Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody | UX, Product Design, UX Research

Are you stuck trying to wrap up your UX portfolio because your massive project is taking forever to complete?

Today we've got an insightful episode for all the UX designers out there grappling with how to present large projects in your portfolio. 

In this episode, Sarah discusses the strategy of breaking down large projects into smaller, more manageable pieces, making your portfolio not only easier to complete but also more appealing to recruiters and hiring managers. 

Tune in to discover how this approach can streamline your job applications and better showcase your expertise.

Quotables

"It is perfectly fine to break up a very large project into multiple smaller projects for the purposes of your portfolio."

"By taking a larger project and breaking it up into chapters, you can all of a sudden have a portfolio with 3, 4 projects in it."

"What we want is to show the recruiters and hiring managers the evidence, the examples, the receipts."

Timestamps

00:32 Introduction to Career Strategy Podcast

00:38 Handling Large Projects in Your UX Portfolio

01:40 Breaking Down Large Projects into Smaller Sections

04:33 Tailoring Your Portfolio for Job Applications

07:38 Conclusion and Final Tips

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Get ready to transform your approach to feedback! This episode delves into the art of giving and receiving critiques on career materials. 

Career Strategy Lab Coaches Erin Lindstrom, Becca Santilli, and Steph Knox share their extensive experience from reviewing thousands of resumes, portfolios, and LinkedIn profiles.

They discuss the importance of being specific when asking for feedback and how staying mindful of your goals can make the process more effective. 

Learn how different methods, like live sessions and prerecorded critiques, can help boost your confidence and refine your materials. 

Whether you're looking for a new job or aiming for a promotion, this episode will guide you to get the best feedback possible. 

Tune in to discover actionable tips that ensure you get the feedback you need to succeed.

Reflection Questions

1. What strategies do you typically use when asking for feedback on your career materials, and how can you apply Erin, Steph, and Becca's advice to improve your approach?

2. How do you handle receiving conflicting feedback from different sources, and what steps can you take to discern which feedback is most valuable to you as suggested in the podcast?

3. Erin mentioned the importance of building the skill set to improve any career material bullet point in the future. What specific skills or actions can you focus on to enhance this ability in your own career development?

4. Considering Becca's point about the importance of the compass statement in gaining clarity and confidence, how would you articulate your own compass statement, and in what ways might it serve as your North Star in your career journey?

Time Stamps 

00:00 Introduction and Special Guests

00:11 Understanding Feedback in Career Strategy Lab

00:42 Demystifying the Critique Process

01:30 Meet the CSL Coaches

03:17 The Critique Process Explained

04:50 Personal Critiquing Processes

06:07 Importance of Compass Statement

09:45 Live Calls and Community Support

11:36 Tips for Asking Feedback

16:12 Your Next Steps 

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Want to stand out in your job search? In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah breaks down the AIDA framework, a four-part methodology used by top companies to capture your attention and spark action. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how AIDA can be applied to your resume, LinkedIn profile, and even cold emails to potential employers and discover how small changes in how you present your skills and experience can make a big difference in holding a recruiter’s interest and getting that coveted interview.

Whether you’re just starting to update your career materials or deep into your job search, these tips will help you think more strategically and communicate more effectively so you get noticed, book more interviews, and are offered more roles.

Quotables

 "The process of you getting hired is very similar to the process of you going and buying that new pair of shoes or booking that hotel."

 "The goal is that something about your resume catches their attention, and to do that we need to create a resume that makes you stand out from other candidates."

"Be thinking, what am I doing to capture attention, interest, desire so that they take action?"

Timestamps 

00:56 Interest leads to desire, prompting action ultimately.

03:58 Effectively capturing attention and generating action is the goal of your career materials.

09:11 Be mindful of how you’re taking action.

12:05 AIDA has been around for a while, it’s time to apply it to your job search,

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Eager to boost your professional growth but struggling to find the time and right flow for your life? Figuring out how to best use your time is a regular topic inside of Career Strategy Lab as we help clients navigate how to focus on progress over perfection while juggling the realities of life.

In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah shares practical strategies to fit professional development into your life regardless of what your calendar looks like. 

From tips on scheduling dedicated time for growth to managing perfectionism and expectations, you'll learn how to navigate either a jam-packed schedule or, the ample free time a lay-off presents, to invest in yourself. 

Whether you're balancing a full-time job and other commitments or have an open calendar to focus on growth, this episode provides actionable advice catered to your unique situation. 

Get ready to uncover the importance of setting priorities, build a supportive community, and break tasks into manageable sprints to maximize your efforts. 

00:56 Making time for professional development: actionable tips.

03:46 Schedule professional development with focus and energy.

08:22 Commit to intentional, efficient professional development.

11:25 Break tasks, focus on energy, quality work.

13:17 Prioritize tasks, schedule and say no.

17:31 Learn practical tips for professional development journey.

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A few times a year we open the doors to Career Strategy Lab and host an Open House so prospective clients can learn about the program and get to know some of our clients. In this episode, we’re sharing the audio from our last Open House (it’s an imperfect podcast episode but we think the stories are worth sharing!) 

During this episode, you’ll hear from three Career Strategy Lab clients (two Product Designers and a Senior UX Designer) on how to tackle mindset issues like imposter syndrome and procrastination as well as how they improved their communication skills and confidence in CSL.

Tune in to hear how these three women accepted new job opportunities by applying the “Product of You” framework Sarah teaches in Career Strategy Lab.

02:00 Work meeting, questions, introductions, Career Strategy Lab.

05:26 Enhancing communication skills through enrolling in CSL.

09:08 Focused on single case study with significant impact.

13:01 Surrounding with career-focused community creates accountability.

14:22 Embrace promoting yourself to communicate your value.

18:04 Consistency in touch points shapes brand perception.

23:36 Coaching and CSL sessions significantly improved performance.

25:35 Optimize resume for ATS, keep it simple.

30:33 Mindset calls provided support and guidance.

34:45 Program rekindled confidence and passion for work.

37:17 Allie found his flow; advice on sprints.

40:54 Organize sprints for career roadmap and job search.

43:36 Detailed course materials for career development available.

45:51 Weekly sprint check-ins, events, job alerts available.

49:35 3-month CSL course requires dedication.

51:35 Encouraging self-compassion and growth in career.

55:42 Private questions? Use the email or link.

57:44 Thank you for listening to career strategy podcast.

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Navigating a layoff can leave you feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, and scared. In this episode, Sarah will walk you through how everything from feeling your feelings to updating your career materials.

This episode offers 9 practical things you can to do feel more in control and to save time as you navigate the journey to finding your next role. And, if you're happily employed, these tips can help you prepare just in case you ever face an unexpected layoff.

If you've recently experienced a lay off or spend time wondering what you'd do if you were to be laid off, this episode is for you.

00:00 Allow time to process, evaluate your finances, seek support.

05:37 Update your resume, LinkedIn, then career materials.

08:23 Use LinkedIn's "open to work" setting discretely.

13:42 Personalize messages, be active in communities.

15:26 Posting your vision to leverage visibility.

19:35 Find joy, recharge, and relieve stress.

21:52 The power of helping others.

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Struggling with getting responses to your cold messages? Discover a straightforward approach to crafting communication that's more likely to get you a reply. This episode dives into a four-part structure called the GAIN framework, designed to hone your messages to be concise, clear, and effective. Learn why keeping things short is critical and how specificity in your queries can significantly up your chances of receiving the response you need. Plus, avoid common mistakes like overly long messages or unclear intent that might be sending your emails straight to the ignored pile.

Want more support? Grab our communication swipe files and so much more inside of Career Strategy Lab.

00:00 Be clear, concise, and specific in messaging.

05:45 Use strong anchor when reaching out professionally.

09:18 Efficient email communication framework for networking.

10:32 Use GAIN framework for clearer, impactful messages.

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Unlocking potential in your career can often feel like a maze with no clear exit. This episode takes you inside one of our weekly Q&A calls that we do with our Career Strategy Lab clients. These calls allow our Career Strategy Lab members to come together in real-time to talk through their wins, struggles, and questions. Forget edited scenarios; you’re getting the raw and real questions that our clients grapple with, and the practical advice provided by our expert coaching team.

In this episode of the Career Strategy Lab, you'll hear from individuals in different stages of their UX careers as they tackle challenges like articulating work, determining the ideal number of bullet points for their resume, and curating a UX portfolio with just the right amount of case studies. The discussions delve into whether it's better to stick to a career path closely or to pivot when unique opportunities arise, even if they don't perfectly align with long-term goals.

Have questions? Join us in Career Strategy Lab to get your questions answered and career materials critiqued!

00:00 Tips to improve your "about me" or what we refer to as a Compass Statement

03:39 Suggest 2-3 bullet points, vary by content and context.

08:47 Portfolios vary, no set limit. Tailor to showcase skills. No one-size-fits-all.

10:33 Submit assets after going through the curriculum to match CSL standards, avoid quadruple work for feedback.

16:07 Discussion about decision-making mindset and past experience parallels.

20:22 People are encouraged to share and listen to others' experiences for support.

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How do you know what UX career advice is actually worth listening to? If you're searching for your next UX or Product role, it's likely you've been bombarded with advice from blogs, social posts, and well-meaning strangers in Slack groups.

In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah Doody, a UX Researcher & Product Designer, breaks down how to critically evaluate UX career advice so you can stop spinning in circles and start making real progress in your job search.

This episode is especially for UX, Product Design, and UX Research professionals who are sick of Googling every career question and getting 14 different answers.

Timestamps:

00:00 - 00:45: Intro

00:46 - 02:23: The risk of following UX career advice without vetting the source

02:24 - 04:15: Strategic questions to evaluate the advice you find

04:16 - 06:02: The problem with outdated advice and “LinkedIn experts”

06:03 - 08:17: Why self-doubt makes you trust strangers more than yourself

08:18 - 09:40: How to do a quick “background check” on advice-givers

09:41 - 11:00: A reminder: just because someone posts online doesn’t mean it’s tru

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In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, we explore the impact of first impressions on LinkedIn and why complaining on the platform during a job search may not be the best approach. 

Sarah discusses the downside of posting negative content and offers practical tips for job seekers to make a positive first impression. 

Tune in to gain insights into alternative ways to express frustrations and job-related interests on LinkedIn. 

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00:00 LinkedIn users complain about job search treatment.

03:13 Negativity in posts can affect job prospects.

08:49 Engage and share insights for professional growth.

10:23 Share insights on LinkedIn for positive impression.

13:55 Spots available now, advance your career! 

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