No one’s coming to save you: A designer’s unfiltered take on surviving a brutal market
The market didn’t flip overnight. You just weren’t paying attention.
Editor’s Note:
If you’re new here, I’m Mindaugas. After a decade helping designers at Netflix, Google, and Amazon navigate their careers, I’ve brought everything together in one place. From weekly building-with-AI workshops to Backchannel, a product that helps people land opportunities in any market, you can find it all on my site.
I talk to designers of all levels every single day and have done so for over a decade. Often designers share complex career situations with me and sometimes allow me to write about them edited for clarity and confidentiality.
This interview is edited from a raw interview and extensive notes, focusing on the speaker’s unique perspective as they navigated a shifting job market, experimented with multiple portfolios, dabbled in AI, and formed strong opinions on design leadership.
The Market Isn’t Dead. You’re Just Invisible.
Me:
So, last time we talked, you were in the thick of multiple interviews, and then suddenly you landed a new job, despite everyone insisting the market is dead, nobody’s hiring, and designers are struggling. What’s your take? Because from what I saw, people were eager to interview you. Where’s the disconnect?
Them:
I had a feeling you were gonna start with that. Honestly? It’s a privilege to be where I am, but I also don’t think it was just luck. Here’s a fun fact: every single job I’ve had, I didn’t apply for. They found me. Meanwhile, every job I actually applied to? Rejected.
That’s why I say the market is tough, but also… I made myself discoverable. If you’re not visible, nobody cares how good you are. You could be the best designer in the world, but if you’re not talking about your work, your thinking, or what you’re doing, you don’t exist.
I get it, self-promotion is uncomfortable. But so is being unemployed. You decide which discomfort you’re willing to tolerate.
“Right Place, Right Time” Is Only Half the Story
Me:
Do you think luck plays a big role in all of this?
Them:
I won’t deny luck exists. But I hate when people say “Oh, you were just in the right place at the right time,” because that minimises the work it takes to put yourself in the right place at the right time.
For example, my most recent job? It happened because you introduced me to someone, that someone introduced me to someone else. But those introductions also happened because I’ve spent years making sure people can find me, that my work speaks for itself, and that I’m always paying attention to where the market is moving.
A lot of folks are out here waiting for someone to tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey, we have a job for you!” That’s not how it works. You have to make yourself obvious.
The Market Didn’t Flip Overnight. You Just Weren’t Paying Attention.
Me:
That reminds me - the way people are hired and what they’re hired for has changed so fast. But do you think people just haven’t adjusted yet?
Them:
This is gonna sound harsh, but yes. Get over yourselves.
Yes, the market changed fast. But markets don’t flip overnight. There were signs for months. Probably years. If you were paying attention, you saw it coming. But most people weren’t. They were comfortable. They thought things would stay the same.
It’s like an earthquake where the tremors come before the big one. If you know what to look for, you can prepare. If you ignore them, you get caught off guard. And now, a lot of designers are caught off guard. Before anyone makes a specific assumption, no, I do not have fancy logos on my CV. Everything I’m saying comes from experience, from trial and error, from figuring it out the hard way.
Quit Without a Backup Plan? Yeah. And It Worked.
Me:
So let’s talk about that leap. You quit your last job without another lined up. Why?
Them:
I looked at the market and thought: In a year, this niche is gonna explode. So, I had a choice, stay comfortable in a job that was “fine” but wouldn’t push me forward, or jump early and position myself ahead of the curve.
Everyone told me I was crazy. My old manager was like, “Are you sure? Do you even have another offer?” Nope. I didn’t. But I was watching the job trends. I was tracking how many new roles appeared, how long they stayed open, and how companies were tweaking the language in their job descriptions.
And I was right. A few months later, those roles exploded.
Tracking the Market Like a Science
Me:
You were actually documenting all of this?
Them:
Yeah. I had an entire setup: pen, paper, spreadsheets.
How many jobs were posted for this specific role?
How long did they stay open?
What words were they using in job descriptions?
Were they actually hiring, or just testing the market?
I tracked the trends. And after those first 8 roles I applied to, the market went completely dry. Nothing new for almost a month. That’s when I started doubting myself.
But then I saw something: roles with a different title but the same description were popping up. Companies didn’t always know how to label what they were hiring for. So I started applying to those, too. And it worked.
Most People Look the Same on Paper. That’s the Problem.
Me:
You also told me something that stuck: most hiring managers don’t have the time or brainpower to scrutinise candidates deeply. How does that impact job seekers?
Them:
Most candidates look exactly the same on paper. Same resumes. Same portfolios. Same generic LinkedIn posts. If you don’t differentiate yourself, you’re just another face in a sea of applicants.
That’s why the simplest thing I tell people is: position yourself as someone who pays attention. If you can show that you actually understand what’s happening in the industry, that you’re thinking ahead, you already stand out from 90% of the pack.
The AI Panic: How to Stay Relevant
Me:
Alright, let’s talk about AI. Some people think it’s gonna replace designers. Others think it’s just hype. Where do you land?
Them:
AI is already changing things. But here’s the pattern I see: when a field becomes heavily automated, craft and taste become the differentiators.
Everyone’s obsessed with AI making screens. Cool. That just means more generic, lifeless designs. If you want to stand out, you have to refine your eye. Your judgment. Your ability to solve real problems.
The other thing? The lines between roles are blurring. Designers are becoming PMs. Design engineers exist. Marketing and product are merging. If AI is going to handle the grunt work, the question is: What do you do with the time it frees up?
If you have zero business acumen, zero strategic thinking, and no understanding of how companies operate, AI will make you obsolete.
You’re Not Applying. You’re A/B Testing.
Me:
I still can’t get over the fact that you tested 17 different versions of your portfolio. How did that even work?
Them:
I treated it like a design experiment.
I made 17 different versions of my portfolio. The differences?
Some had my process first.
Some went straight into visuals.
Some focused on business impact.
Some had a personal introduction on the first page.
Some jumped right into case studies.
I tracked which versions got interviews and which got ignored.
After a few rounds, I found a winning formula. That version had an 80% interview rate.
At that point, getting interviews wasn’t the problem. Closing them was.
Optimising for Final-Round Interviews
Me:
So what did you do to fix that?
Them:
I realised that I wasn’t losing at the early stages. I was losing at hiring manager interviews and final rounds. That’s where things were breaking down.
So, I optimised again:
I recorded my interviews. Every single one.
I analysed my speech patterns.
Did I sound nervous?
Was I rambling?
Did I come across as confident?
3. I scripted my answers. Word-for-word.
I refined my answers to common questions.
I rewrote them for clarity and confidence.
I read them over and over until they became second nature.
How AI Helped Me Fix My Interview Responses
Me:
Wait, you ran your own interview transcripts through AI?
Them:
Yeah. I uploaded my answers into Gemini and asked it to analyse:
How I came across.
What filler words I was using too much.
Where I sounded weak or uncertain.
The AI pointed out a pattern:
I was shifting my answers too much because I was nervous.
I wasn’t owning my expertise.
I sounded too hesitant when discussing impact.
So, I rewrote everything in Notion, practiced it until it felt natural, and went into interviews with full confidence.
Guess what happened? I stopped losing at the final round.
The Power of a Well-Timed DM
Me:
Okay, I know you were also reaching out to hiring managers in a really smart way. What was your approach?
Them:
Here’s what I did differently:
I didn’t DM people asking for a job.
I asked about the role itself.
I’d message hiring managers with something like:
“Hey, I saw this role just went up. I’m curious, how are you thinking about this role’s impact on the business? I’ve been seeing companies hiring for this, but some don’t fully understand what they need. How are you approaching it?”
That started real conversations.
A couple of times, hiring managers looked at my profile, saw my work, and invited me into the process even if I wasn’t actively applying.
And in one case, I got an interview for a role I had already been rejected from, just because I had this conversation with the hiring manager.
Applying for 1,000 Jobs Won’t Work. Here’s What Will.
Me:
I tell people all the time: stop mass applying. It doesn’t work. But so many people still do it.
Them:
Because it feels productive. They think, “I applied to 100 jobs today.”
But if you applied to 100 jobs, you probably applied badly to 100 jobs.
Instead, here’s what works:
Pick 10 companies you actually want to work for.
Customise your portfolio and messaging for each one.
Track your results. What’s getting you a response? What’s not?
Adjust and refine.
It’s way harder than spraying your resume everywhere, but it works.
The Fake “Silver Bullet” of AI Job Applications
Me:
I feel like most people are using AI in the wrong way for job searching.
Them:
100%. They think AI will do the hard work for them.
People are using AI to:
Mass-apply to jobs.
Auto-generate generic cover letters.
Spam hiring managers with DMs.
That’s all useless. AI is not a shortcut for effort.
What I used AI for:
✅ Analysing job descriptions to find patterns.
✅ A/B testing portfolio language to see what gets results.
✅ Optimising my interview speech and storytelling.
AI should enhance your effort, not replace it.
“No One’s Coming to Save You.”
Me:
Okay, so after all of this… what’s your biggest takeaway for designers struggling right now?
Them:
No one is coming to save you.
You can sit around blaming the market. You can say it’s unfair. You can say it’s exhausting.
But at the end of the day, you either figure it out, or you get left behind.
If you’re invisible, make yourself discoverable.
If your portfolio isn’t getting traction, test and iterate.
If you’re losing at interviews, fix your answers and practice.
If you’re scared of AI, learn how to use it properly.
Most people will not do this work. But the ones who do? They’ll be fine.
Final Thoughts: The Rant on Design Leadership
Me:
Alright, last one. You’ve been holding back a rant. Give it to me, what’s frustrating you most about the design world right now?
Them:
Oh, I’ve got a few. But here’s the big one: a lot of design leaders shouldn’t be in leadership.
Too many “design directors” and “heads of design” don’t actually design.
Here’s what happens:
They’ve been out of the craft for years.
They micromanage designers instead of removing blockers.
They act like gatekeepers instead of helping their teams grow.
They insert themselves into every decision but add no real value.
And the worst part: They don’t even understand what great design is anymore.
The Future of Design Work: The Hybrid Designer
Me:
So what kind of designer is actually set up for success in the future?
Them:
The most valuable designer in the future will be:
Someone who understands business.
Someone who knows how to take something from 0 to 1.
Someone who knows how to collaborate with engineers and marketers.
Someone who uses AI effectively but doesn’t rely on it.
If all you can do is push pixels, you’re in trouble.
If you can think critically, strategise, and execute? You’ll be fine.
Closing Thoughts
Me:
This has been amazing. Anything else you’d want people to take away from this?
Them:
Just this:
👉 There are always jobs. But are you the person people want to hire?
If the answer is no, fix it.
No one’s coming to save you.
Stay Connected
After a decade helping designers at Netflix, Google, and Amazon navigate their careers, I’ve brought everything together in one place.
From weekly building-with-AI workshops to the Two-Week Reset system that helps people land opportunities in any market, you can find it all on my site.
Check it out here: https://mindaugasp.com/
Follow along for insights on getting unstuck, getting noticed, and navigating the career world.
So much gold here. Talk about agency, being deliberate and strategic. This is how we do it, kids.
This interview touched a nerve I didn’t think was still there.
Right, the market is more competitive, and recruitment has changed (I'd argue for the worse). The anonymous designer interviewed here says designers caught in this mess—although it applies to everyone really—need not to raise their concerns but suck it up, dry their tears, and just give. Offer yet more expertise, soul and time to greedy companies and the recruiters that represent them.
I admit that a part of me is wary of the cult of contemporary self-making and how it’s become an expected part of life in this economy. But the other knows that applications are a tango. It takes two to close a deal. That's why I appreciated the practical tips shared to guide people in taking the most helpful steps. I trust the interviewee wants to be helpful. And yet, an avalanche of questions came to mind soon after getting to the end of this that the well-meaningness behind it had to take a side step.
Isn’t this job-hunting-is-in-itself-a-job problem as much about candidates as it is about hiring processes? What does it say about businesses who seem increasingly detached from spotting real talent? And where is the conversation about these expectations and the weeks upon weeks of unpaid time candidates are asked to invest into each application?
Until I switched gears recently, I was in the job market too. I was swimming in it for over a year. No matter how much my interview skills improved, no matter the increasingly positive feedback on my CV, the imbalance remained pretty clear. Yet, for some, the question of who needs to adapt seems to fall heavily on candidates rather than being shared.
What I find more interesting is how people who land jobs—through skill, timing and yes, maybe a bit of luck (and often a lot of free time on their hands)—end up presenting their experience as a recipe. "I've figured it out. If you just do what I did, you'll get there too!" But they forget they’re asking you to take the tray out from the burning oven with your bare hands, and rarely do they question why the system is keeping all the gloves to itself.
Is anyone else wondering about this? Are we just accepting these requirements as how things are? Shouldn’t we be having a chat about regulating who has the upper hand in hiring and how recruitment, in general, could work better for everyone?