or changing career paths. If you’re a designer looking to continue working remotely beyond the pandemic or ready to start a remote design career path these 3 tips will help you make it happen!
1. Know your skills
Identify your design skills plus your remote work skills. The most important one is definitely communication. As a designer, you will always need this skill and continuously improve it. Your verbal and written communications are the key to explaining your rationale, user research insights, ideas and documentation of your process. The key is to communicate with clarity and conciseness.
2. Be clear on expectations
As a designer, you need to understand your responsibilities. There is no hand-holding when working remotely so you must take the initiative to understand what is expected of you and what is expected from your team members. If you are unsure, ask questions about the expectations of your role in your interview or of your current manager. If you are a junior designer it’s very important to find a mentor or a coach to help you prepare for these conversations.
*Book a free session with me from our website and I am happy to help you prepare for your first design workshop, work through design challenges or working with the product team, developers and stakeholders.
3. Find a role with the right team
As much as a company interviews you to judge if you are a good fit for their team, you should also take the opportunity to interview the company and consider if you belong on their team. It’s important to know what you want from a role/team before you apply or interview for a role. Ask the hiring team questions during the interview process that will help you make your decision. Prepare your questions before the interviews. If you don’t have time to ask them all during the interview then tell them you have a few more questions and ask if you can schedule a brief follow up call or email them.
Find remote roles here:
- LinkedIn search keyword “remote”
Coach Rachel shared her top questions to ask in an interview here.
Final Thoughts
Designing remotely isn’t for everyone – and that’s ok! Find your sweet spot of being productive while enjoying some free time when you need it.
When you are ready to start becoming a remote designer book a free call with me to start planning your remote design journey!
Anina Botha
Anina mentors talent transitioning into UX, junior designers, people designing in a startup, and remote work life. She focuses on creating healthy habits, routines and advice on how to work from anywhere.
Looking back I’ve been in the tech industry for 10 years and worked in various industries from big, medium and small businesses. Throughout my career, I find the journey more interesting than the "end-destination". I am insanely passionate about growth, career fulfilment, habits and productivity. Life led me to inspire and motivate and that’s what I’m meant to do - this is my freedom.
“Define success on your own terms, achieve it by your own rules, and build a life you’re proud to live.” Anne Sweeney
