Most people—including product people—don't think of their career as a product. And even the best researchers often neglect to do the research to identify suitable roles and opportunities. The result? They stay in roles for too long, or accept one that simply doesn't align with their career goals, interest, or values. They burn out and feel stuck. 

Sarah Doody, Founder and CEO of Career Strategy Lab, joins us to share why you should start thinking of your User Research career as a product and how you can start doing so today.

In this episode:

• How to treat your UX career like a product
• How to build (and follow) your career roadmap
• Managing the UX role application process

Highlights

• [1:05] What does it mean to treat something like a product?
• [3:59] How to start treating your own career like a product
• [10:02] Understanding the UX market
• [17:44] Uncovering UX hiring processes and principles
• [24:05] Do UXers still need resumes?
• [29:29] Tailoring your application to the role
• [36:06] The “career value criteria document”
• [39:01] Asking the right questions
• [44:32] “There's a time to earn, and there's a time to learn”
• [45:56] Are there any downsides to treating your UX career like a product?
• [49:02] How to take ownership of your education

🏆 Looking for more ways to learn and connect? Follow these Top UX Research Leaders on Linkedin.

Sources mentioned in the episode

• Recruit qualified participants fast (User Interviews)
• Career Strategy Lab's UX workshops, courses, and trainings (UX Portfolio Formula)
• How to ask someone to review your UX portfolio or resume (UX Portfolio Formula)
• How to find a UX mentor (Sarah Doody)
• UX Recruiter & Hiring Manager Interviews (Sarah Doody)

About our guest

Sarah Doody is the Founder and CEO of Career Strategy Lab, a job search accelerator and UX recruiting agency for UX and Product professionals. In 2017, she founded The UX Portfolio Formula, a UX career accelerator that helps UX professionals create, cultivate, and achieve their career goals.