UX Job Search Strategy & Career Coaching for UX Professionals
Your UX job search isn’t just about skill, it’s about strategy.
In the same way that the products you work on have a product strategy, you need a job search strategy.
I know getting hired in UX or Product can seem overwhelming and it’s not your fault. But, this is a problem you can fix.!
Most people were never taught how to approach the job search with strategy. This is how many UX job seekers fall into the same frustrating patterns that slow down the progress such as playing the number game and re-designing your resume and portfolio over and over, while still getting the same results.
Your lack of job search strategy ends right now … let’s go!
Hi, I’m Sarah Doody! I’m a UX Researcher & Product Designer.
I’m using my 22 years of UX experience to help people like you UX their job search, and careers.
Facing any of these challenges as a senior product designer, UX researcher, or product professional?
Communicating 10, 15, 20+ years of experience
Figuring out the next chapter of your UX career
Creating a senior level UX portfolio
Facing a UX job search after years in the same role
The 6 common mistakes UX professionals make in their job search
Even the most experienced UX professionals can get stuck in the job search.
It’s not because you’re underqualified, it’s because your approach hasn’t evolved with how UX hiring actually works today.
Without realizing it, you might be focusing on the wrong things: tweaking deliverables instead of telling your story, applying to every role instead of the right ones, or underselling your impact because it feels awkward to self-promote.
These common mistakes keep talented people invisible. Let’s unpack them so you can start standing out.
Mistake # 1
Playing the job search numbers game instead of having a strategy
When you’re not getting interviews, it’s tempting to apply to more jobs. But sending out dozens (or hundreds) of applications rarely works, it usually leads to burnout and self-doubt.
Recruiters and hiring managers can tell when you’re applying blindly. Instead of trying to win by volume, you need a strategy that focuses on fit, clarity, and visibility.
When you slow down, target the right roles, and tailor your resume, portfolio, etc for each role, you’ll clearly communicate the depth of your experience and showing why you’re the obvious hire.
Mistake # 2
Focusing on tasks and what you did instead of how you did it and your process
Recruiters and hiring managers want to hear more than what you did or were responsible for.
Yet, UX candidates often have portfolios that focus on deliverables and output and resumes that read like lists of job description responsibilities.
Hiring managers, however, care more about progress, impact, and outcomes. They want to hear about your decision making and how your work solved problems, influenced stakeholders, or impacted metrics.
If you communicate not just what you did, but how, why, where, when, with whom, and what happened, you’ll stand out.
Mistake # 3
Undervaluing relationships authentic networking
The time to focus on relationships and networking isn’t when you need something. yet, that’s exactly what most UX professionals do.
Networking isn’t about how many connections you have. What’s the point of having hundreds of connections if no one truly knows or engages with you?
The strongest opportunities often come from people who already trust your work and judgment. When you build genuine relationships throughout your career, not just during a job search, you’ll find doors open faster, and with far less effort.
Mistake # 4
Not leveraging LinkedIn to increase your visibility
You’re likely treating LinkedIn like a static resume and not enough time engaging strategically. If you never post you’re missing the chance to stay top of mind with your network.
Sharing your work, commenting thoughtfully, and updating your profile regularly keeps you discoverable to recruiters and hiring managers.
Visibility compounds when you show up consistently, not just when you need something, because trust and opportunity are built long before you ever apply.
Mistake # 5
Spending too much time on your resume and portfolio
Many UX professionals spend months re-resigning, re-writing, and trying to perfect their resume and portfolio, but ignore the other half of the job search.
Your next role won’t come just from flash animations and personality in your portfolio or playing around with your resume layout for the fourth weekend in a row.
Instead, your next UX role will likely come from connections, conversations, visibility, and clarity about your story. When you shift your focus from polishing deliverables to building relationships and credibility, doors start to open faster.
Mistake # 6
Trying to DIY your job search and approaching it in isolation
DIY-ing your job search, piecing together advice from articles, events, or random social media posts often leads to second-guessing, overthinking, and burnout.
You don’t need more advice, you need structure, feedback, and a community of people who have a similar goal.
As with everything in life, the fastest progress happens when you stop guessing and get guidance from people who’ve already done what you’re trying to do.
What a strategic UX job search looks like in today's job market
Even the most experienced UX professionals can get stuck in the job search.
It’s not because you’re underqualified, it’s because your approach hasn’t evolved with how UX hiring actually works today.
Without realizing it, you might be focusing on the wrong things: tweaking deliverables instead of telling your story, applying to every role instead of the right ones, or underselling your impact because it feels awkward to self-promote.
These common mistakes keep talented people invisible. Let’s unpack them so you can start standing out.
Top Articles
Why you should not play the numbers game in your job search
How to develop a career value criteria for your job search
What UX hiring managers want
What a strategic UX job search looks like in today's job market
A strategic UX job search isn’t about applying to more roles, it’s about applying with more clarity and intention. The UX job market has changed, and success now comes from treating your job search like a design problem: research, iterate, and refine.
Instead of guessing or reacting, you’ll identify the roles that align with your goals, position yourself for them, and use data and feedback to adjust along the way. This is how UX professionals stop playing the numbers game and start getting hired for the roles they actually want.
How do I know this? Because this is what works for the people I’ve helped get hired in UX roles through my UX career coaching program.
Strategy # 1
Define your next UX role and career goals before you apply
Your job search isn’t just about your next job, it’s about the one after that, too.
If you don’t know what kind of UX role you’re aiming for, or your short-term career goals, you risk accepting a job that doesn’t build the skills or experience you’ll need for your future goals.
Without clarity on the types of roles, companies, teams, products, and lifestyle that fit you best, you’ll waste time applying to jobs that seem right, but six months later, don’t feel like a fit.
Setting clear career goals and criteria for your next role acts as a filter. Once you define what you want, you can focus your energy on applications, case studies, and interviews that actually move you closer to where you want to go.
Strategy # 2
Focus on your decision making, not just your deliverables
Hiring managers don’t just want to hear about your deliverables and responsibilities, they want to understand how you think.
The output of your role whether wireframes, research, content strategy, a design system, etc are only part of your story.
What sets you apart is your ability to explain the why behind your decisions, how you balanced trade-offs and dealt with curveballs, and the impact your choices created.
When you highlight your decision-making process, your portfolio, resume, and interviews show you as a strategic problem-solver, not just someone who executes tasks.
Strategy # 3
Build visibility and relationships so UX opportunities start finding you
Most UX professionals hide behind applications instead of building visibility. But hiring in UX is rarely just about applying — it’s about being seen and found.
You don’t need to post daily or be an influencer. Visibility is about being discoverable to the right people — recruiters, hiring managers, and peers who align with your goals.
Start small: optimize your LinkedIn profile, comment thoughtfully, reconnect with past teammates, or share lessons from projects.
Visibility builds trust, and trust creates opportunities that come to you.
Strategy # 4
Treat your job search like a UX project with data and experiments
You wouldn’t design a product without research, prototypes, and iteration and your job search deserves the same strategic approach.
Collect data about what’s working and what’s not: which types of roles call you back, what stories resonate in interviews, what feedback you get from peers.
Experiment with how you present your work and measure the results. For example, if you apply to 50 or more jobs without an interview, then hit pause on applying and figure out what’s not working.
When you treat your job search like a UX project, you replace guesswork with insight and make smarter decisions that get you hired faster.
A few people who leveraged a UX job search strategy to navigate advancing their career
These are real clients from Sarah Doody’s Career Strategy Lab program.
How Manny got hired as a Senior UX Designer at Fidelity in 77 days
But after a layoff, his UX job search hit a wall, despite 5 years of experience in UX and 10 in design. He spent weeks spinning in circles, tweaking his resume, second-guessing his UX portfolio, and applying to jobs that led to nowhere.
How Kristin leveled up and got hired as a Senior UX Designer
Kristin had been doing UX but wanted to get out of just doing the work and wanted to have more impact and influence on strategy and the whole product. Kristin landed a Senior UX Designer role with only 2 projects in her UX portfolio.
Leon got hired in 3.5 months after getting laid off from a role he’d had for 11 years
Leon Barnard co-wrote the book, Wireframing For Everyone. But when it came to writing his resume and portfolio after a layoff, he realized he needed help. Leon got hired as a UI/UX Human Centered Design Specialist.
UX Job Search Strategy FAQs
What is a UX job search strategy?
A UX job search strategy is a structured plan for how you’ll position yourself, communicate your value, and target the right opportunities, instead of applying to every UX role that looks close enough or has keywords of your desired job title.
It combines clarity about your UX career goals, messaging that highlights your decision-making and impact, and a system for building visibility and relationships. When you treat your job search like a UX project, with research, iteration, and feedback, you stop guessing and start getting results faster.
Why am I not getting interviews for UX jobs?
Not getting UX job interviews doesn’t mean you’re not qualified, it usually means your materials aren’t telling the right story.
Most UX professionals undersell their experience because their resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn focus on tasks instead of decisions, outcomes, and impact.
Hiring managers want to understand how you think, not just what you did. When your messaging highlights your process and the value you bring, you’ll start hearing “We’d love to talk” far more often.
How can I make my UX portfolio stand out?
Your UX portfolio stands out when it shows how you think, not just what you made. Most designers fill their portfolios with deliverables (e.g. wireframes, flows, research decks, design systems) but hiring managers are looking for your decision-making, trade-offs, and impact.
Use your UX case studies to tell stories about the problems you solved, the constraints you faced, and the outcomes you achieved. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s clarity. A portfolio that shows your process makes you memorable and credible. And yes, you can get hired with just 1 project in your UX portfolio.
How long does it take to get hired with a better job search strategy?
Based on data from UX professionals who worked with me inside Career Strategy Lab, 67% got hired within six months, with 32% hired in less than three months and 35% hired in four to six months.
The timeline depends on your starting point. If you haven’t touched your resume or portfolio in years, it might take longer than someone who’s already applying and just needs to refine their strategy. But when you have structure, feedback, and clarity, progress happens fast, because you stop guessing and start executing.
What’s the biggest mistake UX professionals make when job searching?
The biggest mistake UX professionals make is jumping straight into applying for roles without a strategy. Most people start tweaking their resume or portfolio before they’ve clarified what kind of role they actually want, and end up applying to jobs that don’t align with their goals or experience.
Your job search isn’t just about sending more applications. It’s about positioning yourself as the obvious fit for the right roles. When you slow down, define your goals, and focus your message, everything else (e.g. interviews, referrals, offers) starts happening faster.
Hi, I’m Sarah Doody, a UX Researcher & Product Designer.
Since 2017, I’ve been doing UX career coaching and would love to help you too!
Go from graduated to hired?
You have the skills and education, but struggle to stand out and get hired.
Want to make the leap to senior?
You’re ready to level up but you can’t figure out how to prove your value.
What’s next in your UX career?
Struggling to communicate your 10, 15, 20+ years of experience?
Some companies my UX career coaching clients have been hired at:
