In this section, you'll find information on how to set up a portfolio, the skills you need for the job market, how to start networking, and what qualities an ideal job market candidate might possess.

Portfolio

The portfolio is a key document to aid in the transition from student to professional contexts. It should reflect your professional identity (i.e., your applicable job titles) and evidence your skill sets. The portfolio gives employers a look at your abilities, thought processes, and interpersonal skills. Further, it’s not just a place to show your work, but is a design object in itself that will be judged. At minimum, a portfolio should include:

• Effective evidence of the skills that backup your professional identity.
  
• Effective information architecture.
• Class projects (a balance of team & individual is important), internship recaps, contest recaps, freelance work, and/or personal work. (Note: Work done outside the classroom is valuable.)

Students should nurture a portfolio throughout their time in the degree and not just at the end. To that end, students have an opportunity to work on a big, bold team-based interaction design project in IAD3000 (Interaction Design I). Additionally, we offer other classes designated to produce portfolio-worthy projects (IAD4000, IAD4150, IAD4230, TCID4120, TCID4700).

Skills

‍What skills should an interaction designer have to be competitive on the job market? In short: it depends on the job description. We break down skill sets into two major categories: UI design skills and user research/synthesizing skills. Our best students excel in both areas.

UI DEsign Skills

Students applying for jobs where daily tasks are focused mostly on UI design and prototyping need strong information architecture, screen layout, prototyping, and visual design skills. Classes to focus on: IAD2100, IAD3150, IAD3230, IAD4150, IAD4200, IAD4230, TCOM3046. Skills include:

UX Skills

Students applying for jobs where daily tasks are focused on making sense of and applying research, need to possess user research and/or synthesizing research skills. Classes to focus on: IAD3000, IAD3300, IAD4000, TCOM3046, TCOM4120, TCID4700. Skills include:

Networking

‍In addition to completing an internship, students may also prepare for the post-college transition by networking with a community of other designers. This process can be started by signing up with the Interaction Design Association’s (IxDA) local Atlanta chapter. They use MeetUp as their organizing platform. The local chapter has meetings all the time and is a great way to start networking. We have found that students who network (and get internships) are more likely to get good jobs right out of college.

There are a lot of other networking events that fall under the larger umbrella of UX or product design. Some are good, some are less so -- use your best judgement. In the Resources section below, you'll find more networking resources.

Ideal Job Candidate?

What qualities might an “ideal” job candidate possess? These traits are a direct reflection of the best students to have graduated from this program:

• Has curiosity regarding how systems work, a strong attention to detail, and utilizies effective time management strategies.
• Has a strong command of their skill sets. (These skills are clearly displayed in their portfolio and confidently explained during the interview process.)
• Has evidence of work done outside of class in their portfolio. (Consider the CCSE Hackathon, the UI/UX Club & Hatchbridge Design-a-thon, or any freelancing web design and/or development projects.)
• Has completed at least one relevant internship before graduation.
• Takes time to attend face-to-face networking events in their field.

How Should I set up a portfolio?

‍The debate regarding how to display/explain your work is open and contestable. How do you set up a portfolio that can grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers alike? How much info should you include? How much process do you show? What should you focus on?
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There are lots of opinions about how to “show your work” and no real consensus. This means that, like a good designer, you need to trust your gut and do what works for you (and iterate!).
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That said, there are thoughts and trends you should be aware of when crafting a portfolio:

1/ Portfolios depend on the job you are applying for. For instance, you would set up a portfolio for a UI design job differently than a real (i.e., not UX theatre) UX job.

2/ I recommend that you organize work in your portfolio by building two parts for every project: showcase and case study.

3/ A showcase is a quick recap of your work. (This video [3/1/25] makes the case for showing less work. While this video is contradictory, I’m point you to it because it's emblematic of statements I've seen lately.) A showcase covers:

• What is your project? (A hook that draws the reader in.)
• How long did the project take? (Length is important to assess quality.)
• Role? (What specifically did you do if it’s a team project?)
• Tools? (What tools were used to create this?)
• Links? (Link to important files—FigJam, Figma—and to the case study.)
• Key outcomes? (What changed?)
• Tools? (What tools were used to create this?)
• Solution? (Show impactful images/gifs of things you’re proud of that speak to problems and solutions.)
• Lessons learned? (What did you learn in the process of creating this design? What would you do differently if the chance to do it again?)

4/ A case study shows process. Meaning? It walks through, in detail, the method you used and work your team did to get to the final product. The case study should only be linked through the showcase page.

5/ Include content (i.e., hobbies) that fleshes you out as a human on your about page.

6/ Don't neglect nurturing and representing your "soft skills."

In this section, you'll find *current* information on the state of the job market in 2025. Researching and/or talking about the job market is difficult but a necessary part of the process.

Current state

It's not a secret -- the job market is not good for folks seeking junior roles inside or outside of the design industry (1, 2). Covid-19 economic disruptions, the end of the ZIRP era, the shakiness of interconnected global economies, et cetera means, for the time being, that many companies are "tightening their belts" and doing more with less. This means fewer jobs.

Generative AI (i.e., large language models)? The Wharton School of Business posted a report (9/8/25) that suggests gen AI will eventually make the economy permanently larger, but not dramatically faster-growing. Its biggest impact will be felt in the 2030s and, thus, it will eventually have a meaningful, but not revolutionary, impact.

Point? As of yet, gen AI has not moved worker productivity numbers enough to explain the state of the job market.

What else is effecting the job market? 

• A major influx of people over the last 10 years trying to find employment in these fields.
• Algorithms that now making it easier to apply for jobs.
• Thus, recruiters, HR, and hiring managers have to look through more applications, whether they are “right” for the job or “poorly suited.”
• This means less time to read, at least initially, each applicants materials.

How to Approach

Who knows? Get to it.

• Networking > applying via digital portals.
  
• More beans
• NY Mets