Career & Job Search Strategy for Designers

New
·

2 Weeks

·

Cohort-based Course

Build the right strategy & leverage uncommon tactics to land an exceptional design role.

Previously at

Airbnb
DoorDash
Salesforce
Palantir
Haas School of Bus.

Course overview

Accelerate your design career in any job market

As an experienced designer, you want to make the right next career move. Meanwhile, landing a new role is harder than ever. The industry is evolving rapidly, the job market feels unfamiliar, and some skills no longer seem to matter. Approaching your job search without a strategy isn't an option anymore.


Throughout my career, I’ve zigged when most others zagged. As a candidate, I learned to pick the right companies (leading to 4 exits), tell compelling stories (leading to consistent offers), and tailor my messaging to each company (leading to multiple, competing offers). As an in-house designer, I've hired design leaders for top roles. As a leadership coach, this year I've taught designers at all levels how to land new roles and that propel their careers forward.


In Career & Job Search Strategy for Designers, I'll help you optimize your job search with my MBA-level business insights and hands-on exercises focused on two critical areas: Building your career & job search strategy and mastering design job search tactics to target, find, and successfully apply to opportunities that will be great for your career.


If you want to stand out in a sea of competition, find the right next opportunity, get a foot in the door with leading companies, and land a better design job faster, this course is for you.

Who this course 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 reposition themselves accordingly.

03

NOT for junior or aspiring designers. This course will only resonate with designers who have had 3+ previous full-time design roles.

What you’ll get out this course

A winning strategy for the roles you should be targeting

Designers often apply too broadly to too many jobs. Avoid burnout by targeting the right companies where your application is more likely to succeed.

An MBA-level understanding of key business factors that affect hiring decisions

Gain a deep understanding of how factors like business stage & ROI-based decision making shape what companies look for. Learn to position & communicate strengths & skills—and describe your work's outcomes—in relation to the company's goals.

Polished case studies that are more likely to land & win interviews

In class, we'll review and dial-in your case study stories with hands-on feedback on your portfolio website and on-site portfolio presentations. Learn what notes to hit, and what mistakes to avoid.

A list of questions YOU should ask in interviews

Asking smart questions makes you stand out as an insightful candidate and gives you data to know whether the company is the right fit for you, too. Get Ryan's top questions, and learn how to build your own questions that give you the insight you need.

A career & job search course designed just for Designers

Applying to design roles is unlike anything else. We have to build perfect portfolios, explain the value of Design to non-designers, and are judged on project criteria that we don't have full control over.

Live hands-on instruction & real-time 1:1 feedback

We'll go beyond lecture & frameworks, actively working through exercises together in real-time. Every step of the way, Ryan will help you dial-in your strategy and deliverables to accelerate your job search.

This course includes

4 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

60 in-depth lessons

Direct access to instructor

7 projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Week 1

Mar 8—Mar 9

    Mar

    8

    Day 1: Build your Design Career Strategy

    Sat 3/85:00 PM—9:00 PM (UTC)

    Introduction: Why designers struggle to get hired

    6 items

    Economy: Understand the forces driving Design's shift

    7 items

    Foundation: Define your job needs & career goals

    9 items

    Business: Learn what companies are hiring for & why

    6 items

    Strategy: Identify the companies you should target (or ignore)

    9 items

    Mar

    9

    Day 2: Master Design Job Search Tactics

    Sun 3/94:00 PM—8:00 PM (UTC)

    Positioning: Define your message & perfect your portfolio

    11 items

    Search: Deploy successful outreach tactics

    5 items

    Interview: Ace your portfolio presentations

    6 items

    Offer: Qualify & assess opportunities

    8 items

Week 2

Mar 10—Mar 16

    Mar

    12

    PM Office Hours for strategy feedback & portfolio critique

    Wed 3/1210:00 PM—11:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

Week 3

Mar 17—Mar 18

    Mar

    18

    AM Office Hours for strategy feedback & portfolio critique

    Tue 3/185:00 PM—6:00 PM (UTC)
    Optional

What people are saying

        Using what I learned from Ryan, I changed my job seeking strategy and went from rarely hearing back about my job applications to having more interview opportunities than I could manage. Within 2 months of changing my job seeking strategy, I landed a new role at a well-known company with a better title and better salary.
Alyssa K

Alyssa K

Staff Product Designer, Mixpanel
        I used framing my work's impact in business terms and storytelling to land my new role. Ryan's clear strategies taught me to articulate the value of my work and effectively tailor my communication with various stakeholders in the interview process. These strategic skills are crucial for anyone navigating their job search.
ÌníOlúwa A.

ÌníOlúwa A.

Senior Product Designer, Intercom
        What I found particularly valuable were the real case studies from Ryan. He openly shared his personal struggles—many of which I’m also facing right now—and it made me feel so seen. Hearing someone so experienced talk candidly about challenges I’m also going through was incredibly validating and gave me new perspectives on how to overcome them.
Ran L.

Ran L.

Head of Design @ Gable
        Ryan's approach to the course material and teaching reflects how most designers solve problems - with curiosity and empathy. His willingness to share his experiences in the hopes of benefiting others was fantastic. He's patient, and he's articulate. Killer combo for a teacher!
Shaun S.

Shaun S.

Senior Manager, Product Design @ Assent Inc.
        High-quality, hands-on knowledge from start to finish. Ryan isn't just a great presenter; he's also an excellent companion throughout the course. He creates an environment where you can openly share your experiences without hesitation.
Peter M.

Peter M.

Sr. Design Manager @ Tricentis
        Ryan has worked not just with big name companies, but on big projects. Having the opportunity to learn from a truly experienced designer like him has been amazing.
Karina T.

Karina T.

Senior Product Designer @ Tropic
A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Career & Job Search Strategy for Designers

March 2025

$799

Dates

Mar 8—18, 2025

Payment Deadline

Mar 7, 2025

April 25

$799

Dates

Apr 12—22, 2025

Payment Deadline

Apr 12, 2025
Get reimbursed

Meet your instructor

Ryan Scott

Ryan Scott

Learn to get hired from a designer who's built a world-class career

For 20-years, Ryan has run multiple businesses, taught thousands of designers, and designed some of today’s most recognizable products. His background as a design leader and entrepreneur gives him a unique insight into the design industry's recent shifts. 


As a candidate, Ryan successfully landed roles at top Silicon Valley firms like Palantir, Salesforce, DoorDash, & Airbnb. Having earned his MBA from U.C. Berkeley's Haas School of Business, Ryan has taught his unique frameworks and techniques to 350+ students on Maven, helping designers achieve their career goals despite a challenging market.

Learn the strategies Ryan used to pick winning companies throughout his career

Four of the five startups Ryan picked, including PLTR, ABNB, & DASH, went on to be acquired or IPO.

Four of the five startups Ryan picked, including PLTR, ABNB, & DASH, went on to be acquired or IPO.

Learn tactics Ryan used to pass interviews & get offers at leading tech companies

Through his top-rated Maven courses, Ryan has helped 4,000 designers accelerate their careers

Through his top-rated Maven courses, Ryan has helped 4,000 designers accelerate their careers

Course schedule

8-hours of live hands-on workshop

  • Saturday: Design Career Strategy

    10:00am - 2:00pm PT

    Build an effective career and job search strategy with business lessons, Ryan's proprietary career frameworks, and hands-on exercises.

  • Sunday: Design Job Search Tactics

    10:00am - 2:00pm PT

    Learn & practice key tactics to encourage inbound leads and make your outbound efforts more effective, including revising your portfolio case studies and avoiding common messaging mistakes.

  • Two bonus Office Hour sessions

    Wed 3/12 @ 3pm + Tue 3/18 @ 10am PT

    Drop in for career strategy feedback or portfolio critique after you've had time to implement the learnings from our workshop.

Free resource

Free lesson: How to Accelerate your Design Career in 2025

The design industry is changing faster than most designers can keep up, leaving designers at all levels uncertain about their careers. Not having a career strategy is not an option anymore. Today, I’ll share lessons from my MBA to explain what’s changing about the Design industry, why it’s been turbulent, and how to achieve your career goals in today’s market. Learn to:

  • Understand the business forces changing the Design industry
  • Avoid career traps set by the current market
  • Build a strategy to move your career goals forward

Get this free lesson

A pattern of wavy dots

Join an upcoming cohort

Career & Job Search Strategy for Designers

March 2025

$799

Dates

Mar 8—18, 2025

Payment Deadline

Mar 7, 2025

April 25

$799

Dates

Apr 12—22, 2025

Payment Deadline

Apr 12, 2025
Get reimbursed

$799

2 Weeks