Level of seniority often comes down to years of experience in the field. There is rarely a clear-cut marker, however; every company has its own take on the words junior and senior, and for many employers, soft skills and cultural fit will take priority. When searching for UX design roles, don’t get too hung up on years of experience. Instead, evaluate your suitability based on where you’re currently at in your career and how the job description fits into that. If you’re still learning and exploring, start by searching for junior roles that focus on gaining experience and fostering your development. Remember, just as a senior would be expected to help juniors develop their skills and knowledge, a junior should enter a company expecting to be mentored and developed. A junior is much more than an inexperienced or lesser paid UX designer; the junior is the future of the design team, and therefore of the product itself. Junior user experience designer job ads tend to ask for 0-3 years’ experience. You can also search for entry-level and associate roles. If you’re practicing UX independently and can confidently make and articulate design decisions, a mid-level role will give you more room to take the initiative and hit the ground running. Mid-level UX designer job listings may ask for anywhere between 2 and 5 years’ experience, but this varies greatly from company to company. Perhaps you’re already able to advise on best practices and think in terms of UX design strategy. If you’ve reached the stage where you consider yourself a UX leader, you’re probably ready for a more senior role! Generally speaking, you’ll need at least 5 years’ experience to qualify as a senior, but it really does depend on the company and your personal ability. Use years of experience as a guideline, but don’t consider it the be-all and end-all. If you consider yourself a perfect fit for a certain role but don’t have the desired level of seniority, it’s certainly worth reaching out to the recruiter. Remember: UX designer job descriptions are made up of both essential skills and nice-to-haves. If you tick every other box, years of experience shouldn’t be a deal-breaker!