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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
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Monthly community calls foster collaboration and discussion around advancing research.
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Diversity and inclusion are crucial in creating equitable opportunities in research hiring.
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Traditional qualifications often create barriers for non-traditional candidates in research.
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Soft skills are critical yet often overlooked in hiring practices within the UX industry.
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Networking and mentorship improve chances of success for individuals transitioning into new fields.
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Standardization of job descriptions can help clarify expectations and improve hiring processes.
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Trial periods for new hires can ensure better fit and collaboration assessment.
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Training programs should be accessible and not rely on unpaid labor to prove skills.
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Inclusive hiring practices can lead to more diverse and innovative teams.
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Career transitions can be facilitated through supportive internal and external networks.
Notable Quotes
"It's been a crazy good year and we've had consistent monthly calls thanks to our amazing curation team."
"This community is all about exploring what it means to advance research and collaborating across different divides."
"The upcoming conference in Brooklyn is an exciting opportunity for in-person discussions and networking."
"Unpaid labor in interviews is something we really need to move away from; it undermines the fair assessment of talent."
"Diversity and inclusion should be part of the company culture to nurture new talent effectively."
"I felt the biggest obstacle was my own self-doubt and lack of formal qualifications, but mentorship helped me overcome that."
"Soft skills should be equally valued alongside technical skills in hiring processes."
"The notion that 'talent is evenly distributed but opportunity is not' resonates deeply in our hiring practices."
"There’s a pressing need for standardization in job requirements to truly open doors for all candidates."
"We really need to rethink how we evaluate candidates and focus more on potential than pedigree."
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