Egor Krasnoperov · Sept 12, 2025 · 8 min read
Hi there! I'm Egor, co-founder of Mockin. We are building a career toolkit specifically for UX/UI and Product Designers, with one main goal: helping you land job offers faster.
But before anything else, I'm a designer myself. I know firsthand how tough the job search can be, especially in 2025. With all the talk about AI replacing design roles and the ongoing layoffs, the pressure is real.
That's why I'm sitting down with Alexandra Basova today. She's a talented Product Designer who just successfully landed a role, and she's graciously agreed to share her story—the real one, not the polished LinkedIn version. The questions come straight from our design community, so you're getting the unfiltered truth from someone who literally just did this.
But before anything else, I'm a designer myself. I know firsthand how tough the job search can be, especially in 2025. With all the talk about AI replacing design roles and the ongoing layoffs, the pressure is real.
That's why I'm sitting down with Alexandra Basova today. She's a talented Product Designer who just successfully landed a role, and she's graciously agreed to share her story—the real one, not the polished LinkedIn version. The questions come straight from our design community, so you're getting the unfiltered truth from someone who literally just did this.
Landing a Product Design Job in 2025: One Designer's Honest Job Interview Story
Let's start with you
Alexandra Basova
Lead Product Designer
Lead Product Designer
I’ve been in design for about seven years now, but before that I started out as a software developer and also did some project management. I’ve worked in all kinds of environments — from big tech companies like Tutu, to mid-sized but very successful products like Ecwid, and all the way to small, fast-moving startups.
Most recently, I spent a year as a design lead in a small product team. It was a mix of everything — product design, marketing, branding — and honestly, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. At times it was tough, even painful, but also super interesting and valuable. Looking back, that experience made one thing very clear: I want to keep growing toward design management, and I finally feel ready for it.
Most recently, I spent a year as a design lead in a small product team. It was a mix of everything — product design, marketing, branding — and honestly, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. At times it was tough, even painful, but also super interesting and valuable. Looking back, that experience made one thing very clear: I want to keep growing toward design management, and I finally feel ready for it.
Could you walk me through your design journey? What are you working on now, and what have been some of your key projects?
The Job Search Strategy
How did you approach your job search? Did you have a game plan, and how did you keep yourself from burning out?
My family and I live in Cyprus. Overall, we like it here — we’ve settled in, made friends, and the local job market feels familiar and predictable. At the same time, I’ve had a long-standing dream of moving to France. I’m learning the language, exploring the culture, and I’ve always loved French music. But the French job market is a completely different story: everything I’ve heard says it’s tough to find a job there, even harder without French, and nearly impossible with visa sponsorship. Still, I decided to give it a try. That’s why I combined two strategies: looking at the familiar market in Cyprus while also exploring the exciting but uncertain opportunities in France.
I wanted to find a job within 2–4 months, so I chose a fairly intensive pace of applications and interviews.
My family and I live in Cyprus. Overall, we like it here — we’ve settled in, made friends, and the local job market feels familiar and predictable. At the same time, I’ve had a long-standing dream of moving to France. I’m learning the language, exploring the culture, and I’ve always loved French music. But the French job market is a completely different story: everything I’ve heard says it’s tough to find a job there, even harder without French, and nearly impossible with visa sponsorship. Still, I decided to give it a try. That’s why I combined two strategies: looking at the familiar market in Cyprus while also exploring the exciting but uncertain opportunities in France.
I wanted to find a job within 2–4 months, so I chose a fairly intensive pace of applications and interviews.
I applied to about 25 positions and received 13 rejections in a row. At that moment, I thought all hope was lost.
What Mattered Most
What was at the top of your list when looking for a new role? What in a job description would make you stop and take a closer look?
The job market in Cyprus is quite peculiar. About 80% of the opportunities I came across weren’t a fit for me for ethical reasons. So I focused only on the most interesting openings at solid products. Since I was already on the island, my chances were much higher, and the conversion rate was pretty good.
In France, my strategy was different: I applied to dozens of open positions, but only to roles written in English that didn’t explicitly require French or exclude visa sponsorship. Some people advised me, “If a company really likes you, they might reconsider their requirements. Don’t say that you need a visa or that you don’t speak French fluently.”
My answer to that now would be, Guys, don’t waste your time and energy on a position you don’t fit — it’s going to be a long run.
The job market in Cyprus is quite peculiar. About 80% of the opportunities I came across weren’t a fit for me for ethical reasons. So I focused only on the most interesting openings at solid products. Since I was already on the island, my chances were much higher, and the conversion rate was pretty good.
In France, my strategy was different: I applied to dozens of open positions, but only to roles written in English that didn’t explicitly require French or exclude visa sponsorship. Some people advised me, “If a company really likes you, they might reconsider their requirements. Don’t say that you need a visa or that you don’t speak French fluently.”
My answer to that now would be, Guys, don’t waste your time and energy on a position you don’t fit — it’s going to be a long run.
Preparing for Interviews
In Cyprus, take-home test assignments are still common. To get up to speed with a new product’s business context more quickly, I used ChatGPT during the discovery stage to understand roles, user needs, and scenarios — it saved a lot of time. I’m not a fan of tests because of their subjectivity and the time they take. I usually don’t refuse them, but I try not to spend more than 8–10 hours. Half the success of a test depends on how you present it, so prepare your explanation in advance and rehearse it. You can even ask AI to suggest possible follow-up questions.
In France, on the other hand, most companies use whiteboard exercises instead of take-home tests, which saves a lot of time. Even though the scenarios can vary greatly — and I never encountered a classic Google-style whiteboard — you can still prepare. Again, ChatGPT can suggest potential task topics for a particular company, provide specific questions, and help with business domain terminology. Preparation builds confidence and makes both the tasks and the domain feel more familiar.
For general technical interviews or the final bar-raiser stage, you can’t really prepare a full plan, but you can prepare answers to likely questions and support them with examples. Even if they ask something different, it’s easier to navigate and recall relevant cases prepared in advance.
To avoid getting stuck and feel more confident, I practiced on Mockin — an excellent tool for learning to answer spontaneously, clearly, and effectively. Even in your native language, this isn’t always easy, and in a foreign language, it’s even more challenging.
In France, on the other hand, most companies use whiteboard exercises instead of take-home tests, which saves a lot of time. Even though the scenarios can vary greatly — and I never encountered a classic Google-style whiteboard — you can still prepare. Again, ChatGPT can suggest potential task topics for a particular company, provide specific questions, and help with business domain terminology. Preparation builds confidence and makes both the tasks and the domain feel more familiar.
For general technical interviews or the final bar-raiser stage, you can’t really prepare a full plan, but you can prepare answers to likely questions and support them with examples. Even if they ask something different, it’s easier to navigate and recall relevant cases prepared in advance.
To avoid getting stuck and feel more confident, I practiced on Mockin — an excellent tool for learning to answer spontaneously, clearly, and effectively. Even in your native language, this isn’t always easy, and in a foreign language, it’s even more challenging.
How did you get your portfolio and case studies ready? Did you practice your answers or do any mock interviews?
I had a single portfolio that focused on deep expertise in product design, strong design system cases, and examples showing my first steps into design management. I’d say the distribution was roughly 70/20/10%. As my superpower, I highlighted my systems thinking and ability to navigate complex business contexts.
I had three different CVs: one for a product designer role, one for a design lead role, and one for a design system designer role. In each version, I highlighted different aspects of my experience and results to match the role. On top of that, for each specific vacancy, I rewrote the overview section to emphasize the most relevant skills.
Nowadays, there’s a lot of information publicly available on how to craft a strong CV: AI assistance, the Mockin blog, Mockin CV checker, free webinars from HR agencies. Using this open information, it’s definitely possible to prepare a solid CV.
Before each interview, I studied the company’s business — it helps a lot. For the portfolio review stage, I prepared a separate presentation with the most relevant case. If the product was a mobile B2C app, I showcased a mobile app case. If it was B2B, I presented web solutions for B2B. For a design system role, I compiled a presentation with design system cases from different products. This works really well, so don’t skip it. By the fourth interview, you’ll likely have all the presentations ready, which you can reuse for future interviews. To make your story interesting, emotional, and smooth, it’s better to plan it in advance and rehearse it 2–3 times.
I had a single portfolio that focused on deep expertise in product design, strong design system cases, and examples showing my first steps into design management. I’d say the distribution was roughly 70/20/10%. As my superpower, I highlighted my systems thinking and ability to navigate complex business contexts.
I had three different CVs: one for a product designer role, one for a design lead role, and one for a design system designer role. In each version, I highlighted different aspects of my experience and results to match the role. On top of that, for each specific vacancy, I rewrote the overview section to emphasize the most relevant skills.
Nowadays, there’s a lot of information publicly available on how to craft a strong CV: AI assistance, the Mockin blog, Mockin CV checker, free webinars from HR agencies. Using this open information, it’s definitely possible to prepare a solid CV.
Before each interview, I studied the company’s business — it helps a lot. For the portfolio review stage, I prepared a separate presentation with the most relevant case. If the product was a mobile B2C app, I showcased a mobile app case. If it was B2B, I presented web solutions for B2B. For a design system role, I compiled a presentation with design system cases from different products. This works really well, so don’t skip it. By the fourth interview, you’ll likely have all the presentations ready, which you can reuse for future interviews. To make your story interesting, emotional, and smooth, it’s better to plan it in advance and rehearse it 2–3 times.
It's really hard to get through ATS and HR screenings... In 90% of cases, no one will even see the portfolio you worked so hard on.
The Tough Parts
What was the most challenging or surprising part of the interview process? Any tips for managing the nerves?
The first week on the French market was really tough. I applied to about 25 positions and received 13 rejections in a row. At that moment, I thought all hope was lost. But it turns out that in France, recruiters work with the first cohort of candidates, so if a vacancy has been open for more than 3–5 days, it’s almost pointless to apply. I was lucky — right after that, I got invited to an interview, and it was very friendly. That helped me believe that success was possible.
In general, you have to be prepared for a lot of rejections. Not every company is ready to consider candidates who require relocation, visa sponsorship, or don’t speak the local language. That’s normal — there will always be companies that know how to handle all of that.
The second challenge for me was cold, distant interviewers. I struggle with interviews that feel like exams, without any human dialogue or emotional connection. It’s hard for me to get a sense of how people actually behave day-to-day. It’s confusing and makes it difficult to relax. By the way, I never received an offer from those teams — it seems that a personal mismatch often goes both ways.
The first week on the French market was really tough. I applied to about 25 positions and received 13 rejections in a row. At that moment, I thought all hope was lost. But it turns out that in France, recruiters work with the first cohort of candidates, so if a vacancy has been open for more than 3–5 days, it’s almost pointless to apply. I was lucky — right after that, I got invited to an interview, and it was very friendly. That helped me believe that success was possible.
In general, you have to be prepared for a lot of rejections. Not every company is ready to consider candidates who require relocation, visa sponsorship, or don’t speak the local language. That’s normal — there will always be companies that know how to handle all of that.
The second challenge for me was cold, distant interviewers. I struggle with interviews that feel like exams, without any human dialogue or emotional connection. It’s hard for me to get a sense of how people actually behave day-to-day. It’s confusing and makes it difficult to relax. By the way, I never received an offer from those teams — it seems that a personal mismatch often goes both ways.
The Outcome
Did you end up with an offer? If so, how many rounds did it take? If not, what do you think were the main challenges?
Yes, in the end, I accepted an offer from a wonderful French company. Over three months, I applied to more than 50 positions, and about 10 of them invited me to interviews. A few of those made it all the way to the final stage. As with all my previous experiences, the match happened on both sides — it wasn’t just about technical skills, but also about a deep personal fit.
Yes, in the end, I accepted an offer from a wonderful French company. Over three months, I applied to more than 50 positions, and about 10 of them invited me to interviews. A few of those made it all the way to the final stage. As with all my previous experiences, the match happened on both sides — it wasn’t just about technical skills, but also about a deep personal fit.
If I were looking for a job now, I wouldn't waste time on cold applications. Instead, I would reach out directly to discuss the most interesting positions.
Key Takeaways
What's your number one piece of advice for other designers navigating the job market in 2025?
The most important insight I gained is that it’s really hard to get through ATS and HR screenings, especially if you need relocation support or don’t look like an “easy” candidate. In 90% of cases, no one will even see the portfolio you worked so hard on. I would recommend reaching out directly to designers or hiring leads.
On LinkedIn, you can go to the company page, find designers or design managers, and simply message them personally. Briefly introduce yourself with a focus on the position requirements, and attach your CV and portfolio. At first, it feels awkward and a bit embarrassing, but it turns out the people on the other end are human too — and if there’s a match with the role, your message will be received with interest. If I were looking for a job now, I wouldn’t waste time on cold applications. Instead, I would reach out directly to discuss the most interesting positions.
The job market today is very competitive, and it’s only becoming more so with the rise of AI, ATS systems, and the global political situation. But despite all that, professionalism, communication skills, and genuine human connection will always have value. Yes, you’ll probably face a lot of rejections, but you don’t need 10 offers — you only need one, where there’s a real match on both sides.
The most important insight I gained is that it’s really hard to get through ATS and HR screenings, especially if you need relocation support or don’t look like an “easy” candidate. In 90% of cases, no one will even see the portfolio you worked so hard on. I would recommend reaching out directly to designers or hiring leads.
On LinkedIn, you can go to the company page, find designers or design managers, and simply message them personally. Briefly introduce yourself with a focus on the position requirements, and attach your CV and portfolio. At first, it feels awkward and a bit embarrassing, but it turns out the people on the other end are human too — and if there’s a match with the role, your message will be received with interest. If I were looking for a job now, I wouldn’t waste time on cold applications. Instead, I would reach out directly to discuss the most interesting positions.
The job market today is very competitive, and it’s only becoming more so with the rise of AI, ATS systems, and the global political situation. But despite all that, professionalism, communication skills, and genuine human connection will always have value. Yes, you’ll probably face a lot of rejections, but you don’t need 10 offers — you only need one, where there’s a real match on both sides.
Don’t just dream — prepare!
Use Mockin today, succeed tomorrow
Use Mockin today, succeed tomorrow
