Learn from the best and understand the 5 levels of Design Principles and what the best ones have in common
The closer you get to emulating your test participant's natural environment, the less biased your data will be
Learn to avoid the critical mistakes that most often seem to screw up usability testing
Avoid getting disqualified before I even look at the quality of your work
Working on a side project should be fun and exciting, and so should coming up with ideas
Get experience, build a portfolio, start a business, and have fun!
Implementing whatever a user suggests is not user-centered design, it's just laziness
Avoid these to improve your odds of getting the job!