Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.
Log in Create free account100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.
Unlocking impact and influence through inclusive hiring in research
Summary
The traditional ways of hiring people into research and insight careers pose significant challenges in attracting the best industry talent. In our community survey, we heard concerns about the lack of consistent standards in user research education, unclear and unarticulated requirements for entry level roles, and lack of structured, industry-wide career progression ladders. These issues can make it hard to recruit diverse talent and ensure inclusivity of career experiences in our field. If we are to embrace the full potential of the talents available to us, we must get better at assessing, understanding, and elevating talent. In this session, Joseph Williams, CEO of bias-mitigation technology company, Included.AI, and three recent entrants into the research and insights field share their lived experiences of starting out in their research careers. They discuss the current opportunities, challenges and pitfalls of seeking a job in research as well as the steps we can collectively take to improve them.
Key Insights
-
•
Talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not, highlighting systemic barriers in entry to UX research.
-
•
Many entry-level UX research job descriptions require unrealistic prerequisites like HCI masters degrees or 1-2 years experience.
-
•
Unpaid interview exercises persist despite being a barrier and are not reflective of UX research's collaborative nature.
-
•
Paid trial periods for new hires, once common, should be reinstated to evaluate candidates fairly and collaboratively.
-
•
Mentorship and sponsorship are crucial but often unavailable or tied to paid programs, limiting access for underrepresented candidates.
-
•
Career switchers from unrelated fields struggle to find consistent guidance and experience feelings of imposter syndrome and elitism.
-
•
Internal career transitions can be bolstered by supportive hiring managers and informal sponsorships.
-
•
Networking and cohort-based learning provide significant morale and skill-building benefits during career transitions.
-
•
Soft skills like empathy, communication, and collaboration are undervalued in hiring criteria compared to technical skills.
-
•
Standardizing education and hiring processes can provide clearer pathways and fairer evaluations for UX research candidates.
Notable Quotes
"It's kind of like the Wild West in terms of educational opportunities for UX research."
"I was absolutely adamant about not giving work away for free."
"There is a lack of clarity about what’s really needed for entry level roles — every job seemed to want a unicorn."
"The interview exercises feel like free work for the employer, but UX research is a team sport."
"I was my biggest obstacle, saying no to myself because I thought I didn’t have the right experience."
"Mentorship was rare and often tied to paid programs; sponsorship was nonexistent in my career path."
"Having sponsors who put in a good word made my hiring manager comfortable despite my lack of formal experience."
"Soft skills were deemed the most important in a survey, yet job ads rarely mention them."
"Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not."
"We need to focus on what people can do, not just what they have done."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Don't think constraints are real. Executives see them as excuses for not delivering."
Jess GrecoClaiming your power: Practical tools for amplifying your unique voice
March 13, 2025
"AI is not just a tool for productivity or efficiency; it's a design material with unusual strengths and weaknesses."
Josh Clark Veronika KindredSentient Scenes and Radically Adaptive Experiences
June 11, 2025
"Advanced logic, matrix questioning, AI survey design creation — these are baseline capabilities you should expect from any modern survey tool."
Aleksandra Korczynska Caroline Jarrett Justyna ParmeeSurvey Tools
March 12, 2026
"When I started, the team didn’t understand what the point of UX on the back end was; I had to win their hearts and minds."
Anat Fintzi Rachel MinnicksDelivering at Scale: Making Traction with Resistant Partners
June 9, 2022
"When you’re in a culture that celebrates complexity, making things simple is still a very hard thing to do."
Peter MorvilleThe Architecture of Understanding
May 13, 2015
"Everything is disposable now; we’re drowning in prototypes and reviewmiliation—so much work shows up overnight."
Paul FordNew work, new words: A glossary for AI
June 9, 2026
"We still have so much more work to do and things to learn."
Ariel KennanTheme Two Intro
November 17, 2022
"Rivian told Volkswagen, You tell us how to make a software-based vehicle; we’ll build the frame around the computer system and sensors."
James RamptonThe Basics of Automotive UX & Why Phones Are a Part of That Future
July 25, 2024
"No research method is perfect; use a mix and triangulate results depending on whether you want to predict or explain."
Michaela MoraAdvanced Concept Testing Approaches To Guide Product Development and Business Decisions
March 11, 2022
