Employers and recruiters: Be a part of the UX community, too

- Almost by definition, UX professionals are people centric. A trait that carries over into the formation of strong UX meetups and communities and cities across the globe. These communities are connected via national and international UX organizations. I would encourage you as an employer or recruiter to become a part of these communities. Go to meetups in your area and really get to know those who do UX work. It should make sense that one of the best ways to network with people who like people is to meet them in person. If possible, do this before you have a need. Use the opportunity to simply expand your network as you meet others. Listen to UX-oriented speakers who are often featured at in-person events. And just as important, use these in-person events to learn the language of UX. Understand what UX is and what it is not. Even if you are already acquainted with the scope of user experience, there is always something new to learn. And that something is what is going to help you not just appear to be an informed employer or recruiter, but really be one. As an informed employer or recruiter, you'll earn respect. That respect will translate into people coming to work for you. Recently, a client asked me to sit in on some interviews. To help assess the UX research job candidates who would also be a part of a project I was working on. One candidate walked in, recognized my name from my involvement in the wider UX community. He then accepted the position, saying that my visibility in the field and my participation in the interview as a knowledgeable researcher led to his trust that this would be a good place to work. While that was certainly not my nor my client's reason for my involvement in the interviews, it does bring home the value of demonstrate-able UX knowledge and community involvement for hiring success. That's not to say that meetups are the only way that you should become knowledgeable about UX if you aren't already. I'd encourage you to take some practitioner-oriented LinkedIn Learning courses to become a little more familiar. Read UX books and really make sure that you have a clear and solid vocabulary and understanding. This will allow you to construct job recs that make sense to UX-ers. You will be more than just a talent seeker who comes across lacking knowledge or risks looking uninformed. You can also go to national UX conferences that might extend your draw beyond your local geography. In many cities, UX professionals are in short supply. These larger conferences will allow you to expand your reach to an even wider pool of UX professionals, while also having the opportunity to attend a variety of interesting knowledge-expanding sessions. Want to turn it up a notch? Be a sponsor. If you have access to a nice space, offer to host a meetup. You can even create a meetup of your own or sponsor some food. Offer to supply pizza and drinks. As a sponsor, you not only get lots of visibility for your sponsorship, but meetup organizers will likely give you the opportunity to talk about upcoming staffing needs too. At conferences, whether local or not, you can often rent a booth in the exhibit area. Add a few intriguing goodies, and you'll find your talent coming to you. Additionally, seek to build your UX network by engaging with people on social media. Connect with UX professionals and be interesting, engaging and authentic. Build your follower base so that when you need to get the word out about your job offerings, you can. Sure, you can advertise on social media as well and certainly do this to whatever level you want. But also know that having the respect of a large number of relevant followers is an advantage in its own right.