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

Ever wondered if LinkedIn's "open to work" feature makes you look desperate? In this episode Sarah tackles that question head-on.You’ll learn why professionals using the green "open to work" banner receive more recruiter messages and have higher chances of engaging with hiring managers. Sarah also debunks some myths, explaining why being visible and proactive on LinkedIn can outweigh any potential downsides.Whether you’re considering turning on the green banner or looking for more efficient ways to connect with recruiters, this episode offers valuable insights you won't want to miss.Timestamps00:22 LinkedIn's open-to-work feature debated; consider intentions.04:38 "Open to work" boosts LinkedIn engagement significantly.08:00 "Open to work” boosts LinkedIn job visibility.12:22 Be cautious of LinkedIn advice, consider benefits.Resources Mentioned3 Tips To Announce You're 'Open For Work' On LinkedIn🎬 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.

Struggling with updating your UX portfolio? This episode of the Career Strategy Podcast dives deep into UX portfolios and offers practical tips for both seasoned professionals and those switching careers. In this episode, you’ll discover the benefits of customizing your portfolio for each job application and why creating a presentation format might be your secret weapon. Sarah shares advice on aligning your projects with job descriptions, maintaining visibility, and dealing with company policies restricting showcasing your work. Tune in to get strategies for breaking down large projects and understand the significance of making your work easy to digest for recruiters. Whether you're a freelancer or job seeker, learn why making yourself visible on platforms like LinkedIn is crucial. Timestamps00:00 Updating resumes with years of experience challenges.06:24 Customize your portfolio to match job description.09:29 Tailor portfolio to recruiters, case study length.11:21 Consider UX in all career-related materials.14:33 Portfolio content: Quality over showing every step.19:38 Increase visibility for job and freelance opportunities.22:34 Adding work to your portfolio despite restrictions.25:10 Conceal sensitive info when discussing healthcare projects.27:34 Enhance portfolio, career coaching for UX professionals.🎬 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.

Struggling to get responses to your cold emails and messages? This episode of the Career Strategy Podcast dives into practical tips for improving your follow-up game. In this episode Sarah explores why people might not reply and how you can increase your chances of a response without being annoying. Sarah also breaks down a 5-day follow-up cadence and suggests experimenting with specific days and shares a simple and effective template for your follow-ups, ensuring you stay clear and direct. Plus, Sarah shares a handy hack involving TextExpander to make your follow-up process quicker and less stressful.Tune in to learn why you should stick to one communication channel and avoid bombarding your contacts across multiple platforms.Timestamps 01:40 Set expectations, use GAIN framework for replies.05:55 Limit follow-up to original communication method.07:07 Create reusable email templates to expedite communication.🎬 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.

In today's special episode, we dive into the raw, unfiltered experiences of alumni from the Career Strategy Lab who have recently secured new roles and transformed their careers. Our guests share their personal journeys and the pivotal moments that propelled their career success. From overcoming the fear of posting on LinkedIn to mastering the art of storytelling in portfolios and resumes, this episode highlights the importance of community, mentorship, and structured support. Listen as Senior Product Designer at Contact Monkey, Jamie, Global Head of Product Design & Experience at DSI, Duncan, and Product Designer at Zipline Retail, Jaden, discuss how Career Strategy Lab's curated curriculum and 5-sprint program helped them gain confidence, clarity, and authentic self-presentation in interviews.Whether you're looking to switch careers, enhance your job search strategies, or build a standout portfolio, this episode is packed with actionable advice and real-life insights. Stay tuned as we uncover the transformative power of investing in oneself and the invaluable role of a supportive community in achieving career success. Timestamps03:20 Left previous job, struggled, found new role.09:00 Laid off while pregnant, found new job.15:39 Mindset shift in job search for designers.17:16 Emphasizing self-recognition and value in past work.22:58 Support and connection in overcoming career challenges.30:37 Owning your story is important in career.37:04 Impactful case study sprint improved job prospects.43:33 Choose best option for best results.46:28 Investing in career advice paid off well.55:48 Join strategylab.com/applyv2 for info and updates.58:30 Course is primarily self-paced with weekly Q&A.01:03:37 Portfolio important for interviews and confidence boost.🎬 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.

Are you doing enough to stay ahead in your career? In this episode Sarah discusses why you should always be applying, even if you're happy with your job. You’ll learn the two main scenarios where this practice can make a difference and why it's important to apply for jobs right up until you start a new role.Even if you’re comfortably employed, Sarah also shares the benefits of keeping your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interview skills sharp.Tune in for actionable advice on how to take charge of your career and always be prepared for whatever comes next.Quotables“If you're in a job and you really have no plans on leaving, I think it's a very healthy exercise to explore other roles at different companies from time to time.""It's not until you look outside of the confines of your current job that you realize: wait a sec, I really like the structure of this company's teams or these benefits or their salary or their job title or who knows what."Timestamps00:32 Always apply for job opportunities to grow.04:45 Applying while employed helps gauge worth, reduces anxiety.08:06 Use job search tools, set up alerts. Apply.🎬 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.

In today's episode, Sarah addresses a crucial mindset shift for your job search: how your ability to communicate can be more important than your qualifications. Often times professionals hyperfocus on their credentials but struggle to convey their value effectively.Sarah explores common pitfalls in resumes and interviews, and actionable tips on improving your communication to boost your job search success.Quotables"Your qualifications don't matter unless you can communicate them, right?""If you're applying to jobs and not getting interviews it's more than likely a communication problem not a qualification problem."Timestamps00:15 Resume should have a clear elevator pitch.03:15 Effective resume tips.04:10 Self-audits and communication improvement on resumes and job search.06:57 Aligned messaging during your job search.🎬 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.

In today’s episode, Sarah shares how to include numbers on your resume, even if you think you don't have any. Many people believe that only monumental achievements, like saving or making a million dollars, are worthy of metrics on a resume. But that's far from the truth! This episode will walk you through a simple mindset shift from focusing on outcomes to showcasing your processes. Sarah explores practical examples for various roles like user researchers and designers, illustrating how to quantify your work and make your resume stand out. Ready to boost your career strategy and grab that dream job? Tune in.Quotables“When it comes to job applications, change your focus from outcomes to processes.""Many designers say, for example, I created a design system. Well, great! But let's highlight the scope by telling people more about that design system."Timestamps00:53 Elevate your resume with relevant metrics.01:39 Examples of process metrics for different roles.04:34 Including numbers enhances the power of resumes.🎬 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.

If you're someone with 10, 15, or even 20-plus years of experience in user experience or product roles, this episode is tailor-made for you. Sarah breaks down how experienced professionals like you are still landing great opportunities in diverse industries, the crucial difference between settling and compromising in your job search, how overconfidence can mask underlying fears and why it's essential to embrace modern job search strategies to stand out and succeed.Whether you're looking to climb higher in your current field or pivot to new opportunities, this episode is packed with actionable advice and real-life examples to help you strategize and thrive.Quotables"You have to communicate what you have done. You can't just rely on your qualifications.""There is a difference between settling or sacrificing and compromise. And with compromise, you still have the power."Timestamps00:42 Career climbers: hiring, mindset, imposter syndrome tips.04:28 Highlight accomplishments, not just qualifications, in resumes.08:50 Recognizing bills, imposter syndrome, and career challenges.10:27 Optimize career materials, LinkedIn; mindset essential.🎬 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.

In today’s episode Sarah addresses a topic that affects nearly every job seeker: the Applicant Tracking System, or ATS. With so much misinformation and myths swirling around about how ATS works, Sarah spends intentional time cutting through the noise to give you the real story. She’ll break down what an ATS is, how it processes your resume, and why it's crucial to optimize your document for these systems. Sarah also shares actionable tips to increase your visibility to recruiters and hiring managers. If you're in the middle of a job search or gearing up for one, this episode is packed with insights to help you navigate the complexities of the ATS and land your next role.Quotables“One of the myths out there is that the ATS is a robot rejecting people. And that is not totally true.""You want to be customizing your resume for every job you apply to. Now that does not mean recreating it from scratch every single time. It could mean that you're just rewriting certain bullet points, reordering bullet points, maybe even removing bullet points to draw attention to the bullet points that are more relevant to that job you are applying to."Timestamps00:28 Applicant tracking systems organize and rank candidates.04:01 Recruiters and managers make final hiring decisions.08:37 Applicant tracking systems and self-ranking summary in hiring.12:43 Understanding applicant tracking systems & its human impact.🎬 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.

In today’s episode Sarah shares valuable strategies for analyzing job descriptions in detail, so you understand how to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences.You’ll learn practical tips for tailoring resumes and portfolios to catch a hiring manager's eye by emphasizing specific examples that match job requirements. Sarah also addresses the challenge of being perceived as overqualified and offers insights on presenting yourself effectively regardless of extensive experience. If you’re navigating a job search and wondering how to make your experience count, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help refine your approach and improve your chances of landing interviews.Quotables"It's not about your years of experience. It is about how relevant your experience is.""Read and study the job description and look for things that they've mentioned that you have done and that you have stories to back up the fact that you've actually done those things."Timestamps00:38 Experience matters less, relevance is key.05:11 Customize your resume, portfolio to match the job description.07:55 Relevance over years of experience in hiring.10:32 Tailor your approach, highlight stories, get interviews.🎬 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.