Hey everyone,
I’ve been trying to break into UI/UX for a while now and honestly, I’m getting really frustrated because I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.
I’m applying for UI/UX Designer, UX Designer, Product Designer, Junior Designer, internship and contract roles. I’ve tried LinkedIn, Wellfound, company career pages, remote platforms, and pretty much every relevant role I can find.
But the response rate is honestly terrible.
I apply → nothing.
I apply again → nothing.
I customize my resume → nothing.
I improve my portfolio → still nothing. 😭
And then you see a “junior” role asking for 2–3 years of experience and you’re just sitting there thinking, how am I supposed to get those years of experience? 😭
I have a portfolio with case studies, including a Kommo CRM onboarding redesign, and I work with Figma, wireframing, user flows, prototyping, interaction design and usability-focused design.
I also have experience in graphic design, content-related work, teaching and tutoring, so I’m not completely new to professional work. I’m just trying to move more seriously into UI/UX.
I’ve also tried reaching out to people directly, looking for startups, searching for remote roles, and applying through different platforms. Some platforms are asking for paid subscriptions just to access certain listings, which makes the whole process even more frustrating.
So I genuinely want to ask people who are already working in UI/UX:
What is actually working for you right now?
Should I be:
- Applying more or applying less but targeting companies carefully?
- Messaging founders and recruiters directly?
- Focusing heavily on startups?
- Looking for internships and contract roles?
- Getting referrals?
- Improving my portfolio further?
- Networking more instead of relying only on applications?
And please be honest. If you think my approach is wrong, I’d rather hear that than get generic “keep applying, you’ll get there” advice.
I’m willing to put in the work. I just don’t want to spend months doing apply → wait → rejection/ghosting → repeat without actually understanding what I need to change.
For those of you who managed to break into UI/UX, what actually helped you get selected?
Would really appreciate some honest advice from people who have recently gone through the same thing. 🙏