111: Hidden costs of navigating your UX job search alone

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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

In this episode, Sarah dives into the hidden costs of navigating your job search alone and why a DIY approach may be holding you back. Many job seekers spend months stuck in a cycle of applying, tweaking resumes, and feeling frustrated—without realizing they’re wasting valuable time, missing opportunities, and facing an unnecessary emotional toll.

Sarah breaks down why job searching requires strategy, positioning, and persistence—not just endless applications. She also shares what successful job seekers do differently, including treating their job search like a UX project, getting strategic with LinkedIn, and investing in the right tools and guidance to accelerate results.

If you’re tired of going in circles and want to land a job faster and smarter, this episode is for you!

What You’ll Learn:

✅ The #1 hidden cost of a DIY job search (hint: it’s not just time wasted)

✅ Why “busy work” like tweaking your resume daily doesn’t move the needle

✅ How to spot FSP activities (False Sense of Progress) and focus on what works

✅ The missed opportunities that cost you job leads and interviews

✅ The mental and emotional toll of job searching alone—and how to fix it

✅ How to structure your job search like a UX project to get hired faster

✅ The biggest mistakes job seekers make on LinkedIn (and what to do instead)

✅ Why successful job seekers seek feedback early and often

Resources & Links Mentioned:

📌 How to Post Strategically on LinkedIn (Podcast

📌 Steven’s Success Story – How He Landed a UX Research Role

📌 Join Career Strategy Lab & Get Expert Guidance

Timestamps:

00:21 Welcome to the Career Strategy Podcast

01:04 The Hidden Costs of Navigating Your Job Search Alone

02:47 The Real Impact of a DIY Job Search

03:18 Time: The Most Expensive Hidden Cost

05:59 Missed Opportunities in Your Job Search

09:58 Mental and Emotional Toll of a DIY Job Search

13:59 What Successful Job Seekers Do Differently

14:12 Treating Your Job Search Like a UX Project

16:08 Understanding the Users of Your Job Search

18:35 Learning from Proven Tools and Guidance

20:41 Creating Structure and Accountability

25:21 Breaking Free from the DIY Approach

27:42 Conclusion: Reflecting on Your Job Search Approach

29:05 Career Strategy Lab: Your Next Step

30:29 Final Thoughts and Farewell

🎬 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.