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

It can feel difficult to break into the tech field, or any industry, when you reach a certain age. You may feel like you’re being overlooked for simply your age. Let’s talk about that! This week Sarah discusses the topic of ageism in the tech industry and some misconceptions people have about it. You can’t control your age, so instead you should concentrate on things you can change. Leverage the extensive experience you have. Soft skills learned through a lifetime of work are some of the hardest to obtain. 00:38 Am I too old to get hired in tech or user experience or really any field for that matter? 02:20 So how old you are is not within your control. You can't change that, right? what you can change is how you talk about experience 03:37 If you are a little older and worried about how your age might be perceived by a potential employer, et cetera, I want you to know that with more experience comes more skills and more knowledge. 04:39 Resilience, work ethic and other factors that might make someone a good team member, employee, manager, et cetera. These are skills that someone who might be just starting out in their career might not have developed as much as someone like you. 06:37 I thought it would be just interesting to highlight two people from my career coaching program, career strategy lab who were older and did get hired. 07:04 Ashley was in her sixties when she joined Career Strategy Lab. 08:36 David  was in his fifties when he joined Career Strategy Lab 09:58 It costs companies a lot of money to hire employees, and the average cost in the United States is about $4,500 to hire a new employee 11:24 So the three things that I want you to think about concerning ageism in getting hired and in the tech and UX or frankly any industry🎬 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.

Do you feel like you’re stuck in your career? Maybe you’re bored, or you feel like your skills have plateaued or heck, even your salary has plateaued. Do you see current and former colleagues getting promoted or doing work that you wish you were doing? If so, these might be signs that you’re stuck in your career. So, the big question is, how do you get unstuck? In this episode, Sarah gives you 3 questions to ponder to help you get unstuck in your career. And sidenote, these questions can really apply to ANY situation – both work and personal. Timestamps: 00:55 Introduction 02:39  We're gonna look towards the future to help you create an action plan for how you can get unstuck 03:25 So here are the three questions you can ask yourself to get unstuck in your career 03:54 First Question “Where am I now?” 05:06 How am I feeling? Are you excited every day? Do you dread every day? Do you live for the weekends? 06:00 Second Question “Where do I want to be?” 08:08 Third Question “What is stopping me?” 09:42 Now, this is where the magic kind of happens. After you've made this list of the things that are stopping you, I want you to read back through it and ask yourself, which of these things are truly within your control and which are not within your control? 11:01 “What's stopping me” list in the middle, get shorter and focus on things that you can control and influence. 12:13 And it's important to remember you can't do everything at once. You can't build every skill at once. You can't learn every software at once or get every degree at once. 14:08 Recap 14:32 Outro🎬 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.

For many people, maybe even you, job search burnout is real. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that half of adult job seekers in the USA are pessimistic about their prospects for a new job. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that about half of US adults looking for a job are pessimistic about their prospects for future employment. In this episode, Sarah talks about factors that contribute to job search burnout and some practical tips you can put into practice right now to help you manage and minimize this in your life. 2:07: The Pew Research Center survey said that 53% of people said they felt like they almost lost a piece of their identity during their job hunt. And 56% of people said that they've experienced more anxiety and depression and other mental health issues during a job search. 2:48: Burnout has a ripple effect. 3:31: It's really important to get clear about the things that you can control and the things that you know you can't control. 5:20: You have the control to either apply to multiple jobs every single day, which can add up to hundreds over the course of a job search. Or you cannot play the numbers game and take that approach. 5:44: You can control the quality of relationships and interactions that you're having on LinkedIn and social media and elsewhere. 6:36: Who you listen to for advice and wisdom that's within your control. 7:11:  You can't control the quality of job descriptions that are out there. 9:54: There might be some truth to this whole law of attraction thing about how positive thoughts bring positive results to your life and negative thoughts bring negative things to your life. 11:06: Edit who you listen to and who you let influence you. 13:44: Put it on your calendar so you're more intentional about it so that there is a specific time frame around it. 14:20: Have a plan for why you're using social media in your job search. 16:58: Before you jump to conclusions, you have to consider the context. 20:33: A lot of times candidates fixate on this idea of ghosting in the job search. 22:28: Recap our tips for job search burnout.🎬 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.

Learn how to create a dynamic and memorable LinkedIn profile by optimizing different parts of your profile, including the headline, 'About' section, and work history. Discover hidden features on LinkedIn to enhance visibility to recruiters and hiring managers. Get tips on increasing visibility and engagement on LinkedIn, building relationships with others, and using LinkedIn features to track companies and individuals. Optimize your LinkedIn profile to attract job opportunities and have meaningful conversations.

In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah does a deep dive into the UX mistakes commonly made with resumes and how to correct them to stand out from other candidates. Sarah shares: Why you need 2 versions of your resume How to use a strategic summary effectively at the top of your resume Using verbs to amp up your bullet points and catch the attention of hiring managers 00:29 Your resume is a big factor in your job search, mainly regarding whether you get an interview or not 01:07 Okay, so let's get into the UX of your resume and some of those myths, and then we will dive into some of those tips as well. 01:42 So at a really high level, there's kind of three users of your resume 02:18 They want to know more than just you tick all the boxes of the job description. 05:41 So let's dive into the UX mistakes that some people are making on their resume 06:49 We need a human friendly version of your resume, and we need one that I call the applicant tracking system 8:51 Your resume, it has to be formatted correctly and it needs to have the right keywords 11:42 The second kind of UX mistake that some of you might be making on your resume is that you do not have what I call a strategic summary sentence at the top of your resume. 13:59  If you do not have a summary statement at the top of your resume, this would be something you could do really quickly today to improve the user experience of your resume 14:37  The third thing that a lot of people get wrong with their resume is that the bullet points in the work experience section sound, frankly, really weak and boring to the reader. 15:43  So how do you stand out? You do it by replacing “what I was responsible for” with specific action verbs. 19:26   If you've been applying to a lot of jobs and maybe not getting interviews, Start with your resume🎬 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.

Although a job offer is an exciting accomplishment, don't let your judgment be clouded by the salary or other shiny objects. In this episode Sarah shares reflection questions to ask yourself when you get an offer to determine if it’s the next best step for you as well as steps to follow when you determine it’s not. Timestamps: 0:09: Don’t let your judgment be clouded by the salary or other shiny objects. 0:49: The goal today is for me to share how to decide a job is right for you or not so you can reduce the risk that you accept a job and then realize a few weeks or months later that it's actually not right for you. 1:30: Many people who work in tech are obsessed with working at a FAANG company. 2:13: Q1: Does the offer set you up for the role you want? 2:52: Q2: does the job align with your values and deal breakers? 3:51: Q3: What would my day-to-day look like and does that work with my lifestyle? 4:45: If you know the role is not right, let someone know and do this sooner than later. 4:53: Keep it brief and don't feel compelled to give extensive reasons about why you no longer wanna proceed with the interviews or the offer. 5:11: A simple note to the effect of, I've decided to pursue other opportunities is completely fine. 5:22: You never have to feel guilty about declining a job offer or removing yourself from the interview. 5:55: A job offer should boost your confidence and signal that together, your resume, your LinkedIn and your interview skills did a great job at communicating your skills and experience. 6:10: Take time to reflect on your job search and interview process that got you to this point. Write down anything you think that went well or that you do differently next time. 6:31: If you don't write it down, you will most likely forget when the next time comes around for job interviews or a job search.🎬 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.

What would change if you treated your resume and portfolio as products? What would an MVP look like? In this episode of the Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah shares how to beat perfectionism and get solid versions of your resume and portfolio out into the world. 0:30: Is it possible that your resume portfolio isn't ready because of the bar you've set for yourself? 0:55: In this quest for perfect, it's easy to pass on applying to lots of awesome job opportunities. 1:40: I want you to think of your resume and portfolio as products. 2:19: The bar to stand out is low. 2:59 There’s a good chance you’re focused on the wrong details. 3:31 You should have two versions of your resume, one for people and one for the ATS. 3:40: Resume Tip 1: don’t try to make your resume 1 page. 4:07 Resume Tip 2: Don't start the bullet points in the work experience section with vague statements. 5:18: Resume Tip 3: Don't over-design or under-design your resume. 5:34: You don't want the design of your resume to literally distract the reader from the content. 6:01: You need to be consistent with font sizes and use headings to draw attention to different sections of your resume. 6:13: Put space between each bullet. 6:55: Portfolio Tip 1: Number one, don't skip context. I cannot emphasize this enough. 7:36: Portfolio Tip 2: Don’t just skip screenshots. 8:34: In addition to annotating the screens, you should label them so that people know what screen this. 8:51: Portfolio Tip 3: Don't write your portfolio like you're writing answers to a UX exam. 10:30: Get someone who knows what they're talking about to give you feedback. 11:54: Don't just say, “what do you think of my resume?” Instead, be more specific with your questions. 13:27: Set aside time to re-listen to this episode. 13:40: After you do that, then identify two quality people who you could ask to review your resume or portfolio.🎬 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.

Many candidates obsess over job titles, salaries, or having a certain company on their resume, and as a result, they often turn a blind eye to other things that can have a bigger impact in their career in the long term. In this episode, Sarah shares 3 things to consider that many people miss. 1:02: When thinking about their next career. Most candidates aren't thinking long-term enough. 2:04: If you know you wanna get into management or get more specialized, that should inform your next career move 2:22: Some roles help you build a foundation to help you get to where you wanna be in the future. 2:37: Strategy isn’t always linear 3:14:: The phrase “there’s a time to learn and a time to earn. 3:51: Consider the skills you need to gain or experience gap to fill in order to be the best possible candidate after this next job. 4:02: It is not enough to know what job you hypothetically want five years from now. You have to think about the specific skills and experience that you'll need to actually acquire between now and then. 4:07: Spend more time searching for job descriptions that describe jobs you want in the future.🎬 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.

"Playing the numbers game isn't a strategy; it's a recipe for burnout." In this episode of The Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah debunks the popular advice to apply to as many jobs as possible and shares a more effective way to land the career of your dreams. Timestamps: 0:19 Congrats on getting hired, Tessa! 1:42: Why would you keep applying if you haven't received an interview after 30, 50, 100 or more roles applied to it? 2:16: You should not play the numbers game in your career. 2:34: The numbers game is not a strategy. It's a recipe for burnout. 3:39: Another problem with applying to tons of jobs is that you probably won't have time to customize your resume and cover letter for each job you apply to. 4:50: Cover letters are not dead. 4:57: Stop focusing on the quantity of jobs applied to, and instead focus on applying to fewer jobs, but more of the right jobs for you. 6:06: Write these down! I will not play the numbers game in my job search and I will not gamble with my career. 🎬 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.

Career Switchers are incredibly well positioned for jobs in tech but so many of them don’t realize it. In this episode of The Career Strategy Podcast, Sarah shares 3 common mistakes career switchers make and how to avoid them. 0:31: Today I'll share some tips for career switchers to stand out by avoiding some common mistakes and mindset traps. 0:50: I want you to know that as a career switcher, you are not starting from scratch. You don't need to start from the bottom. So stop assuming you'll get hired into a junior role and need to work your way up or take a pay cut. 1:12: Skills like communication, critical thinking, writing, teamwork, and dealing with conflict are TIMELESS. 1:30: Companies who are hiring don't just look for candidates who know all the right software or methodologies, because these things can be taught much faster than soft skills. 1:58: Number one, stop hiding your experience because you don't think it applies and is connected. 2:05: As a career switcher, you have a major advantage over many candidates. 2:28: How to leverage your previous experience on your resume and LinkedIn profile. 4:07: Number two, stop waiting for the perfect job and strategically apply. Rejection is okay. 4:35: Launch early and launch often. This applies to your job search too. 5:48: Applying to jobs is a test. It's an experiment to see if your resume, LinkedIn, et cetera, can get you an interview. Rejection in your job search is feedback. 6:04: Rejection is not a definition of your self worth or a signal that you're doomed in your career or your life. 8:43: Number 3, Three, don't skip the portfolio because you don't think you have anything to put in it, and don't go spend weeks or months making fake projects. 6:44: Remember, just because you have not held a job with the literal word UX in the job title (or whatever job title you want in the future) does not mean you haven't been doing these things already. 7:36: A portfolio is not just meant to showcase the hard skills involved in the job you want next. 7:53: Software changes and can easily be taught, but skills like these are timeless and take much longer to learn. So highlighting these skills might give you an edge over other candidates.🎬 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.