144: Finding & Owning Your UX Voice, How Melp Did With Career Strategy Lab
Career Strategy Podcast with Sarah Doody | UX, Product Design, UX Research
Manage episode 513333188 series 3495117
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.
152 episodes