Looking for my first role in UX after completing my bootcamp in 2021.

Hi Jane! Congrats on graduating from your bootcamp!

Merit put out a two-part blog post last year about finding your find job after design bootcamp: https://blog.get-merit.com/youre-done-with-your-design-boot-camp-here-s-what-to-do-next-part-i/ (applying) https://blog.get-merit.com/youre-done-with-your-design-bootcamp-here-s-what-to-do-next-part-ii/ (interviewing)

Since your background is in photography, you already have a great narrative about moving from one area of art and design into another. Really focusing on that story and making sure it's reflected in your portfolio will demonstrate to hiring managers who you are and what you're looking for. Pretty much every design hiring manger I've spoken to has emphasized the importance of the portfolio when they're looking at candidates.

Beyond that, at a high level, the best things you can do are

• Work on projects with others. Lots of hiring managers are looking for collaborative skills and the ability to work with PMs and engineers. Having side projects that demonstrate these cross-functional abilities can really help.
• Keep applying for jobs (and ask for help along the way). A lot of folks I've talked to over the years have emphasized both persistence and talking to lots of people as you go through the search. Merit has some tips on doing that here: https://blog.get-merit.com/looking-for-a-tech-job-nail-your-job-search-with-merit/)
• Make connections with as many people as possible through communities (a good one for women in tech is Elpha, and there are a lot of great design communities) and platforms like Merit. If you're feeling overwhelmed about building a network and hate LinkedIn, we have some tips about using Merit instead: https://blog.get-merit.com/how-to-build-a-network-without-linkedin/

Hope these help and best of luck with the search!