144: Finding & Owning Your UX Voice, How Melp Did With Career Strategy Lab

After being laid off and earning a Master’s degree in UX, Melp still wasn’t landing UX job interviews. What changed? She stopped applying to everything and started thinking strategically.

In this Q&A from a Career Strategy Lab Open House, Sarah Doody talks with Melp, a UX researcher turned product manager, about the ups and downs of her UX job search journey. Despite years of experience, a Masters degree in UX from the University of Michigan, and hundreds of UX job applications, Melp wasn’t getting traction, until she joined Career Strategy Lab.

You’ll hear how she slowed down to get clear, challenged the narrative that she was “difficult to work with,” and started positioning herself as a strategic asset (not a liability). Her confidence began to rebuild, not because of a new certification, but because she finally saw her work for what it was: valuable.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why Melp chose strategy over hustle in her UX job search

✔️ How the Career Compass Sprint helped her identify what she really wanted

✔️ The mindset shift from “I’m difficult” to “I’m a high-impact team member”

✔️ Why she stopped over-preparing and started owning her story

✔️ How CSL’s “minimum viable portfolio” mindset freed her up to move forward faster

✔️ The difference between traditional career support and CSL’s strategic, in-depth process

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Career Strategy Lab

02:14 Melp's Career Journey and Challenges

03:39 The Importance of Finding the Right Job

05:25 Deep Dive into Career Compass Sprint

07:02 Confidence and Self-Discovery

09:02 The Diva Mindset and Environment Fit

17:02 CSL's Unique Approach and In-Depth Process

22:18 Final Thoughts and Advice for Job Seekers

24:13 Conclusion and Podcast Outro

24:53 Special Message for Job Seekers

🎬 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.