Ascenders Academy , she was paired with an experienced designer named Heather Hogan . They did more than just casually discuss the industry ; Hogan gave her mentee a series of homework assignments . Hogan analyzed Salinas ’ resume , she scrutinized her portfolio , and she even gave specific suggestions on how to improve her UI and UX examples .
Salinas took the homework seriously . At Hogan ’ s suggestion , she made tiny tweaks like changing “ Digital Designer ” to “ UI / UX Designer .” This sounds minor , but Hogan ’ s experience in the field taught her that this is more likely to catch the eye of an employer . Salinas redesigned her website . She had anxiety about her writing , so Hogan suggested that she start a blog to gain confidence and showcase her chops . Salinas began writing posts with smart UI commentary , such as how , if she worked at Google , she would improve the interface of Google Chat .
They also talked about substantive work challenges . One of Salinas ’ sharpest pain points was the amount of turnover on her design team , which wasted too much time on training and onboarding . After picking Hogan ’ s brain , Salinas created an internal playbook for new designers who worked on the VSP account , providing a turnkey solution for training and onboarding . This had an immediate impact . Soon the team spent less time on training and more time designing , expanded from 12 designers to 21 , and cranked out more projects , boosting revenue for the group . The playbook worked so well , they ’ re now planning on adapting it for other clients .
“ I really treasured the time the mentor spent with me ,” Salinas says . “ She gave me a lot of resources and helped me with my current job .” When the nine months of Ascenders Academy concluded , Salinas ( who ’ s still at WideOut ) proudly created a slideshow that showed what she had learned , then presented it in person at the end-of-year party .
This was only possible because Hogan made herself available , and
Heather Hogan mentored Tinn Salinas through the Ascenders Academy , which pairs mentors and mentees .
PHOTO BY SAM HAYASHI ; COURTESY OF HEATHER HOGAN
that ’ s a hallmark of a good mentor . “ No matter how busy you are , you have to make the time ,” says Ramirez , who squeezes in calls whenever she can . Other qualities of a good mentor : willingness to share their experience and connections ( as opposed to hoarding contacts ), a genuine interest in helping others and a knack for candor . “ One thing I encourage is for mentors to be frank about their own experiences ,” says Wacker , who adds that design is often seen as a glamorous profession , but a good mentor can paint a more realistic picture of the inevitable bumps and trapdoors .
And a good mentor has the patience to deal with scheduling mix-ups , panicked phone calls or rookie mistakes from the mentees . Wacker found at Ascenders Academy , the biggest challenge was keeping the pairs connected . “ I will be honest … that was 100 percent on the mentee side ,” says Wacker . “ I ’ m trying to impress on the mentees , without being too heavy-handed , that these folks are professionals and they ’ re taking their time for you .” For Einhorn ,
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