applying design thinking to a job search
TRANSCRIPT
EVERYONE HATES LINKEDINApplying Design Thinking to a Job Search
Daniel C. Robbins: Design Strategist
SO MANY QUESTIONS
What should I be doing right now?
What have I already done?
What should I celebrate?
What should I improve?
What do I need to prepare for?
What's coming up?
Whom do I need to reach out to?
Whom do I need to nag?What prospect isn't working out?
What should I move on from?
What should I push harder on?
?
Plan Immerse Synthesize
Brainstorm
Tell Implement
Evangelize
Evaluate
DeadlineScopeResourcesBackup
Primary ResearchSecondary ResearchRecordingQuestioningUser Journey
ClustersThemesOpportunity AreasWhite Space
ScenariosIdeateWorkshopAnnotateRate
StoriesDesiresContextConstraintsTechnology
DrawCodePrototypeCompareRefine
SellReflectAdaptLearn
LearnImproveSave
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Plan Immerse Synthesize
Brainstorm
Tell Implement
Evangelize
Evaluate
Primary ResearchSecondary ResearchRecordingQuestioningUser Journey
THE DESIGN PROCESS
Plan Prospect Reach Out
Meet Prepare Interview Negotiate Start Job
DeadlineDurationResourcesBackup
Secondary ResearchPrimary ResearchRanking
ConnectCommunicateSellRecordRepeat
ListenLearnConnectFollow-up
CollateCollectTuneCreate
ListenTellReflectAdjust
IntrospectTellListenRank
BreathListenSmileProve
THE JOB SEARCH USER JOURNEY
THE LONG ROAD TO AN INTERVIEW
1. FIND COMPANIES THAT ARE LOOKING FOR MY SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
2. FIND PEOPLE I ALREADY KNOW WHO KNOW PEOPLE AT THE COMPANY
3. ASK PEOPLE I KNOW TO CONNECT ME TO PEOPLE AT THE COMPANY
4. ASK TO HAVE CONVERSATION WITH NEW CONNECTION
5. ASK NEW CONNECTION FOR CONNECTION TO HIRING MANAGER
6. ASK FOR INFORMAL CONVERSATION WITH HIRING MANAGER
7. FORMAL INTERVIEW
~37 EMAILS
4 PEOPLE
3 MEETINGS
4 DOCUMENTS
MULTIPLY BY 30 - 60 PROSPECTS AND 3 FINAL STAGE DISCUSSIONS
IDENTIFYING DESIGN “WHITESPACE”
IDENTIFYING CAREER “WHITESPACE”
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT BIG DATA
DISCOVERYDECISION SUPPORTPROJECT MANAGEMENT
PRIORITIZEWORK ORDERTIMINGRESOURCE MANAGEMENTARTIFACT GENERATION
LOOKING FOR JOBS
Are there any mutual contacts?
Does it match my skills?
INVESTIGATING A COMPANY
What kind of 2nd degree connections?
SHARED CONNECTIONS AT A COMPANY
Are these meaningful shared contacts?
What company does he actually work for?
FINDING CONNECTIONS
17 connections
15 connections
222 possible connections
JOB SEARCH = BIG DATA
MANAGING COMMUNICATIONS
1506 ROWS: PEOPLE27 COLUMNS: METADATA~900 COMPANIES4 TOOLS: EMAIL, LINKEDIN, EXCEL, MESSENGER2 MONTHS: SO FAR
PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONSCOMMUNICATION TRACKINGREMINDER SYSTEMLINKS TO COLLATERALAFFINITY CUESTIMELINES TO TRACK PROGRESS SUMMARY GENERATORS
LAST DATE OF CONTACTWORKED TOGETHER HOW LONG WE'VE KNOWN EACH OTHERFREQUENCY OF COMMUNICATIONTONE OF COMMUNICATIONEXPLICIT PRIORITY
VIZ TOOLS FOR NETWORKSAttempts to use existing tools
VIZ TOOLS FOR TASKSAttempts to use existing tools
TABLEAU: SIZE=PRIORITY, COLOR=STATUS
TABLEAU: SIZE=PRIORITY, COLOR=STATUS
TABLEAU: SIZE=PRIORITY, COLOR=STATUS
VISUALIZATION IDEAS
DESIGNING A GOOD VISUALIZATION IS LIKE DESIGNING AN APP
From Information Is Beautiful, David McCandless
ANSWER A QUESTIONTELL A STORYINVITE EXPLORATION
HAVE WE ACTUALLY WORKED TOGETHER?HOW LONG HAVE I KNOWN THEM?WHAT’S THE TONE OF COMMUNICATIONS?HOW RECENTLY HAVE WE TALKED?HOW FREQUENTLY DO WE TALK?DID I GIVE THEM AN EXPLICIT PRIORITY?
Connection density
HIERARCHY
Person-to-person handoffsShifting focus to other companies
ICONIC
Clustering for tasksColor for priority
TREE-MAPS
DurationCluster by company
TIMELINES
Icons for metadataTabs for categoriesPeople centric
TIMELINES
Nested status
TIMELINES
GlanceableOptimize for comparison
MINI-TIMELINES
Sector for statusGlanceableNested frequency
DISKS
Radar metaphorCenter = prioritySectors for tasks
DISCS
Nested activitiesProgressionCompare across task
RINGS AND FUNNELS
Cluster by taskNested timelines
TABULAR
Task progress comparisonGlanceableFrequency of interaction
TABULAR
Task vs. companyGlanceableCompare progressFrequency of interaction
TABULAR
Density of facetsOrder matters
PARALLEL
CONCLUSIONSWhat I’ve learned
Phrase nuggetsConnections remindersLink embeddingResponse trackingTODO generation
EMAIL TAKES TIME
AVAILABLE DATESPEOPLE WE KNOW IN COMMONLINK TO MY WORKREASON FOR LEAVING LAST JOBWHY I WANT THIS COMPANYWHY I'M TALKING WITH YOU
EmailCalendarExcelLinkedInMessenger / FacebookPhone/TextingCRMEtc…
NEED INTEGRATED TOOLS
NOT ALL THAT IS INTERESTING IS IMPORTANTDISCRETE VALUE ICONS WHEN VERY FEW VALUESVISUAL INDICATORS FOR MAGNITUDE CUEING UP USER ACTIONS
REPETITION VS THREADSCOMPARE (AND RANK) DATAUNCERTAINTYTIME IS UNEVENEXPLICIT VS. ALGORITHMIC PRIORITIZATIONRELATIVE VS. ABSOLUTE PRIORITYHANDOFFS: PERSON TO PERSON
