[IxDA Discuss] FW: Career: Deep vs Broad Experience

[Dante Murphy]

Phil-

As a hiring manager, I think the real key is developing a breadth of
solution experience, regardless of domain.  Having a number of tools and
practices that you're expert in will make you an attractive candidate.
Most employers will look for at least some experience or familiarity
with their industry, but frankly that's the easiest thing to teach.  For
instance, just being an online shopper was enough for me to transition
from application design to e-commerce.  For interaction design, being a
consumer is almost as good as domain experience...sometimes better, in
fact.

The things you want to develop are your skills at solving problems,
articulating your solutions, and creating strong professional
relationships.  Demonstrate your intelligence and passion, and above all
your optimism.

And one secret I'll let out of the bag...anyone who told you to try and
keep your resume short is doing you a disservice.  Tell your story, and
however long it is, well that's fine.  As long as it's worth reading,
I'll read it all.  One page for every two years is a good rule of thumb,
but your mileage may vary.

Good luck,
Dante

_______________________________________
Dante Murphy | Director of Information Architecture
Medical Broadcasting Company  |  A  D I G I T A S INC. COMPANY

-----Original Message-----
Subject: [IxDA Discuss] Career: Deep vs Broad Experience

A question for the more "experienced" folks on the list:

In terms of career advancement and job security, is it better for an
interaction designer to develop deep or broad experience, in terms of
product domains? For example, would you recommend spending twenty years
working on one type of product (e.g., websites) or twenty years spread
across mobile, games, web, software, voice, hardware, etc.?

Obviously, this depends largely on what your personal interests are,
career goals, etc., but I am just curious what insights experience in
this field (e.g., surviving the dot com bubble) has given to those who
are further along in their careers than I am.


Thanks,
Phil