Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.
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Sarah Doody is a UX Researcher & Product Designer with 22 years of experience. She is also the founder and CEO of Career Strategy Lab, a UX job search and career coaching company where she helps UX and product people get hired or promoted with average 5-figure salary increases. She is also the host of the podcast, Career Strategy Podcast that offers weekly tips and case studies about what’s working in the UX job market and hiring right now. Sarah also speaks at conferences worldwide including UXLX, UX London, AIGA, Productized, Front, Industry, and more.
In our conversation, we discuss:
* How Sarah used research practices to pivot from product work into career strategy, and what nearly a decade of data has taught her about getting hired and promoted.
* Why most job searches fall apart when people skip self-research and jump straight into resumes and portfolios.
* A simple career “journey map” exercise that helps surface patterns across roles, managers, projects, and personal energy.
* How a career roadmap creates focus, reduces rejection fatigue, and shapes better job decisions over time.
* The role of a clear compass statement in shaping resumes, portfolios, interviews, and confidence during a search.
Major takeaways from the episode
* Sarah frames career growth using the same structure teams use to build products: research, synthesis, direction, and iteration. When people skip this step, job searches turn reactive and exhausting. A roadmap restores clarity and control by anchoring decisions to what actually works for you.
* Resumes and portfolios break down when they’re built without context. Sarah explains how a simple highs-and-lows timeline across the past year can surface repeat signals around team fit, management style, project type, and energy. Those signals matter more than any formatting tweak.
* Applying to hundreds of roles creates rejection loops that drain momentum and self-trust. Sarah links this pattern to panic behavior and short-term thinking. Fewer, better-aligned applications often lead to stronger interviews and better outcomes.
* Career decisions ripple into mental health, relationships, time, and identity. Sarah urges people to layer real-life constraints and goals into their roadmap so work supports the life they want, rather than consuming it.
* A strong compass statement acts like a thesis for your career. It guides which roles you pursue, how you frame your experience, and how you talk about your strengths. This clarity shortens resume cycles, sharpens interviews, and restores confidence under pressure.
Where to find Sarah:
* Website: www.careerstrategylab.com and www.sarahdoody.com
* LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdoody
* Youtube: www.youtube.com/sarahdoody
* Instagram: www.instagram.com/sarahdoody
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The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors.
