Breaking in: A guide to landing your first product design role
Curious about early career opportunities at Figma? Here are some tips on how to get your first product design job, along with insights on what we look for.
Hero by Thomas Colligan
Every year, we welcome interns and new graduates to our product design team. These emerging designers don’t just observe—they actively shape our products, infusing energy and new ideas into everything we do.
So, how do you land an early career opportunity at Figma? What do we look for? How does the interview process work? We’re here to answer all these questions and more. If you’re an aspiring product designer, grab your notepad, cue up your favorite playlist, and dive in—because we’re excited to share what it takes to join our team, and we’d love to see you bring your talent and creativity to Figma.
Crafting your portfolio
There’s a lot of chatter across all corners of the internet about design portfolios—from which site builders are best to how many examples to include to whether you should leave out that quirky pet photo. But we believe portfolios are deeply personal; as long as you’re showcasing your best work, telling a compelling story, and making your work easy to navigate, the rest is entirely up to you. Below, you’ll find our advice for creating a portfolio that truly represents you and your work.
Lead with your best work
Your portfolio is your first impression, so showcase the pieces that best represent your skills, creativity, process, and impact. Leading with your strongest and most comprehensive work sets the tone for everything else.
Tip: If you’re not sure which project to lead with, choose the one you can speak most naturally to; if you can tell a compelling story about it, it’s probably a frontrunner.
Choose projects that have a clear problem statement, key milestones, and an insightful conclusion. Even if your project wasn’t a huge success, that’s okay! Can you speak to your learnings? Your metrics? What would you have done differently? All of those things make for a good narrative.
Tammy Taabassum, a product designer working on Generative AI, emphasizes the importance of explaining your design decisions: “Why you did something is often more important than what you did because ‘why’ showcases your product thinking. Every color, component, style, bit of copy is a choice, and being able to articulate what trade-offs you considered and the pros and cons of those choices makes it clear that you understand nuances, constraints, and the implications of different options.”
Quality over quantity
When it comes to portfolios, depth trumps breadth, so focus on the quality of your work and the depth of your storytelling—rather than the sheer number of projects. A few well-executed projects are far more impactful than a long list of work you’re less excited about.
Tip: Some designers choose to include a “B-reel” on their sites. This can be an archival type of page where you include some visual candy you’re proud of that alludes to the breadth of your work. If you want to include this, we recommend keeping it separate from your core case studies.
When choosing your strongest work, don’t feel pressured to only showcase end-to-end projects. “It’s okay to highlight work that really shines in specific areas, like prototyping or product strategy,” says Figma Product Designer and Figma Summer 2023 Intern Julia Han. “You also don’t have to limit yourself to only presenting shipped portions of projects. Interviewers often love seeing exploratory designs and future visions. These unshipped concepts can reveal a lot about your creative process and ability to think beyond the requirements.”
Unshipped concepts can reveal a lot about your creative process and ability to think beyond the requirements.
Showcase complete stories
Even if your portfolio highlights certain aspects of the design journey more than others, it should still narrate a through-line from the initial problem statement to the final outcomes. Include elements like the obstacles you faced, your design process, key learnings, and thoughts on what you might have done differently. This reflection demonstrates your problem-solving abilities and provides insight into how you’ve evolved as a designer.
We understand that not all students have the opportunity to measure success for their projects. If you have a project you want to include as one of your primary case studies but don’t have any metrics, you can still incorporate some ideas for how you would plan to measure success in your reflection. These solutions don’t have to be perfect—all we’re looking for is whether you’re able to think strategically and bring some ideas to the table.
Kelly Hu, a product designer working on the Figma Editor, emphasizes that qualitative insights can be just as impactful as quantitative measures: “Be a storyteller! Whether you’re sharing case studies, presenting your portfolio, or answering interview questions, a well-crafted story can elevate how you communicate the value of your design work. By weaving a cohesive story that connects each design decision, showcases your strongest skills, and highlights the impact of your work, you’ll help interviewers gain a deeper understanding of your thought process and see a glimpse into your mind.”
Be a storyteller! A well-crafted story can elevate how you communicate the value of your design work.
Bring your work to life
While linking to prototypes is important, consider using GIFs and recordings to make your work more scannable and engaging. These elements can demonstrate practical skills and give viewers a deeper understanding of your projects, making your portfolio more dynamic, informative, and fun.
Prioritize usability and accessibility
A clear and easy-to-navigate portfolio site is essential. Your work should be accessible, visually appealing, and without distractions. A well-organized portfolio allows your projects to shine and ensures that your viewers can focus on what matters most—your work.
Triple—no, quadruple—check that all of your links are working properly, your images are loading, your work looks presentable across a variety of screen sizes, and that your calls to action are crystal clear.
Be meticulous about the details of your portfolio and case studies, from meta tags, to grids and spacing, to quotation marks over apostrophes. “Being intentional about these finer details stands out more than trying to differentiate with riskier personality flourishes,” says Chia Amisola, a product designer working on prototyping.
Being intentional about these finer details stands out more than trying to differentiate with riskier personality flourishes.
Password protection can create unnecessary barriers for potential employers and collaborators, so aim to showcase public projects whenever possible. If you must password-protect your work, put your password at the top of your resume or clearly note it somewhere in your application. Treat your password as importantly as your name and email—if reviewers can’t find it easily, it could result in a missed opportunity.
Keep your portfolio fresh and evolving
Your portfolio should grow with you, reflecting your latest skills and experiences. Make it a habit to regularly update your work:
- Set reminders to review and refresh your portfolio quarterly or bi-annually.
- Add projects to your portfolio as soon as you’ve completed them, and try to do the same whenever you acquire a new skill.
- Remove outdated or less relevant work as you add new pieces to keep your portfolio focused and current.
By maintaining an up-to-date portfolio, you’ll always be ready for new opportunities and accurately represent your evolving skills and experiences.
Share your work outside of the interview process
While crafting a polished portfolio is crucial, don’t underestimate the power of sharing your work more casually and frequently. “Share your work publicly on platforms like X and LinkedIn—and do it often,” says product designer Keeyen Yeo. “Don’t let the pressure of creating big, complex projects hold you back from sharing. If you’re feeling intimidated, start very small like a unique interaction to delete a photo. As you build confidence, you can work your way up to larger ideas. The key is to start sharing, regardless of the scale. That’s how we operate on the Figma team, so you’ll be primed for success from day one.”
The key is to start sharing, regardless of the scale.
Remember, the design process is just as valuable as the final product. By sharing your work-in-progress and thought process, you’re demonstrating your ability to iterate and collaborate—skills that are highly valued in the design world.
Nailing the portfolio walkthrough
Now that you’ve crafted a stellar portfolio, let’s talk about how to present it effectively during interviews. Here’s a bit of an overview to our early career design interview process.
Preparation is key
Before your interview, thoroughly research the company and the specific role you’re applying for. Understanding the company’s mission, values, and culture will help you align your responses and demonstrate how you can contribute to its goals. Preparation shows your genuine interest and sets you apart as a thoughtful candidate.
Practice common interview questions
The STAR technique is an interview method where candidates structure their responses to behavioral questions by describing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result of a relevant past experience.
Design interviews often include questions that test your problem-solving abilities and design thinking. It’s not just about answering practice questions—like “Walk us through your design process” or “Tell us about a time you handled feedback well”—but identifying a few key projects or examples that you can pull from, no matter which question you’re faced with.Structure your answers using frameworks like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to ensure you provide clear, concise, and impactful responses.
Be sure to elevate your questions! Instead of sticking to surface-level queries—like “What do you like about the team?”—take it up a notch. Dive deeper by asking for specifics that provide real insights, such as, “Can you share some examples of the design team’s strengths and how they’ve contributed to recent successes?” This not only demonstrates your curiosity but also helps you gain a clearer understanding of the team’s culture and impact.
Be ready to dive deep
Prepare to discuss specific details and decision-making processes related to your projects, including the reasoning behind your key decisions. We know that it can be challenging to know what decisions reviewers may want to understand on a deeper level—this is why mock interviews or even casual sessions with friends and classmates can help immensely. Once you have a case study ready, send it to some folks you know and ask them to get very specific on questions they may have about your process. This will help you understand where to be prepared to add more color to your stories in an interview.
Get prepared for your next design interview with Oliver Engel’s interview kit—complete with templates, real-world examples, and insights tailored for new designers.
Showcase soft skills
While your technical skills are important, don’t discount the value of communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. These soft skills are critical in a collaborative environment. During the interview, look for opportunities to highlight how you’ve effectively worked with others, resolved conflicts, and adapted to challenges. Demonstrating these skills shows you’re a talented designer and a strong team player who can thrive in a dynamic work environment.
Bringing it all together
It can be daunting to land your first product design role or internship, but we’ve all been there! Just remember that you bring a fresh perspective and a story that’s all your own. The key is to lean into what makes your narrative yours and be proud of your work—that confidence will naturally come through as you go through the process.
Ready to join us?
Figma’s early career hiring typically kicks off in the fall for summer internships and full-time roles starting the following year. Keep an eye on our careers page and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest openings. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create. Good luck!
