Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

Would you ever design a product without doing user research first? Of course not. So why do so many UX professionals walk into job interviews without researching their users—the interviewers?

In this episode, Sarah Doody shares a simple but powerful strategy that can completely change the tone and outcome of your UX job interviews. You’ll learn how to connect on a human level with interviewers by doing just a bit of thoughtful research—and how those small moments of connection can tip the scales in your favor.

This isn’t about manipulation. It’s about building trust, showing empathy, and making your job search more human.

✔️ Why researching your interviewers is a game-changer

✔️ How one candidate at Meta used a single question to create a 5-minute connection

✔️ What to look for in someone’s LinkedIn, blog, or social posts

✔️ Examples of conversation starters that feel natural—not forced

✔️ How to show up as thoughtful, intentional, and memorable in your interviews

Whether you're early in your UX career or a seasoned pro, this episode will help you build stronger relationships—and better results—from every interview.

💬 Love this episode? Share it and tag @sarahdoody with your favorite insight.

⭐ Support the show! Leave a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover Career Strategy Podcast.

🔔 Follow & Subscribe for weekly stories, strategies, and mindset shifts to help you thrive in your UX career.

00:00 Introduction to Career Strategy

00:56 The Power of Human Connection in Interviews

01:29 Real-Life Example: Making a Personal Connection

02:54 LinkedIn Post Breakdown

04:05 Why UX Research Matters in Interviews

05:27 Tactical Tips for Interview Research

08:18 Creating Conversation Starters

09:37 Conclusion and Homework

11:04 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

You might think soap operas have nothing to do with your UX job search, but in this episode, Sarah Doody shows you why that thinking might be keeping you stuck and invisible.

Back in the 1930s, Procter & Gamble created soap operas to sell, well… soap. But what they really created was one of the most effective audience engagement strategies in marketing history. And today, you can apply the same four principles to dramatically improve your visibility and momentum as a UX job seeker.

Whether you’re on the job hunt now or preparing for the future, this episode will reframe how you think about visibility, consistency, and strategy—and show you exactly where you might be going wrong.

✔️ Why visibility, not just talent, gets you hired

✔️ The 4 key takeaways from Procter & Gamble’s soap opera strategy

✔️ How to show up where your audience (aka recruiters & hiring managers) are already hanging out

✔️ Why timing and repetition are critical to your job search success

✔️ What most UX portfolios and resumes get totally wrong

✔️ The mindset shift that turns your job search from passive to powerful

💬 Love this episode? Share it and tag @sarahdoody with your favorite insight.

⭐ Support the show! Leave a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover Career Strategy Podcast.

🔔 Follow & Subscribe for weekly stories, strategies, and mindset shifts to help you thrive in your UX career.

00:33 Unlocking Career Success with Strategy

00:55 Soap Operas and Your UX Job Search

01:24 The Birth of Soap Operas: A Marketing Masterstroke

02:13 Applying Soap Opera Strategies to Your Job Search

03:49 Lesson 1: Go Where Your Audience Is

05:53 Lesson 2: Design for Your Audience

08:26 Lesson 3: Repetition Builds Trust

10:59 Lesson 4: Timing Matters

13:05 Conclusion: Applying the Soap Opera Strategy

15:11 Final Thoughts and Contact Information

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Enrollment is OPEN for my UX job search accelerator and will close on Friday, April 11 at 8pm PT. Join by Friday and get 1 extra month in the program for free. You can learn more, watch success stories, or enroll here.

And you can watch to the recording of my UX job search workshop, until deadline Friday.

If you have questions about the UX job search accelerator program (aka Career Strategy Lab) you can book a 1:1 call here or use the chat widget on the websites linked above to send us a message.

🎬 Watch our free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in 2025

👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

If you’ve applied to 100+ UX jobs and still haven’t landed an interview or offer… this episode is your wake-up call.

Sarah Doody shares the tough love and practical insights you need to finally pause, reflect, and strategically pivot your job search. Because applying to more jobs isn’t the answer—strategy is.

This episode is part pep talk, part intervention, and fully packed with real talk about what it takes to get hired in today’s competitive UX job market.

✔️ Why applying to 100+ jobs without results is a sign—not a failure

✔️ The difference between a numbers game and a strategy game

✔️ Why being great at UX doesn’t mean you’re great at getting hired

✔️ How to assess what’s really not working in your job search

✔️ The mindset shifts and next steps that will actually move the needle

If you’re feeling discouraged, stuck, or ready to give up—this one’s for you.

💬 Love this episode? Share it and tag @sarahdoody with your favorite insight.

⭐ Support the show! Leave a rating on Spotify or a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover Career Strategy Podcast.

🔔 Follow & Subscribe for weekly stories, strategies, and mindset shifts to help you thrive in your UX career.

Timestamps

00:59 The Job Search Intervention

03:13 Identifying the Problem

04:01 Real-Life Analogies

06:30 The Need for Change

08:49 Seeking Expert Help

09:28 Facts vs. Emotions

17:05 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

This episode was from a session on Maven! Click here to watch the replay.

If you’re applying to UX jobs and not getting interviews, your resume might be the problem—specifically, how it interacts with the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

In this episode, Sarah Doody breaks down exactly how to format your resume so it gets past ATS filters and lands in front of recruiters and hiring managers.

You'll learn why you need TWO versions of your resume, what formatting mistakes to avoid, and how to tailor your resume for each job posting—without spending hours on every application.

✔️ Why ATS matters and how it scans and ranks resumes

✔️ The difference between an ATS-friendly and a human-friendly resume

✔️ Why two-column resumes can sabotage your chances

✔️ How to use job descriptions to tailor your resume for better results

✔️ Three common resume mistakes that could be costing you interviews

✔️ Why a one-page resume could be hurting your job search

Timestamps

01:04 The Importance of a Strategic Resume

03:08 Understanding Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

06:24 How ATS Parses Your Resume

08:19 Formatting Your Resume for ATS

16:23 Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

24:01 Recap and Final Tips

25:23 Conclusion and Contact Information

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher with 20 years of experience who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

Welcome to another Open House episode of the Career Strategy Podcast! In this episode, Sarah Doody sits down with Jon Simmons, a seasoned product designer currently navigating the UX job search.

Jon shares his experience of revamping his portfolio, refining his job search strategy, and preparing for senior-level interviews after a layoff. He discusses how shifting his portfolio approach from a website to a presentation format significantly improved his job prospects and how structured storytelling and community support made a difference in his confidence and clarity.

✔️ The importance of stepping back from just tweaking your portfolio and doing deeper self-reflection

✔️ How portfolio presentations (vs. websites) give you more control over your job search narrative

✔️ The role of mindset and confidence in positioning yourself for high-level UX roles

✔️ Why community and structured frameworks can prevent burnout and job search frustration

✔️ Jon’s insights on interviewing for principal product designer roles and adapting to today’s market

Timestamps

01:43 Episode Overview and Open House Context

03:14 John's Journey in Career Strategy Lab

07:12 Portfolio Presentation Insights

15:58 The Importance of Self-Reflection

18:03 Advice for Prospective Members

20:06 Conclusion and Community Highlights

21:47 Closing Remarks and Call to Action

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

In this special Open House episode, Sarah Doody sits down with Career Strategy Lab (CSL) alum Sarah Page to discuss her journey navigating the UX job market. From being laid off as a creative director to landing a Senior UX Designer role in health tech, Sarah shares the mindset shifts, job search strategies, and portfolio insights that helped her stand out.

She also reveals the unexpected format of her interviews, how she positioned her diverse experience to appeal to hiring managers, and why letting go of what’s out of your control is a game-changer in your job search.

If you’re struggling with rejection, resume gaps, or feeling “overqualified” and “underqualified” at the same time—this episode is for you!

✅ Why job rejections often have nothing to do with you (and how to move forward)

✅ The power of a well-structured portfolio—and why Figma slides worked better than a website

✅ How to confidently position diverse experience (even across industries!)

✅ The mental shift that helped Sarah stay motivated through uncertainty

✅ How social proof (from hiring managers, peers, and CSL feedback) builds confidence

✅ The real role of interviews (hint: sometimes it’s just a vibe check!)

✅ Why finding the right company fit matters more than tweaking your resume endlessly

✅ How Sarah strategically approached salary negotiation and total compensation

Timestamps

01:50 Open House Overview

03:22 Success Stories and Strategies

05:47 Navigating the Job Market

09:15 Interview Experiences

13:45 Negotiating Job Offers

17:08 Advice for Job Seekers

20:45 Conclusion and Farewell

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Until Friday, you can listen to the audio of my free workshop about the UX job search and Q&A about "The 4C Framework To Get Hired In UX" ... list by Saturday, March 15 at 9am PT.

💁‍♀️ I REALLY recommend you also watch the video because seeing the visuals will help you see why you're stuck in your UX job search, the cost of staying stuck, and how to get unstuck.

➡️ Watch the workshop replay here before Sat, Mar 15 at 9am PT.

ALSO ... enrollment is open for Career Strategy Lab's UX job search accelerator from now until Fri, Mar 14 at 9pm PT. Learn more or join here and if you want to chat 1:1 you can book a call here.

🎬 Watch our free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in 2025

👉 Join Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

💬 Did this episode resonate with you? Tag Sarah on social media and share your biggest takeaway!

Applied to 50+ UX or Product jobs & still no interviews or offers? Get UX job search help.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher who founded the UX job search accelerator, Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

Promotions don’t just happen—you have to advocate for yourself! 

In this episode, Sarah breaks down the inspiring story of Marco, a Senior Product Designer who secured a 37% increase in total compensation by leveraging his annual review process, gathering compelling evidence, and using the tools from Career Strategy Lab to make his case.

If you’ve ever wondered how to position yourself for a promotion, this episode is a must-listen. Sarah walks through Marco’s exact strategy, from recognizing his value to structuring his performance review, so you can apply the same tactics in your own career.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why promotions don’t happen by chance—you have to make the case for yourself.
• How Marco used UX case studies from Career Strategy Lab to showcase his impact.
• The importance of peer reviews and selecting the right colleagues to vouch for you.
• How to prepare for performance review season all year round—not just weeks before.
• Why documenting your achievements is crucial for both promotions and job searches.

Links & Resources:

• Join Career Strategy Lab to fast-track your job search or promotion

If this episode resonated with you, tag Sarah on social media or leave a quick review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!

🎧 Listen now and start setting yourself up for your next promotion!

Timestamps

00:38 The Importance of Strategy in Career Growth

01:02 Case Study: Marco's Journey to Promotion

02:02 Marco's Strategy: Leveraging Career Strategy Lab

04:15 Steps Marco Took to Secure His Promotion

07:54 Key Takeaways: How to Advocate for Yourself

10:28 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

11:36 Conclusion: Stay Connected and Share Your Thoughts

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Want to get hired in UX faster? Click here.

Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody, a UX Designer & UX Researcher who also founded the UX job search accelerator Career Strategy Lab. She's been doing UX career coaching since 2017.

Follow Sarah on: LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah Doody breaks down the key steps to getting hired—whether for a full-time job or a freelance contract. Through the story of Emily, a former fashion and beauty marketer turned UX writer, Sarah illustrates how refining your resume, portfolio, and LinkedIn profile can dramatically increase your opportunities and earning potential.

Emily’s journey highlights the power of strategic career marketing—starting with a $35/hour contract, she grew her rate to $125/hour in under six months. Sarah shares actionable insights on how you can position yourself as the ideal candidate, attract job offers and freelance clients, and confidently communicate your value to decision-makers.

Key Takeaways

• Why the hiring process for full-time and freelance work follows the same fundamental principles.
• How Emily used Career Strategy Lab to refine her portfolio, LinkedIn, and resume—unlocking new career opportunities.
• The importance of treating every professional interaction as a potential interview.
• How to iterate on your resume, portfolio, and LinkedIn profile based on feedback.
• Why contract work can be a stepping stone to full-time roles (or a lucrative career path on its own).
• How Career Strategy Lab can help accelerate your job search—and even count as a tax-deductible expense for freelancers.

Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction to Career Strategy

01:01 Meet Emily: A UX Writing Success Story

02:34 Emily's Journey to Freelance Success

05:23 The Financial Upside of Freelancing

08:21 Key Lessons from Emily's Experience

11:55 Final Tips and Conclusion

14:12 Wrap-Up and Contact Information

🎬 Watch Sarah's free UX Job Search Workshop and learn how to stand out in today's UX job market

👉 Join Sarah Doody's Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search accelerator for UX and Product people.

👋 Say hi and follow our host, Sarah Doody, on LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.