Tom McCormack is a human centered career coach and fellow podcast host of Work Ethics. In this episode, Nadia and Tom discuss weighty topics like the ethics surrounding the impact and regulation of AI, how to approach ethics questions around the work you’re doing, and how to figure out if a potential employer is ethically aligned with your values and beliefs.  

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 1:00 : Considerations around AI ethics & regulation

• 18:00 : How AI will impact the design industry and careers

• 33:00 : The ethics of designing products that automate jobs & how to address those kinds of questions in your workplace

• 44:00 : Trusting your gut: how to discover if there is ethical alignment between you and a future employer

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Tom's LinkedIn Profile

• Work Ethics Podcast

• Disconnect Newsletter by Paris Marx

• Ezra Klein Show Podcast Episode: How China Went From Economic Superstar to Faltering Giant

Radu Vucea is a seasoned design leader & mentor. After spending much of his career working in design for large organizations like Adobe and Fitbit, Radu pivoted to founding his own design studio, Ixperi, as well as his own bootcamp training & mentorship program, Mento Design Academy. In this episode, you’ll learn about Radu’s career trajectory, why he became a founder, and more. 

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 1:00 : Radu’s background, career trajectory, and what he is currently working on

• 7:00 : The management style at Radu’s design studio, Ixperi

• 11:00 : Operating with trust as a design manager, and how Radu approaches hiring

• 25:00 : How Radu went from a design leader to owning & running his own design businesses

• 39:00 : Radu’s bootcamp program, Mento Design Academy, how it started, and who it serves

• 50:00 : How to learn more & get in touch with Radu, Ixperi, Mento Design Academy

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Ixperi Design Studio

• Mento Design Academy

• Radu’s LinkedIn Profile

Jonah McLachlan, Producer & Mentor of the UX Energy Mentoring podcast, newsletter, & mentoring platform, joins us on today’s episode. Nadia and Jonah talk all about managers in this episode - how to work well together, make sure you’re getting the most out of your managers, and the most important qualities to look for in your next manager.  

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 1:00 : The impact of good managers on employee happiness and turnover

• 7:00 : How to help your manager manage you well in your job and the impact of diversity and inclusion on management tactics 

• 17:00 : Trust & openness as cornerstones of management

• 27:00 : The give and take of manager/employee recognition and empowerment

• 34:00 : How to get in touch with Jonah

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Jonah's LinkedIn Profile

• Jonah’s Twitter

• UX Energy Mentoring

• Good Boss vs. Bad Boss Infographic

• Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by dale Carnegie 

Following up on our previous conversation about inclusive hiring practices for neurodivergent candidates, Sam Daugherty joins us as a special guest host interviewing Paul Radliff. Paul is a Digital UX & Design Leader with years of experience both hiring for his teams and going through the recruitment process at other organizations. 

During this conversation, Sam and Paul chat about how to create an effective and inclusive hiring environment, while also advocating for the unique place of design within your organization.

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 0:01 : An introduction to Sam and Paul & their backgrounds

• 4:00 : How to create an inclusive hiring environment for neurodiverse or introverted individuals

• 12:00 : Hiring entry level designers who may not have fully honed their technical skills

• 16:00 : Finding the root cause of hiring process challenges & the place of design within an organization 

• 31:00 : Sam & Paul’s thoughts on creating an effective design hiring process

• 40:00 : Making accommodations for candidates before, during, and after interviews

• 58:00 : Closing thoughts & how to get in touch with Sam & Paul

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Paul's Portfolio Site

• Paul's LinkedIn Profile

• Sam’s LinkedIn Profile

• Sam's Portfolio Site

Formerly a teacher, Sam Daugherty fell into the design world by accident and is now a Senior Designer at a FinTech company. In this episode, you’ll hear about his career journey, how he thinks about hiring and developing early career designers, balancing work and personal life, and much more. 

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 0:00 : Letting your personality shine through

• 5:00 : What Sam’s been up to recently & how he got into design

• 12:00 : Teaching early career designers to communicate with engineers & stakeholders

• 25:30 : Hiring for team and personality fit vs. hard skills

• 28:00 : Hiring for cultural diversity and neurodiversity

• 40:00 : What qualities Sam & Nadia look for when hiring early designers

• 51:00 : Convincing hiring managers that you don’t need to hire senior designers for every role

• 58:00 : Acknowledging that design is hard work, but there are some pretty great benefits to the flexibility you have in many design roles

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Sam’s LinkedIn Profile

• Sam's Portfolio Site

• Behind the Bastards Podcast

• A Bit of Optimism Podcast

Marc Fonteijn is a veteran service designer who co-founded the first service design studio in the Netherlands. His passion for all things service design inspired him to start his own podcast, the Service Design Show. The podcast has quickly grown into a community and resource hub for those who are looking for careers in service design. In this episode, Nadia and Marc chat about what service design is and how to articulate the value of service design to your organization’s leadership, your team, and more. 

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 0:01 : A little bit about Marc and what service design is

• 8:30 : Making a case for the value of service design

• 15:30 : How to learn more about service design and get your team to engage with the concept of service design 

• 21:00 : Understanding the financial value of the design work you’re doing

• 31:00 : Getting your team to adopt a more service-oriented mindset

• 34:00 : How to get in touch with Marc

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Marc’s LinkedIn Profile

• The Service Design Show

• The Circle Professional Learning Community

• Marc’s YouTube Channel

• ServiceDesignJobs.com

Corey Nelson has worn many hats - UX design lead, manager, career coach, podcast host, teacher, and more. In this candid conversion, Corey and Nadia chat about merit increases and performance ratings, being a manager to others, and creating support systems for yourself on your career journey. 

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 0:01 : AI Photoshopping and honesty vs. being mean 

• 7:00 : What’s new with Corey & his move to Tulsa

• 11:00 : Design therapy & support systems

• 15:00 : Dissecting merit increase and performance review ratings and conversations

• 24:00 : Your responsibilities to your team as a manager

• 36:00 : What’s up next for Corey & how to get in touch

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Corey’s LinkedIn Profile

• Corey’s Career Coaching Business, UX Design Job

• Subscribe to the UX Design Job Newsletter by Corey Nelson

• The UX+1 Podcast 

• Corey’s Masterclass, UX Advanced Individual Training

• Design Hires’ Side Hustle Summit

Mitchell Clements, a Sr. Product Design Manager at Simple Nexus, chats with Nadia about how he has approached social media as a tool to grow your network in an impactful way. This discussion delves into the best ways to ask for help or mentorship on social media, how to find strong mentorship early in a design career, and online vs. in-person networking. 

Here’s a look at our discussion:

• 0:01 : Building a presence on social media to grow your network as a hiring manager

• 8:15 : The cultural shift toward networking online vs. networking in person

• 14:30 : How having an online presence has positively impacted Mitchell’s personal career 

• 20:00 : The importance of finding strong mentorship relationships for accelerating design career growth and how to ask for help finding it

• 35:30 : How to get in touch with Mitchell, and the best way to make an ask via social media

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Mitchell’s LinkedIn Profile

• Mitchell’s Twitter Profile

• Mitchell’s Website