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

This week’s episode is hosted by CSL Coach Erin Lindstrom with special guest, Malavika Oak, a CSL Alumni!

Tune in to hear what led Malavika to UX and her career journey from working at startups, getting laid off, and with the help of Career Strategy Lab, landing a new role that she describes as a “dream job.”

00:38 Intro with Erin

01:55 Meet Malavika

04:51 Looking for mentorship in the UX world

07:26 Being the only designer at a startup

11:25 Her new role

14:29 Slowly getting better and better at interviews

17:03 Tips for parents and other who are juggling multiple responsibilities

19:25 But why UX?

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

Are you using LinkedIn correctly?

It’s a social media platform, so be social! 

This week Sarah talks about how making connections using LinkedIn can not only improve your visibility on recruiter searches AND help you find job openings faster.

01:09 The one thing many professionals forget to do when looking for work

02:08 LinkedIn Recruiter and the algorithm

03:35 You should be posting on your LinkedIn profile

05:25 It’s all about increasing visibility

07:12 Putting your skills and experience on display

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

Everyone says that recruiters spend barely any time on resumes, but is that true?

This week Sarah shares her tips to keep recruiters engaged so they never spend less than a minute on your resume.

After this, be sure to listen to Episode 29 to learn more about the one page resume and how it could be selling you short!

00:19 Spoiler Alert: It’s a myth!

01:07 Put yourself into the shoes of a recruiter

02:52 Consider the design of your resume

05:45 Instead of a list of responsibilities, go into detail, give examples

07:02 What is your conclusion? Myth or No?

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

If you’re considering a career in UX but not sure how you can leverage your previous experience to help you stand out as a candidate we want you to know it’s absolutely possible.

In this episode, Sarah talks through how to build a bridge from your current situation to a UX career.

0:55 You may be tempted to apply to lots of jobs

1:49 Here’s how to start thinking strategically about this

2:35 When you do this, your experience gives you a competitive advantage

4:17 You’re not destined to stay in that industry forever if you don’t want to

4:59 Think of it as a stepping stone

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

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.

Topics discussed in this episode

- Why blindly following career advice can cost you time and traction

- Strategic questions to ask before trusting someone’s advice

- What “advice credibility” really looks like (and red flags to watch for)

- How to assess if someone’s results are relevant to your goals

- Why advice from 10 years ago may not apply to today’s job market

- How hiring location, role, and level affect the advice that works

- The sneaky habit of doubting yourself and trusting strangers instead

- A simple due diligence process that can save you weeks of rework

⏰ Timestamps:

00:00 - 00:45: Intro

00:46 - 02:23: The risk of following 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 true

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

This week’s episode is a Q&A session with Sarah!

Tune in to hear how to start your job search when you’re brand new to UX, looking for opportunities to grow from within your company, and the importance of your portfolio!

01:16 If you’re early in your career, of course you want to apply to everything!

03:01 How do you approach finding your first job?

06:46 Make the most of performance reviews

08:54 Spell. Check. Your. Resume.

10:20 Curate your resume to each job you apply to

12:10 The best way to approach cold emailing? Warm things up!

17:37 How important is a portfolio at the start of your career? Very important.

20:48 Never worked in UX? You still have skills you can use to apply to UX positions.

22:32 How do I use classified work to promote my skills?

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

Why aren’t you making the progress you’d like to in your career?

🤔 Maybe, just maybe, you’ve fallen victim to one of the biggest sources of procrastination in the job search?

This week, Sarah discusses how sometimes it’s best to stop looking for more info and advice, and just act! If you want to make TRUE progress in your job search, listen in!

Also, check out flowapp.info to help keep yourself on track!

01:14 At some point you need to stop seeking information and start taking action

02:04 More information often leads to contradicting information

02:42 Be careful of a false sense of progress, or FSP for short!

04:35 Get into the habit of notice when you’re procrastinating taking action

05:36 At the end of your day, take the time to make a plan of action for tomorrow

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

Let’s be real, taking the next step in your career can be exhausting.

The process of getting clear on what you want, finding aligned roles, tweaking your career materials, making connections and so on is filled with highs and lows.

It’s not uncommon for each rejection or a lack of response to send you into a spin BUT, there are things you can do to manage your emotions, stay regulated, and continue down the path while taking space for the big feelings coming up.

In this episode, Sarah dives into the world of feelings to discuss how to manage yours to avoid being TOO negative and/or overly confident.

00:52 Managing your emotions is important for so many reasons

01:58 We need to acknowledge our emotions or they may get in the way!

03:36 What if you’re not in the right state of mind when a big opportunity presents itself?

04:49 You need an emotional outlet

06:06 Rejection shouldn’t define you as a person OR a professional

09:23 Try to accept bad news from potential employers with an air of grace

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

Yes or no?! 🤔

Everyone wants to know whether or not it’s recommended to put projects that didn’t launch in their portfolio and if it’s worth talking about during interviews.

Here’s the quick version; when creating your portfolio and resume, use every amazing example of your skills you can.

Why would you avoid using a project that didn’t go public? If you did the work, then show it off! Launching isn’t the only part of the story.

Tune in to episode 36  to learn more about how to talk about your unlaunched projects with power.

00:58 The short answer, yes!

02:00 Stop thinking about why you can’t, and start thinking why wouldn’t you?

04:35 Projects don’t launch ALL THE TIME.

04:58 Be professional. Don’t use an interview to complain about the failed launch.

05:40 A quick recap

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube

During this Q+A, Sarah discusses what your portfolio should look like when you leave a UX bootcamp, how many case studies should you present in an interview, the myth of the one page resume, and so much more!

01:14 The portfolio you created in a bootcamp won’t work with recruiters

05:29 You can’t predict how long you’ll have in an interview, so why not ask?

06:55 Keep your resume chronological

08:40 Employers want experience, they want receipts!

11:32 Work done for confidential clients may still be useful for your portfolio

12:41 The one page resume is the biggest lie ever told

14:52 Setting yourself up for a future job search

18:08 If you want to hear about new jobs, you have to be where the jobs are! LinkedIn

18:55 A bootcamp is not a ticket to a guaranteed job

🎯 How I can help with your UX job search

📋 Get my UX case study template

👋 Follow me, on LinkedIn, Instagram, & YouTube