Not an Exact Match — and That's the Point

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been catching up with former colleagues — some actively in the market, some contemplating a change, others happy where they are. But through these conversations, a theme kept surfacing: the hiring process often misses the forest for the trees.

We’ve built a system that’s great at scanning resumes but not at seeing people.

The job market right now feels more automated than ever. Applicant tracking systems scan resumes for keywords. Job descriptions are so specific they could be resumes themselves. LinkedIn algorithms serve up only the most “relevant” candidates. The result?

A system optimized for precision, not range.

As a product designer, I see this misalignment clearly — we’re problem solvers first. Our skills — craft, systems thinking, and user empathy — are built to move between industries. Whether it’s healthcare, SaaS, or fintech, the context may shift, but the design process, mindset, and tools remain remarkably consistent.

What matters most when a designer steps into a new industry isn’t whether they’ve worked in that exact space before — it’s their hunger to understand the problem space. Their willingness to become a subject matter expert. That is where true versatility lies. And it’s something no algorithm can detect. It shows up in conversation — in the way someone talks about how they learned a new domain, how they connected the dots, how understanding the context made them a better designer and helped them build better products.

Roles don’t define range. Identifying range means going beyond titles or industries — it’s about recognizing how a designer’s past experiences can bring fresh value for your team. It’s the ability to spot transferable insight, adaptability, and curiosity.

At its core, design is about synthesis: taking varied inputs — customer needs, business goals, technical constraints, data, compliance — and shaping them into elegant, effective solutions. The real craft is in how we bring those elements together in new and meaningful ways.

If you’re hiring, I hope you look beyond the bullet points. Look for the pattern of curiosity, the track record of problem-solving, the ability to grow into a space — not just match it.

More than ever, we need to rely on one another. Make the introduction. Mention the role you heard about to others. Say yes to the coffee chat — you never know where it might lead. In a market shaped by algorithms and automation, human connection still opens the most meaningful doors.