Design Job Search: Strategy & Tactics

Cut months off your job search. Target the right companies & build a portfolio that can't be ignored.

4.9

(39) · 4 weeks · Cohort-based course

ryan-profile-picture
Ryan Scott
Design leader · Airbnb, DoorDash, Salesforce · UC Berkeley MBA

$649

4.9

(39)

Private alumni cohort
November 15 - December 3
Enroll today

Design Job Search: Strategy & Tactics

Cut months off your job search. Target the right companies & build a portfolio that can't be ignored.

Course overview

Land the design job that's right for you in any job market

As an experienced designer, you need your next role to keep your career momentum on track. These days, finding and landing that right next role can take many months. But it doesn’t have to.
‍
Having hired hundreds of designers, including for companies like DoorDash, Airbnb, & Palantir, I’ve seen what companies are desperate for—but just not finding—in designer after designer.
‍
In Design Job Search: Strategy + Tactics, we'll work together to position you as exactly what companies are looking for. From how to write world-class case studies to polishing overlooked details that make your portfolio perfect, you’ll learn dozens of tactics I’ve used to get offers from the most reputable tech companies in the world.
‍
As one student put it: “Ryan’s approach is a rare, truthful & invaluable resource for designers who want more than just a job—they want a successful career in design. Take this course if you’re looking for a clear, actionable guide to stand out in a market that’s become increasingly templatized. You spend countless hours helping companies grow—now it’s time to invest in your growth.”
‍
If you want to stand out from the competition, find the right next opportunity, get in front of leading companies, and land a better design job faster, this course is for you.

What you’ll learn

Immediate transformation + continued support
Completely transform your approach to the job market in our hands-on workshop. Then, keep up your momentum with 3 weeks of support as you revise your portfolio and case studies.
Unique storytelling prompts & templates
Make your Case Studies impossible to ignore with Ryan's personal storytelling framework that helps you decide what details to keep or cut.
Clarity on what’s holding you back
Learn exactly where your applications may be falling short, and where to focus to start landing more portfolio reviews and job offers.
1:1 feedback from an Airbnb Design Lead
Ryan's work at Airbnb was regularly reviewed by Brian Chesky. Learn what notes to hit, mistakes to avoid, and how to present your work like a top-tier candidate.

Who this course is for

01
Experienced Senior to Principal ICs who are considering a change or actively seeking roles that align to their long-term career goals
02
Experienced Managers, Senior Managers, & Directors who want to make sense of new market conditions and position themselves accordingly
03
NOT for early-career or aspiring designers. This course is for folks with at least 5+ years of full-time experience as a designer
04
Designers interested in business, but who want to pick up key business skills without the huge cost of business school

Course overview

Land the design job that's right for you in any job market

As an experienced designer, you need your next role to keep your career momentum on track. These days, finding and landing that right next role can take many months. But it doesn’t have to.
‍
Having hired hundreds of designers, including for companies like DoorDash, Airbnb, & Palantir, I’ve seen what companies are desperate for—but just not finding—in designer after designer.
‍
In Design Job Search: Strategy + Tactics, we'll work together to position you as exactly what companies are looking for. From how to write world-class case studies to polishing overlooked details that make your portfolio perfect, you’ll learn dozens of tactics I’ve used to get offers from the most reputable tech companies in the world.
‍
As one student put it: “Ryan’s approach is a rare, truthful & invaluable resource for designers who want more than just a job—they want a successful career in design. Take this course if you’re looking for a clear, actionable guide to stand out in a market that’s become increasingly templatized. You spend countless hours helping companies grow—now it’s time to invest in your growth.”
‍
If you want to stand out from the competition, find the right next opportunity, get in front of leading companies, and land a better design job faster, this course is for you.

What you’ll get out of this course

Immediate transformation + continued support
Completely transform your approach to the job market in our hands-on workshop. Then, keep up your momentum with 3 weeks of support as you revise your portfolio and case studies.
Unique storytelling prompts & templates
Make your case studies impossible to ignore with Ryan's personal storytelling framework & prompts that help you decide what details to keep or cut.
Clarity on what’s holding you back
Learn exactly where your applications may be falling short, and where to focus to start landing more portfolio reviews and job offers.
Personalized feedback from an Airbnb Design Lead
Ryan's work at Airbnb was regularly reviewed by Brian Chesky. Learn what notes to hit, mistakes to avoid, and how to present your work like a top-tier candidate.

Who this course is for

01
Experienced Senior to Principal ICs who are considering a change or actively seeking roles that align to their long-term career goals
02
Experienced Managers, Senior Managers, & Directors who want to make sense of new market conditions and position themselves accordingly
03
NOT for early-career or aspiring designers. This course is for folks with at least 5+ years of full-time experience as a designer

November alumni cohort schedule

Each session is taught live so you get ample feedback and all of your questions answered
Workshop
9am – 1pm PT
Office hours
4 - 5pm PT
Office hours
9 - 10am PT
Office hours
4 - 5pm PT

Curriculum

Strategy (4-hour LIVE Workshop)
You: Identifying your wants & needs
To land the perfect role, we do a series of hands-on exercises to help you identify and prioritize what you want and need for your career & next job.
Market: Why companies are hiring differently
See through the macroeconomic trends causing companies to change their approach to hiring so you know how to appeal to them.
Strategy: Build your approach to beat the market
Armed with knowledge of your needs & market dynamics, we’ll craft your individualized strategy to successfully approach your job search.
Marketing materials
Perfecting your portfolio projects
Learn to highlight the right projects and how to elegantly “bend reality” to transform your work to into most marketable form.
Storytelling for portfolios & case studies
Use Ryan's proprietary storytelling frameworks to describe the purpose, approach, and results of your work in a way that deeply resonates with hiring managers.
Effectively presenting your work
Learn what techniques to embrace (and common mistakes to avoid) when crafting your portfolio website and on-site presentation deck.
Application
Finding the right opportunities for you
Use uncommon tactics to find new opportunities in unexpected places and at exactly the right time.
Effectively applying to roles
Set your candidacy up for success by learning how to make successful asks, from getting an internal referral to negotiating the requirements of the interview itself.
Interview
Assessing if roles meet your needs
Ask the right questions, and interpret the right signals, to make sure the role and company are going to be the best fit for you.
Handling offers & rejection
Move forward with the right steps, whether that's deciding between offers or refocusing after rejection.

Curriculum

Our four-session curriculum delivers 6-hours of lecture + 4-hours of optional Q&A help you learn quickly while fitting class into your busy schedule.

Session 1
Connect Design to business metrics
Gain influence through frameworks that show non-designers how your design work connects to business and financial impact.
Session 2
Get credit for your total business impact
Get credit for all of the impact you create by showing how your work delivers different types of business value.
Session 3
Tailor tactics to your environment
Create a winning strategy to gain credibility and influence by adapting to your company’s stage, culture, and collaboration style.
Session 4
Drive your company towards Design
Apply MBA-level go-to-market tactics for identifying high-demand ideas, neutralizing detractors, and creating a movement of allies around your ideas.

Upcoming cohorts

November 12 - 22, 2024
10:00 – 11:30am PT
Tuesdays & Thursdays
Enroll now

Highly rated by designers at leading organizations

Reviews for Design Job Search: Strategy & Tactics

In today's uncertain market, Design Job Search: Strategy & Tactics has helped designers at all levels consider their career trajectory and prepare for a strategic job search optimized for today's market.

Ryan's course was incredibly helpful in solidifying the key frameworks for the job search process, both in terms of evaluating what type of roles to aim for and the tactical approach to the interview process.
Jeremy
Designer @ HighBeam
This is a great course for a senior level designer preparing for the next career move. The curriculum is well structured in a way that is easier to follow and resonated with my own experiences. Ryan's approach and way of thinking on job searching is refreshing.
Peixin
Product Designer @ Microsoft
This was an outstanding course. I was genuinely impressed by the quality of the content. It felt incredibly comprehensive. I’m walking away with clarity on the type of job I want, a strategy to go after it, and a portfolio that’s tailored to those roles.
Sheila
Associate Creative Director @ IBM
"Ryan breaks down the job searching process in a way that makes sense to creative professionals. You are the product! Strategy and tactics that make sense so you, the applicant, can increase the likelihood of the outcomes you are trying to achieve."
Ryan
Manager of Product Design
@ Alaska Airlines
This course is incredibly insightful. It provides a well-rounded perspective and various resources and frameworks from business stands I've never considered for my job search and career journey. I am so glad I took the course, and I will definitely come back to review the recordings multiple times.
Ting
Senior Product Designer
@ Thoughtworks
"Ryan's approach is a rare, truthful and invaluable resource for designers who want more than just a job—they want a successful career in design. Take this course if you’re looking for a clear, actionable guide to stand out in a market that’s become increasingly templatized."
Karina
Lead Product Designer
@ Tropic
“ Things I learned from this course enabled me to lead some of our most important strategic conversations inside my complex and chaotic organization. It has increased my candidacy for a big promotion.”
JORDAN
Lead Product Designer
@ Linux Foundation
“Remarkably, the course addressed critical questions that designers often hesitate to ask, hitting the nail on the head in areas we needed most. Definitely a must-join for anyone in design.”
Wendy
Senior Product Designer
@ Amazon
“I had limited knowledge of the business side before, but this course has given me a significant advantage. It'll help me better collaborate with my PMs!”
Chibuzor O.
Product Designer
@ Microsoft
“This was a great course! Lots of insights and actionable frameworks that I'm looking forward to bringing back to my design practice and organization.”
HOPE
Senior Product Designer
@ HubSpot
“This course is an investment to your career if you're interested in up-leveling your understanding of how design impacts a company's objectives.”
Catherine
Staff Product Designer
@ Reddit
“Ryan gives you frameworks and tactics that will impact your work immediately. I would recommend this course to any designer looking to level-up their career and impact within a business.”
Kyle Lambert
Staff Product Designer
@ Webflow

Reviews for Describing the ROI of Design

Describing the ROI of Design has given designers at all career stages the business tools, vocabularly, and frameworks to succeed in their organizations

Design Leaders
Designers

“Ryan’s course was full of practical tools, frameworks, and stories. I recommend it to anybody who wants to up level themselves or their team to be an effective product builder.”

Kevin
Head of Product Design
@ Webflow
dominic-testimonial

“Throughout the course I had many a-ha moments.
Ryan did an amazing job transforming the reality of many design leaders out there into easy to understand frameworks.”

Dominic
Head of Design, Workshops
@Miro

“This was just what I needed to level up how I frame and sell the value of design. Any current or aspiring design leader will benefit greatly from this course!”

Kathy
Senior Manager, UX Design
@ Salesforce

“An MBA condensed into 6 hours, tailored for design leads. High-quality, hands-on knowledge from start to finish. This is one of those courses that's worth every cent.”

Muka Péter Dániel
Sr Design Manager
@ Tricentis

“I wish this was taught in design school! Ryan builds on his rich industry experience to discover, define, demonstrate the value of design, and then bring change through stakeholder management.”

Rasagy
Senior Design ManageR
@ Capital One

“Ryan's course is legit! It reinforced concepts I already had an intuitive grasp of, but presented them from a fresh perspective, solid frameworks and with practical examples from his experience at top tech companies.”

Dynin
Design Director @ Kraken Crypto Exchange
jordan-testimonial

“ Things I learned from this course enabled me to lead some of our most important strategic conversations inside my complex and chaotic organization. It has increased my candidacy for a big promotion.”

Jordan
Lead Product Designer
@Linux Foundation

“Remarkably, the course addressed critical questions that designers often hesitate to ask, hitting the nail on the head in areas we needed most. Definitely a must-join for anyone in design.”

Wendy
Senior Product Designer
@ Amazon

“I had limited knowledge of the business side before, but this course has given me a significant advantage. It'll help me better collaborate with my PMs!”

Chibuzor O.
Product Designer
@ Microsoft
hope-testimonial

“This was a great course! Lots of insights and actionable frameworks that I'm looking forward to bringing back to my design practice and organization.”

Hope
Senior Product Designer @ HubSpot

“This course is an investment to your career if you're interested in up-leveling your understanding of how design impacts a company's objectives.”

Catherine
Staff Product Designer
@ Reddit

“Ryan gives you frameworks and tactics that will impact your work immediately. I would recommend this course to any designer looking to level-up their career and impact within a business.”

Kyle Lambert
Staff Product Designer
@ Webflow
Taught live by
Ryan Scott
Former Airbnb Design Lead + U.C. Berkeley MBA
ryan_portrait
For 20 years, Ryan has run multiple businesses, coached hundreds of designers, and led cross-functional teams to launch some of today’s most recognizable products.

At Series-B DoorDash, he led 0-to-1 launches including live order tracking and in-app food photography. At Airbnb, he rallied designers, cross-functional partners, and executives to rebuild the company’s most business-critical surfaces, including booking, messaging, and search.

Combining design expertise, hands-on business experience, and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Ryan helps designers master the business skills that build credibility and influence so they can ship the best design work of their careers.
ryan_portrait

FAQs

I work full-time. Do I have time for this course?

This course is designed for full-time design professionals. Live sessions are 3 hours a week. The 1-hour feedback session is optional, as are the projects.

Do I have to attend all live sessions?

Every session is recorded in case you're not able to attend live. However, the course is more engaging live, so I highly recommend you plan to attend all sessions.

Can I get this course reimbursed?

Many companies offer an L&D budget that covers the cost of courses. Here's a guide to asking for a reimbursement: Getting your course reimbursed

What’s the refund policy?

As long as you attend all sessions, I'll issue you a full refund if you aren't fully satisfied.

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