142: How Laura Landed a Principal UX Design Role Without Applying (and With Only 1 Project in her UX Portfolio)

Think you need a perfect UX portfolio and hundreds of job applications to land a senior UX role? Think again.

In this episode, UX career coach Sarah Doody talks with Laura, a former physician turned UX designer, about how she landed a Principal Product Design role, without even applying.

Laura shares how she turned a contract job into a 2.5-year role at Cisco, why she joined Sarah Doody's UX career coaching program, Career Strategy Lab, twice. Laura also shares how staying ready (not scrambling) made all the difference when her UX contract ended. Spoiler: she was hired again within two weeks, and her new VP of Product found her on LinkedIn.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ How Laura pivoted from medicine to UX and built her confidence along the way

✔️ Why having just one solid case study was enough to land multiple interviews

✔️ The key mindset shift that helped her stand out—even in a competitive market

✔️ How staying visible on LinkedIn led to a job offer without applying

✔️ Why portfolio perfectionism keeps talented UXers stuck

✔️ The benefit of specializing in a niche like cybersecurity or networking

✔️ How CSL’s frameworks helped her lead, mentor, and present more confidently

Timestamps:

02:06 Laura's Career Journey and Success with Career Strategy Lab

05:23 Importance of Testing and Networking

09:06 Specialization and Job Search Strategy

12:53 Applying Career Strategy Lab Skills in the Workplace

17:39 Final Thoughts and Advice for Job Seekers

19:29 Conclusion and Podcast Information

20:09 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.