Eunae Ko - FAANG UX intern

Member story

Hi, my name is Eunae, and I am an incoming 2022 summer UX design intern at Amazon. When I’m not on Figma, you can find me upcycling clothes, working out, and taking photos of mundane objects. As an Industrial Design major at the Rhode Island School of Design, I knew I wanted to work at a big tech company as UI/UX designer after graduation. However, I wasn't sure how to get my foot into the highly saturated door.

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As I was applying to internships left and right, I heard back from Amazon that they wanted to interview me one day! I was overjoyed yet, undeniably overwhelmed because I had no prior experience with UX interviews. Additionally, my interview was scheduled on the same week as my finals, less than two weeks away. I restlessly began searching all over the internet about prepping for UX interviews. One day, I came across a Medium article from the UXGO coach Leon, after talking with my peers who have also joined UXGO, I reached out to Leon and he was able to help me secure my offer.  (Leon became my UX mentor!)

Through his mentorship, I was able to go into my official interview confidently, even though I felt anxious and unprepared two weeks prior. My meetings with Leon helped me learn how to effectively yet concisely put together and present my slide deck, as well as answer behavioral questions through mock interviews with other real Amazon designers on the Alexa devices team. They wrote me in-depth feedback and helped me edit my slides to every detail.

Even though my meetings with Leon were only two weeks, my confidence about my portfolio presentation went from 20% to 80%. Needless to say, I think this was possible because I was willing to dedicate my personal time and was determined to improve my presentation skills. I'll carry on with me what I learned through this mentorship for the rest of my design journey.

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Knowing how stressful interview prep can be, especially as students who also have school to juggle, I would love to help out those who might feel like they're stuck in a similar situation I once was. Feel free to reach out to me on Linkedin if you have any questions about my mentorship experience with UXGO or my interview with Amazon!

Thanks!

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