We're fortunate to work at a company where talented designers country-wide want to join our team. Whether we're hiring for product designers, UX writers, illustrators, UI designers, or motion designers, we consistently receive hundreds of applications for each open role.

This level of interest is both exciting and humbling. It also means we have to make some difficult decisions about candidates that we can and can’t move forward with.

To help past and future candidates understand what we're looking for, we're sharing what makes candidates successful in our process.

During the application process

We deeply value portfolios and proof of work during the initial application process. They’re our first impression of a candidate, and help make a case for you even when you’re not in the room.

So it’s good to ensure that, above all, your portfolio makes it easy for the viewer to perceive your value and immediately make a clear decision: yes or no. 

Portfolios that match the role’s requirements

We appreciate when candidates showcase their absolute best projects that fit the role they’re applying for. This might look like:

• Product designer applications that showcase visual design work and demonstrate process

• UX writer applications that feature strong product copy examples, or

• Motion designer portfolios that show digital product experience

Case studies that show depth, process or strategic thinking

We look for case studies that display aesthetic sensibility and strong storytelling as well as astute problem-solving. Specifically, we look for evidence of:

• The problem and its importance: What were you solving and why did it matter?

• Your users and constraints: Who were you designing for and what limitations shaped your approach?

• Your process: How did you approach the problem and what directions did you explore?

• Your rationale: How did you map design decisions to business objectives and user needs?

• The outcome: What impact did your work have on the business?

• Your learnings: What didn't work and what would you do differently?

For mid- to senior roles especially, we look for candidates who think beyond execution to strategy and impact.

Strong and clear portfolio presentations

Great design work shines more when accompanied by strong, clear, and accurate presentations. We value portfolios that balance visual flair and clear communication. They need to show attention to detail in interaction patterns, storytelling, typography, and information architecture. They should also have consistent navigation and organisation, and (bonus!) have a working prototype, demo or video link.

Here’s a handy checklist of things to look out for when submitting your portfolio:

• Non-responsive sites, broken links, and images that don’t load

• Projects that are not relevant to the role but given the same weight

• Typos, grammatical mistakes, and other errors

• AI-generated blurbs with all style but no substance

• Multiple redirections (e.g. Notion -> Behance -> Figma)

• Explanations of process without enough of a spotlight on outcomes

• Files that take minutes to load or are password-protected without shared access

Role and expectation alignment

There are basic fit factors that also factor into the overall hiring process. For example, if the candidate’s experience is not enough or not relevant, if compensation expectations don’t match, or if working styles and location preferences are different, it might sway a decision on whether a candidate can move forward to the next round. 

During the interviews

The interview rounds are where candidates get to talk with potential future colleagues, present their work, and position themselves as the best fit for the role. It can be nerve-wracking for many, so we hope these notes on what we expect help you feel better prepared. 

Evidence of range and growth

We look for evolution and versatility in our interviews, especially with candidates applying for mid- to senior-level roles. Our technical rounds are similarly geared to identify how you solve business problems through design, balance form, function and delivery, and adapt your approach based on context and grow from experience.

Therefore, we look out for candidates with:

• Portfolios showing a range of project types or approaches with clear growth

• Curiosity about design trends, tools, or methodologies

• The ability to articulate learning from different projects or experiences

A strong understanding of strategy and business context

At scale, user needs are a starting point, and business outcomes are equally critical. Strong designers take this into account and understand how their design decisions create measurable impact across the product and organisation.

This shows up both in portfolio case studies and during our whiteboarding sessions, where we look for candidates who ask clarifying questions to understand the full problem before proposing solutions.

The candidates we move forward with often have these factors in common—they:

• Can explain how design decisions impact business goals and user outcomes

• See other functions as important to product success

• Show individual contributions within the larger context of collaborative decision-making

• Think through trade-offs systematically and explain their reasoning clearly, especially during the whiteboard and craft interview sessions

Evidence of meaningful collaboration

Design is a team sport, and we look for designers who thrive in collaborative environments. During all the interview rounds, we keenly look out for:

• How you've partnered with researchers, PMs, engineers, and other designers to achieve shared goals through a coherent design process

• Your specific contributions to team projects, while also acknowledging the work of others that helped shape the project

• Examples of how feedback and iteration strengthened your designs

• Your ability to connect and communicate effectively with different stakeholders
  
  
  

Clear career and personal motivations

Working at scale and designing for millions of users comes with unique complexities and opportunities for growth. We look for candidates who are genuinely excited about the opportunities it presents. We also appreciate when candidates envision themselves as part of our team specifically, and who naturally display a baseline understanding of our products.

Strong fit might look like: 

• Thoughtful responses that show you understand what makes our company unique

• Values that align with our collaborative culture

• Ability to take ownership and engage openly with feedback

• Understanding the role and opportunities of real-world constraints

• Excitement about collaborative work rather than working in isolation

Moving forward

If you applied to us recently and your application wasn’t moved forward, please know that we're still genuinely grateful for your interest. The design team is constantly evolving, so what doesn't work today might be perfect for a future opportunity with us.

We'd love to have you continue following our work and encourage you to apply again if a role aligns with where your career is heading. In the meantime, we hope this insight into our process is helpful for your design journey.