Summary
In this talk, I plan to share my experience over the last year (April 2023 - April 2024) trying to get hired in Design Operations after being laid off from a Design Operations Manager role at Meta. I will share my stories - both the good and the bad - and what I learned from those moments. I’ll then shift my focus from the candidate experience to how we as a community can improve the job search experience from the perspectives of hiring teams and recruiters. I have and will continue to source thoughts and feedback from professionals in these roles.
Key Insights
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Layoffs in design and design ops have significantly shrunk teams, with 30-40% facing reductions or hiring freezes in 2023.
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The psychological impact of job loss ranks seventh among the most stressful life experiences and can take around two years to recover from.
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Inadvertent 'fake' job postings comprise about 30% of listings due to internal hires or role freezes, complicating the job search.
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Corey submitted over 700 applications with only 7% resulting in interviews, highlighting extreme market competition.
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Preparing detailed interview guides and application trackers is crucial to manage complex, drawn-out hiring processes lasting months.
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Humility to seek feedback even from candidates who beat you can transform your approach and improve outcomes.
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Job hunting needs to be treated as a full-time job with a strict routine to maintain momentum and morale.
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Employers should design well-defined, transparent hiring processes that include clear role expectations, structured interviews, and honest communication.
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Respectful candidate engagement—such as not multitasking during interviews and timely feedback—greatly improves candidate experience.
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Community support and self-care are vital for maintaining resilience throughout the stressful job hunt journey.
Notable Quotes
"Layoffs take on average two years to recover from the psychological trauma of losing a job."
"I submitted 710 applications throughout the year and only 7% of those resulted in interviews."
"The job market is flooded with overqualified candidates competing for fewer roles, often below their experience level."
"Treat unemployment as a full-time job; be relentless and turn over every stone to improve your chances."
"Being humble enough to ask a competitor for feedback changed everything and led directly to job offers."
"Don’t read canned questions during interviews; make it conversational and human."
"Always communicate next steps, timelines, and delays honestly with candidates; they will appreciate it and stay engaged."
"Respect candidates’ time and attention; don’t multitask during interviews no matter how busy you are."
"There are roles out there, but they come with longer processes—some of mine lasted up to five months."
"Community and self-care kept me going when I felt overworked, stressed, or down during my job search."
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